What is ikhlas?

Sincerity (ikhlas) is purifying the intention for God without showing off. It is the condition for an act being accepted and its root. Surat al-Ikhlas is said to equal a third of the Qur'an in merit. ¹

The Sheikh says that a deed without sincerity is like a traveller who fills his bag with sand: it weighs him down and does not benefit him ².

The Sheikh says this teaching is taken from the Prophet ﷺ's sayings, and he compares a deed without sincerity to a standing in prayer that brings nothing but hunger and thirst; the wording of the saying is not given here ³.

The Sheikh says that sincerity and love of people's praise cannot be gathered in one heart, as water and fire cannot be gathered ^{4 5}.

The Sheikh says that one sign of sincerity is that a person knows his own sincerity from within himself, and that only God can invalidate the sincerity of His servant ^{5 6}.

The Sheikh says that the deed must be for God, not so that people call its doer righteous ^{7 8}.