Page 105 - Sincerity Described in the Qur'an

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Avoiding Attitudes Harming Sincerity

By these words, Said Nursi has once again underlined the
importance of sincerity, and reminded the believers that
those who aim to live in Paradise should be cleansed of
selfish feelings, such as ego, rivalry, and the ambition to lead.
He also made note of the importance of giving preference to
another believer as an act of sincerity, of allowing him to lead
and of being pleased with his accomplishments. He
reminded believers that what is truly reflecting of sincerity is

to believe that others could be superior to oneself and to
surrender to them.

Refraining from Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is one of those tendencies that is encouraged
by the lower-soul, which, though, is contrary to the laws of
the Qur’an. Hypocrisy means that the true thinking hidden
within a person differs from his outward behavior. The
person is a two-faced, by not behaving according to what he
believes. Thus, hypocrisy is a vice that destroys sincerity. The
fact that a person could behave so insincerely and could
adopt two different characters, inside and out, indicates that
he has not yet fully grasped the meaning of faith, or
appreciated the extent of Allah’s power and wisdom.
Allah surrounds all, knows the secret of the secrets, hears
the thoughts in people’s minds, and sees them everywhere. If
one hides his true feelings and strives to appear elsewise,
then he has forgotten these attributes of Allah. Even if this
person succeeds in pleasing others around him through his
behavior or words, Allah knows what he hides in his heart.
One who fears Allah should avoid behaving in such a
way that displeases Him. People could praise someone in