The Good Person - On Sincerity (Ikhlas)

Reflections from The Risale-Nur  a Qur'an commentary by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi

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Transcript

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I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a good person. So I... would like to spend some time in these next sessions to ponder and reflect and think about what the Quran or Islam has in mind when it thinks about the good person. And we all have an understanding how a good person is supposed to be. So I would like to launch this with the title, the good person. So in our imagination, we have, even for us, we always aspire to be better or to be a good human being or the good human being or the good person. And we all have an understanding how a good person is supposed to act or be. What is the conduct of a good person? And I would like to reflect on this question in the framework of the Risale-e-Nur. And in my own engagement and reading and reflecting on the Quran, there are so many character virtues, Quranic virtues that are highlighted. So when I think about the good person, about a good person, a good human being, there are certain features, character aspects that come to mind. And I'm sure it will resonate with a lot of you. And there is some certain agreement, I think. I feel that a lot of people will nod and say, yes, a good person should be this and that. So when I read the Quran, I hear often one character trait or one aspect of a good person is that the person is sincere. sincere. And the Quran always talks about the ones who perform righteous acts, the ones who believe. So performing righteous acts also means sincere acts, right? So the Quran talks about this important feature of sincerity. that a good person should be a sincere person. A good human being is sincere, has

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sincerity as we say in English. And there are other character virtues. And I think the whole Quranic project is really to make you that good person. But the good person that really acknowledges their creator and is God-conscious. So someone who has taqwa, is aware of Allah, aware of their creator, acts always God-conscious, always aware of Allah's presence. Allah is seeing me. Allah knows me. Allah is witnessing me. Allah is recording and preserving all my feelings, thoughts, actions. And it's not to fear that presence. but to always feel a sense of awe and honor and dignity. And that also calls you to act with grace and dignity because you know you are being looked at by the Lord of the universe, by Allah, the most merciful. He is constantly watching over you. He is your companion, your intimate companion. He follows you everywhere. And we can relate to that, right? Oftentimes when we discover a camera that records us, all of a sudden our whole conduct is more, we are more hyper-conscious. We are more aware of what we do and how we act and how we display ourselves. So sometimes when you wait somewhere at a building or in an elevator and you realize that, you're being recorded or you're being watched, your whole demeanor starts to change. You're acting more graceful, more dignified. You're more aware of what you're doing. So that is the sense of being God-conscious. So a good person is a muttaqi, someone who has taqwa, which is often translated as fearing Allah. But it's a healthy fear. It's a fear that calls one to... A fear that somehow brings to mind that you don't want to lose the love of Allah or his pleasure or his acceptance. So that type of healthy fear. When you love someone so much, you fear to lose their love and that actually encourages you to have a better relationship and perform better and do better. and deepen your relationship in better ways. So a good person is someone who is absolutely God-aware, has taqwa, is self-aware, self-conscious, knows that Allah is present 24-7, and that is actually what makes them also sincere and brings them to ikhlas. So ikhlas flows out of that God-consciousness. I want to seek Allah's pleasure because he is the one who sent me into this world, who honored me, who graced me, who dignified me, and to whom I will ultimately return. And that type of attitude or that thinking puts us into a place of complete ikhlas and makes us mukhlisoon. So the good person is the one who is has taqwa, who is muttaqi, but who is also a muhlis, someone who has or cultivates sincerity. Cultivates sincerity. There are a couple of other Quranic virtues that come to mind, just as an introductory point. So I said sincerity, ikhlas, there is compassion, mercy, which we know The Prophet is an embodiment, he is a mercy to all the worlds. So compassion, a good person is one who is so compassionate, who embodies compassion, tenderness. The good person has sincerity, compassion, kindness, gentleness. Allah says in the Quran, that he loves those who are gentle, that he loves those who are walking humbly on the earth. Humility comes to mind. So sincerity, compassion, kindness, gentleness. The good person is the one who has humility, embodies humility. Allah loves the one who is humble. He dislikes arrogance. This is something that the Quran always tells us as a wise. This is a disease of the heart, arrogance or qibr that you all know of. And the good person is one who embodies humility. This is not a false humility or modesty. A good person is the one who knows that whatever they have as beauty or perfection or goodness is from Allah. And that puts them in a true place of humility, knowing that I don't own those skills. They are God-given skills. These are God-given talents. These are God-given virtues. And I'm honored that Allah allows me that I can display them, that I can be vessel of these beautiful qualities, that Allah has shared these beautiful attributes with me. I feel honored and valued and dignified, and Allah has beautified me with these skills and talents. and these faculties and abilities. Alhamdulillah, I feel so thankful. So the good person then is somebody who embodies true humility, knowing their true place in the creation and taking pride in servanthood and feeling honored to work for Allah's service and company, so to speak. Sometimes people take pride in working for someone. We take pride being a servant for Allah. And what other Quranic virtues come to mind that Allah wants us to embody? Sincerity, compassion, kindness, humility, gratitude. The good person is the one who embodies gratitude, constant gratitude. And if we can, even in... times of losses, in times of absence, not just in times of abundance. The good person always sees abundance, always sees fullness, richness. Even if they, compared to others, have less, they always have an approach of seeing the glass half full. And actually, there is so much to be grateful for. So Allah loves the one who expresses, embodies shukr, always in an attitude of hamd and praise of Allah and expressing gratitude to him. So these are such beautiful virtues that the Quran invites us to embody. And of course, the best practice and human model and inspiration for us is the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. In all its details, he embodied the Quranic akhlaq, like Aisha radiAllahu anha said, his wife, his beloved wife, that his character was the Qur'an. So for us then, our aspiration is to be a good person. And we always know we can aspire better and higher. You always want to improve. You always want to grow. And how to do that from an Islamic perspective? The Qur'an is our guide, our sacred map. And the Prophet is our wonderful, amazing, shining model. that inspires minds and hearts. So you see how many Quranic virtues there are that we can aspire and always grow, always grow. So we are a perfect masterpiece because we are a creation of Allah and Allah tells us that we are the greatest miracle. in the universe, because within us as a universe, we have emotions, feelings, we have an intellect, we have memory, we have intelligence, we have skills, we have endless universe of beauty in us. But we always aspire higher. We are a perfect masterpiece, but at the same time, we are always a work in progress. And that's all right. And humility, that virtue calls us to always see ourselves always deficient, always never being enough, and that's all right. There is beauty in that, knowing that, oh Allah, oh my Lord, whatever I do, it will never ever honor your greatness. Nothing what I can do or say or feel or do will ever be on the same level of your greatness and glory. And that's such a beautiful way of knowing your place and knowing And taking pride in that being insufficient and being deficient and never being enough. And that's all right. You know, the work will never be finished with me. I will never be done with things. I will never finish that to-do list. And to be content with that. Another virtue of the good person is contentment. And now that's also important. Being ambitious. in these kind of spiritual developments, but at the same time saying, alhamdulillah, I'm content. It's tied to gratitude. So these are very important virtues that the Quran invites us to constantly express and grow in and embody, constantly. Sincerity and God-awareness, taqwa, sincerity, humility, gratitude, contentment, And then, of course, another very important, there are so many, but I'm listing some of the most important that come to my mind now. Patience. We've talked about patience so many times. Patience, sabr, Allah loves the one who is patient, who does not rush into negative judgment, who does not label a certain thing, who does not give into destructive thoughts, but hold back a little. Hold back. Withdraw, you know, like these are very important. Sabr, patience. If the Quran wouldn't have mentioned it, I mean, it's not an easy thing to cultivate, right? Patience, if it would be easy, the Quran wouldn't mention it. But patience is a very proactive, it's a very important skill to develop and cultivate and to grow into our patience and ever more. And patience also implies that you withhold on judgment or negative thought, or you're restraining yourself, which takes energy, which takes strength, because you believe in something that is yet to come, because you have a conviction that there is more than what you see. So these are, elements of the Quranic akhlaq, of the good person, of somebody who has truly moral integrity, moral standing, whom people will remember and look up to, who make a difference in their lives and in their communities. And so shukr, patience, these are the things that the Quran over and over presents to us. And then I was thinking about... Justice, right? Allah calls us to be just and fair and orderly because this is what the creation embodies also. Allah loves adalah. And justice also has a sense of equity, meaning that adalah means to put everything in its right place. It's not always acting the same way or giving everybody the same thing. It's having the wisdom, right? the wisdom, which is another virtue, to go in wisdom, into hikmah, to know what that specific context demands from you. And that's where you then show justice. When you respond appropriately, right? To give an example, you have two plants, but their nature is completely different. The label says this plant needs a lot of sun. and less water, and that other plant needs less sun, but more water. If you give them the equal amount, you did not act in justice. That's not adalah. Because their futra, their nature, and their particular context and circumstance had demanded a unique response that fits their circumstance and their nature. It's the same with raising children. To show justice and fairness and to keep everything in order, to have that wisdom to know and read the situation in a way that calls one appropriate response. And that is what justice is. Allah in His mercy responds to us individually, uniquely, differently. That's justice because my circumstances might differ from your circumstances. So in the next few weeks, I'd like us to spend a little bit time on the broad theme of the good person or the good human being. We all want to be better. We all want to always improve ourselves. Day one, when we enter this world, we come in to learn. We are here for growth. We are here to improve. We are here to develop. We are here to thrive and flourish, but not just in worldly performance. This dunya, this place is a place of moral growth, a place of spiritual growth, a place of intellectual growth. a place of emotional growth, development, and transformation. We need to really, really internalize that. This is not a place to be absolutely happy. This is not a place to focus simply on entertainment and fun. This is not what the Quran presents us. Allah promises that this dunya is a place of examination, of trials, of tests, of hardship, Yet we act as if trials are an anomaly in our life. It should not happen. Trauma should not happen. Pain should not happen. Death should not happen. Loss should not happen. Separation should not happen. Allah says, I will test you. I will come at you. This is a promise from our Lord. Yet our nafs wants to be in denial. Our egos want to... be immersed in pleasure and joy and instant gratification and forgets. So that's another thing that the Quran tells us. We forget, we become heedless. We are in denial. We think this is all what there is. Yet the truth is, it is in pain that we experience our greatest growth. It is often in suffering that we experience our greatest development and change. Read all these stories of people who experienced death. illness, sickness, loss, many of them will say, I did not desire it, but this experience changed me profoundly. So you decide, I decide if one traumatic experience is a scary experience or is it a secret experience. You decide if what Allah sends your way, the path is written, The pain and the joy, the pleasures and the sorrows, all are part of the human story of development and growth. But even in those lows, even in those hard moments, can you see that experience as a sacred experience, something that Allah designed for you, perfected for you, sent your way, my way, our way, and then wants to see how we respond. How do we respond? And we have, again, that beautiful model, our Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, to show us how to be emotionally intelligent, intellectually, morally intelligent, be inspired, and respond appropriately. So this is the greatest gift, the greatest responsibility for human beings is choice, free will, responsibility. We make our choices, which one, which path we want to go, the path of kufr and darkness and despair and unbelief and denial, or the path of light and seeing everything what happens to us and what is sent our way as a sacred experience, as an experience that we say, alhamdulillah, Ya Rabbi, You have, transformed me through this experience. You have changed me. You have elevated me. You have taught me so much. I've grown. I've changed. So these are the things that ultimately matter. And so this dunya, the reality of this world, is that it is a plowing field for the hereafter. It is a place of examination and growth. And it is also a place of discovering and exploring Allah's qualities, attributes, and to know Allah more fully. So this is how we are presented, how the Qur'an presents to us this world. So we will be all confronted with that, each one of us. So let me read a little bit. One character virtue that the Quran presents us is, like I said earlier, sincerity, ikhlas, that we are completely devoted to Him alone. That is ultimate tawhid. All our actions, all our thoughts, all our feelings, all our conduct are completely devoted to Him alone, that we are not distracted by worldly interests, that we are not, how do you say, that we are not giving into peer pressure or societal expectations, but sincerity, as it's presented in the Quran, the good human being is the one who is sincere in their actions and completely focused on Allah and seeking his divine pleasure. So this little portion, the first rule I'd like to share with you, it's from the 21st flesh. It's something that Ustad Bediüzzaman highly recommends to read every two weeks because it's a backbone of all our actions and ambitions in life. Why are we doing certain things? Why are we after a certain goal? What's our focus? What's our purpose? Why am I doing this? What's my intention? So it's basically the spirit and the soul, the intention, as we know, the tradition says, all actions are according to intentions. What is my intention? What am I seeking with that action or this effort? Or why am I ambitious about this? And this needs to be the foundation. A good person in this world acts solely for divine pleasure. His whole purpose is to please Allah, no matter if it's popular or unpopular, no matter if it meets societal standards or family expectations. If this is what Allah wants, I will do it. And I'm not going to compromise on that because this is a non-negotiable. This is solely a person of sincerity is the one who is also completely honest in that regard, honesty, and completely committed. So when you think of ikhlas, you think of commitment and steadfastness. Steadfastness, the Quran tells us, is the one who has thabat, and who is righteous also, who has siddq, who is honest. Like Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu, the beloved companion of the Prophet ﷺ, his friend, who even in times of pressure and so much denial, was so steadfast, so honest, so committed to him and his message and to Allah. So when we think of sincerity, it also calls to mind commitment, fully committed to the holy cause, to Allah in times of joy and in times of pain. The Quran tells us in times of joy, They are in a relationship with Allah, but when things get tough, they turn away from him. But a real beautiful relationship demands that you stay in that relationship, that you are completely committed and steadfast, even when things get tough. That you say, Ya Allah, I stubbornly believe in your goodness, in your mercy, in your promise. I will even be more committed than ever. Even if I don't understand why this is happening to me or us in this moment, I believe in your goodness. I believe in your promise. I believe in your existence. And that's basically bearing witness, being an embodied testament to the truth of Allah. When everybody doubts and is uncertain and questions, you are staying strong because that's a feature of ikhlas, sincerity. You are 100% sincere. Everything else, when you are sincere to Allah, everything else will fall into place. At the end, He is the one who sent you here, and He is the one you will return to and answer. Every time I go to the grave of my daughter, I see that at the end, I will be here in this grave. And all the people who loved me, maybe they will stay for an hour max, but they'll go home. In that darkness of my grave, only Allah will be with me. Everybody else will be leaving. I'll be remembered occasionally, maybe if I'm lucky. Why am I saying this? Because later on in the fourth world tells us, what brings you to sincerity? Remembrance of death. If you need advice, Death is sufficient. When we are in our dark, narrow grave, all our loved ones leave us and we leave them. Who's our most intimate companion? Who will not leave us? Who will not abandon us? Who will widen that grave for us? Allah. Allah who is the light of the heavens and the earth. He will send his angels who will welcome me. who will send his friends, who will welcome me, who will make that grave spacious, who will ask me about my life. It's him. So I should not then live a life that is dedicated to worldly causes or certain low interests, worldly interests. So I should seek his pleasure because at the end, he will be the one I'll be meeting. Everybody else will leave. All the attention, all the praise, all the interest, all the applause, all the validation that we are seeking from finite beings or chasing this dunya, it's not going to come with us. They are not going to be with us in that grave. So Rabi Ta'ul Maut, the remembrance of death, which is also a consistent feature of a good person's character gives you perspective and puts you back into ikhlas, sincerity. Like I need to be devoted to Allah alone because everyone else, everything else, I cannot take with me and they will not help me. They will not assist me. They will not support me. They cannot save me on that other side. So in this first rule, it says here, you should seek divine pleasure in your actions. If Almighty God is pleased, it is of no importance if the whole world even is displeased. It's such an important reminder for us. If we have ikhlas, if we are completely and fully devoted to Him alone, then it has no importance if the whole world even is displeased. It doesn't matter. If he accepts an action and everyone else rejects it, their rejection has no effect. Once his pleasure has been gained and he has accepted an action, even if you do not ask it of him, should he wish it and his wisdom requires it, he will make others accept it. He will make them consent to it too. For this reason, to seek divine pleasure should be the sole aim in this service. So we are servants. This is a place of service. This dunya, this world is a place of service. We are called to be in a position of service. We are all shepherds and guides in our families. We are all people in authority and responsibility. When we have those roles, when we occupy these roles, our Focus should be Allah. I only Allah, I also, I just want to seek your divine pleasure, your love. As long as you love me, as long as if you are pleased with me, nothing else matters. My child might not listen to me. My husband might not like what I'm saying. My in-laws, my coworkers, my supervisor, my society. What I'm saying might be unpopular. What I'm doing might be unpopular or not welcomed. But as long as you are pleased with me, I am freed. I'm liberated. I'm happy. I'm content. Why would I? I live a carefree life if Allah is pleased with me. I do not chain myself to other people's expectations or approvals. I'm not a slave of others. I'm an honored servant of Him alone. That is enough to give me dignity and honor. Alhamdulillah, what a beautiful, freeing, liberating aspect ikhlas brings. When you are sincere and completely devoted to Him alone, He cuts your back. He is the Lord of the universe. Why would you seek other people's attention or praise? Or why would you obsess about people's judgments? One person's judgment is positive, the other person's is negative. What are you going to do? You can't please everyone. Recently, I learned people have anxiety of public speaking. And then you ask them why? They say it's because of judgment from others. Judgment. People are so worried if they are being judged. And we judge all the time each other. That's not to say that's a good thing, judging others, because what do they know about me? How can they even judge me in fair terms? So why do I give them power over me? Why do I give them power to decide how I should feel? No, I'm not going to be anxious or worried. I say, alhamdulillah, I do my part. It's insufficient, it's deficient. But Allah knows my intention, knows my struggle, knows that I was trying. And He's pleased. As long as He's pleased, I live a carefree life. I don't feel pressured. I don't feel oppressed. I'm truly, absolutely free in my heart because I found my anchor. And that anchor, that source of strength is Allah. And he knows my secret thoughts, my struggles, how much energy I put into a project. Who else is accompanying me from zero to end? Nobody. You know, somebody writes a book. It's a creative process. It's a lot of work. You put so much energy in the planning and the design and the imagination, imagining. maybe even illustrating, the writing process. All of this takes time. It's a lot of work. But who is with you in that process the whole time? Who can truly ever witness what you're going through? Whether it's writing a book from A to Z, planning until the project is finished, your sleepless nights, your dreams, your imagination, raising a child. Who knows truly how much effort it is raising a child, shaping them, forming them, disciplining them, the sleepless nights, the worries, the concerns, the struggles. Only Allah is aware of that. Allah is al-khabir, the most aware, the witness, al-shaheed. But the people who judge me, my performance or my parenting or my conduct as a citizen, whatever it is, or as a worker, what do they know truly about me? How much intense emotion I put into a certain ambitious task. So Allah calls us to ikhlas, complete devotion to him and sincerity because he wants us to be free. That's true freedom. But if we put all these chains on us, we do zulm, we oppress ourselves unnecessarily. We do self-harm. So that's a very important point to seek in everything what we are doing, in being human, in our relationships, in marriages, in friendships, in our parenting, in our work, to always pray to Allah that we are absolutely sincere to Him, that we only make divine pleasure our only goal. And that is radical monotheism. That means Allah is the one. He is my one Qibla, my direction. Wherever I am, wherever I pray, He is my direction in every effort. And that kind of, that sincerity, that ikhlas, may Allah make us amongst the mukhliseen, that we, in all of our actions and conduct, are always acting with full and absolute sincerity and are completely devoted to Him alone. Subhanaka la ima lana illa ma'alamtana innaka anta al-alimu al-hakim wa akhru dawana in alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen