Page 3 - issue_1

The Islamic Bulletin Volume I No. 1 Page 3
Wealth and children are [but] adornment
of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds
are better to your Lord for reward and better for
[one’s] hope. (Quran 18:46)
On Sincerity (Ikhlas), Selfishness and Intentions Behind All
Action and Matters - Open or Secret:
Allah The Exalted, said:
And they are ordained naught else than to serve The
Almighty, keeping religion pure for him, and man by
nature upright and to establish worship and to pay the
poor-dues. That is true religion. (Qur’an 98:5)
Their flesh and their blood reach not Almighty, but the
devotion from you reacheth Him. (Qur’an 22:37)
Say (O Mohammed): Whether ye hide that which is in
your breast or reveal it, Almighty knoweth it. (Qur’an
3:30)
Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (raa) has related that he heard
the Prophet (pbuh) recount the following:
“Three men on a journey were forced to take shelter in a
cave when they were overtaken by a sever storm. A rock
slipped down from the mountain and blocked the cave’s
entrance.
One of the men said: The only way for deliverance left is to
beseech The Almighty in the name of some virtuous deed.
Thereupon one of them supplicated: ‘O Lord, my parents
are very old and I offer them their nightly drink of milk
before I offer any to my children and the other members in
the family. One day I came home very late and by the time
I returned home, my parents had already gone to sleep.
I milked the animals and brought their nightly drink to
them, but I didn’t want to disturb their sleep. At the same
time, I didn’t want anyone else in the family to drink the
milk till after the parents had their drink. Thus I awaited
their awakening till the flush of dawn, while the children
cried out of hunger at my feet. When they woke up, they
had their drink. O Lord, if I did this thing seeking only Thy
pleasure, then do Thou relieve us of the distress wrought
upon us by this rock.’ Thereupon, the rock moved a little
but not enough to let them pass out.
Then the second man supplicated: ‘O Lord, I have a cousin
whom I loved more passionately than any man loves a
woman. I tried to seduce her but she would have none of
me, till in a season of great hardship due to famine, she
approached me (for help) and I gave her one hundred and
twenty dinars on condition that she would have sexual
intercourse with me. She agreed, and when we got to-
gether and I was just going to have intercourse with her,
she pleaded: Fear Almighty, and do not break the seal
unlawfully; whereupon I moved
away from her, despite the fact
that I desired her the most; and
I let her keep the money I had
given her. O Lord, if I did this
thing seeking only Thy pleasure,
do Thou move the distress in
which we find ourselves.’ Again,
the rock moved a little but not
enough to let them pass out.
Then the third man supplicated,
‘O Lord, I hired some laborers
and paid them their dues, but one of them
left leaving behind what was due to him. I invested it in
the business and the business prospered greatly. After
quite some time, the laborer came back to me asking for
his wages. I said to him: All that you see is yours; camels,
cattle, goats and slaves. The laborer thought that I was
joking with him. When I assured him that it was all his, he
took all of it sparing nothing. O Lord, if I did this seeking
only Thy pleasure, do Thou relieve us of our distress in
which we find ourselves.’ The rock moved away, and all the
three come out of the cave safe and sound.” (Bukhari and
Muslim)
Sincerity - ikhlas