Intention is action

Ikhlaas is an Arabic word for sincerity. An entire surah, chapter of the Quran, is titled Ikhlaas.The meaning of sincerity is that one’s deeds are for God alone, and not worldly gain or for the sake of making an impression on people. God looks into our hearts and judges actions according to their intent and our level of sincerity. Prophet Muhammad said, “Truly, Allah does not consider your bodies or your appearances. He considers your hearts”.
On another occasion, the Prophet said, “Be sincere in your deeds, for Allah only accepts what is done with sincerity.”
Sincerity is an attitude of the heart and is one of the most important qualities of those faithful to God. It has been the primary attribute of the prophets and Sufis who have faithfully and sincerely communicated God’s message to us.
Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq of the ninth century said, “To persevere in an action until it becomes sincere is more difficult than performing the action itself, and sincerity of action lies in this: that you should not desire anyone to praise you for it except God Almighty, and intention supersedes action. Verily, intention is action itself.”
Sincerity is a way of purifying oneself and a ropeway to God. Perhaps, the most important statement about sincerity is a Hadith Qudsi, a saying of the Prophet Muhammad as spoken by Allah, in which God says, “Sincerity is the greatest mystery that I have deposited in the hearts of those servants of mine whom I love.”
What is that mystery? Sufis Masters say that as long as you notice your sincerity, you are in need of sincerity. How, then, do we know if we are truly being sincere? Dhul Nun Misri, the ninth century Egyptian mystic said, “Sincerity has three signs — when the praise and blame of the common folk become equal in your eyes; when you become oblivious of your good deeds as you are doing them; and when you forget about your reward for your good deeds in the hereafter.”
As human beings, we have all been given the capacity for awareness and blessing of perception, insight and discernment. What activates these qualities and leads us to the path of God is sincerity.
In the words of Rumi “You should be sincere in all your deeds So that the Majestic Lord may accept them Sincerity, is the wing of the bird of the acts of obedience Without a wing, how can you fly to the abode of prosperity”

Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam. She can be contacted at
sadiafeedback@gmail.com