Page 46 - Sincerity Described in the Qur'an

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SINCERITY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR’AN

in order to obtain merit with his deeds in Allah’s presence:

"... Since in sincerity lies much strength and many lights... we are
certainly compelled more than anyone to work with all our strength
to gain sincerity. We are in utter need of instilling sincerity in
ourselves. Otherwise what we have achieved so far in our sacred
service will in part be lost, and will not persist; and we shall be held
responsible." 6
In verses of the Qur’an, Allah announces how one can
acquire untainted faith and sincerity. Additionally, each man
has been created with a competency to understand and
experience sincerity and genuineness. Therefore, acquiring
and increasing one’s sincerity is quite simple. Even if one is
completely ignorant, he may acquire sincerity by relying on
his conscience. He becomes able to comprehend what is
sincere and what is not, purifying himself of all attitudes that

hinder sincerity after merely turning to Allah with an honest
heart. For this reason, one should be aware that his
conscience is a divine guide. He should never fool himself
with excuses such as "I didn’t know which approach was the
sincere one," "I could not guess that this behavior would
damage my sincerity," "I thought that I was sincere and
genuine" etc. He should always keep in mind that these are
nothing but insincere excuses, put forth in order to ease his
conscience. Hence, it is quite simple for one who complies
with his conscience to attain to sincerity and maintain it until
the Day of Judgment.
In this chapter, we will be discussing the "ways to attain
sincerity," as they are made known in the verses of the
Qur’an, and which are also continuously brought to mind by
our own consciences. We will cite examples of this in daily