Page 107 - Sincerity Described in the Qur'an

105
Avoiding Attitudes Harming Sincerity

of true believers. However, any deed done solely to gain
people’s consent is worthless in gaining Allah’s consent.
For this reason, one should not harken to these incitements
of his soul. He should purify himself of any kind of
hypocritical thought and attitude in order to acquire sincerity.

Abandoning the Ambition to Acquire Authority
and Position

Another reason that prevents people from aiming solely to
gain Allah’s consent, and from striving sincerely for only
Paradise, is their excessive fondness of worldly values such as
authority, status and reputation. However, such worldly
values will mean nothing in terms of the hereafter. Allah
announces that the superiority between humans will be
determined, not in accordance with their authority or status,
but in accordance with their level of righteousness:

Mankind! We created you from a male and female, and
made you into peoples and tribes so that you might
come to know each other. The noblest among you in
Allah’s sight is the one who best performs his duty.
Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware (Surat al-Hujurat: 13)
In one of his works, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi affirmed
this fact as follows:
"[The second obstacle destroying sincerity] is to flatter the ego and
give high status to the evil-commanding soul through attracting
attention to oneself and public acclaim, driven by the desire for
fame, renown, and position. This is a serious spiritual sickness, so
too it opens the door to the hypocrisy and self-centredness called
‘the hidden association of partners with Allah,' and damages
sincerity" 36