What is the meaning of Ikhlas (sincerity)? And what if a
person aims for something else by his worship, what is the ruling?
A. Ikhlas towards Allah means: "To worship Allah with the sole
intention of drawing closer to Him and gaining access to His
heavenly Kingdom (i.e. Paradise)". If someone desired something else
by his worship, then the ruling varies as follows:
1. If he intends by doing acts of worship to draw closer to other
than Allah and to be praised by fellow creatures, then this (intention)
renders the deed in vain and it becomes a type of Shirk. It is reported
in "As-Saheeh" (of Imam Muslim) on the authority of Abu Hurairah,
may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet Η said: "Allah, the
Most High has said:
"I am the most independent from the need of any
partnership. If anyone performs a deed in which he
associates anyone else with Me, I shall abandon him and his
deed in which he has associated partners.
2. If he intends to achieve some worldly gain such as leadership,
status or wealth, instead of intending to get closer to Allah, then this
action of his is in vain and it does not bring him any closer to Allah, as
proven by His (divine) words:Whosoeverdesires the life of the world and its glitter, to
them We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds therein,
and they will have no diminution therein. They are those for
whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire, and in vain
are the deeds they did therein. And fruitless is that which
they used to do." [Hud: ١٥-١٦]
(١)
مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا نُوَفِّ إِلَيْهِمْ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ فِيهَا وَهُمْ فِيهَا لَا يُبْخَسُونَ
(٢)
أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَخِرَةِ إِلَّا ٱلنَّارُ وَحَبِطَ مَا صَنَعُوا۟ فِيهَا وَبَٰطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
The difference between this person and the first one is that the
former intends to be praised for worshipping Allah, the Most High,
while the later does not desire to be praised forworshipping Allah, nor
is it of any concern to him that people praise him for that.
3. If he intends to draw closer to Allah, while also desiring to
achieve some worldly benefit thereby e.g. when performing ablution,
he desires - in addition to his main intention of worshipping Allah - to
invigorate his body and clean it, and similarly by offering prayers he
desires to exercise his body, and by fasting he intends to lose weight
and cleanse his body of impurities, and by Hajj he desires to see the
various sacred sites and the pilgrims = then this (worldly desire)
lessens the reward of (his) Ikhlas.
Nevertheless, since his main
intention is to worship Allah, he will have only missed the wholeness
(and perfection) of the reward, and he will not be guilty of committing
any sin or wrongdoing.
Fataawa arkaanul Islam ibn uthaymeen