Page 84 - Sincerity Described in the Qur'an

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SINCERITY DESCRIBED IN THE QUR’AN

is Ever-Gentle with His servants. (Surat al-Baqara: 207)

However, what is important is that one should conduct
himself with honesty and sincerity, and should in no way
pity nor support the wicked side of his soul. Thus, he must
train himself to this effect, purifying his soul of evil, and
rendering it submissive. Therefore, he should never confuse
the wicked side for his real soul, nor ever support it. He
should know that the wicked side of his soul is always
wrong, opposes the Qur’an, and acts as the devil’s speaker.
One should evaluate anything received from it with this
understanding.
Just as one feels no pity towards another person’s lower-
self, or feel compelled to defend it or prove that it is in the
right, he should act similarly in regards to his own self. He
should treat the wicked side of his soul as an alien and take
opposing side to it. He should admonish it when it
encourages evil, and should listen to his conscience’s voice,
without submitting to the evil compulsion. Only in this way
could he detect any deceptive methods used by his lower-
self, evaluate it objectively, and judge it on the basis of the
Qur’an. Only then could he acquire sincerity and Allah’s
consent. Allah informs us of this truth in a verse as follows:
But as for him who feared the Station of his Lord and
forbade the lower self its appetites, the Garden will be
his refuge. (Surat an-Nazi’at: 40-41)

Preferring Another Believer’s Soul over One’s
Own

One of the attitudes that harms sincerity is the
"greediness and selfishness" innate in one’s self. Allah made