8 Misconceptions About Love
By Saad Tasleem | 2026-01-16T16:43:57.054124+00:00 | Topic: Love
Purifying Your Intentions When Seeking Knowledge
Speaker: Shaykh Saad Tasleem
Event: NJ Dawah 2013
Opening
(Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh)
(Alhamdu lillah, rabbil 'alameen, wassalatu wassalamu 'ala ashrafil anbiya'i wal mursaleen, nabiyyina wa sayyidina wa habibina Muhammadin wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een, wa ba'd)
Introduction
Right now we're talking about the issue of purifying our intentions when seeking knowledge. And I would have to say that out of everything that we've learned this weekend, from the merits of seeking knowledge to everything else that we've come across, this is one of the key factors or the key points that will kind of complete the message of this conference.
Because the reality is that our intention is really the spirit of our purpose of life. As we know, Allah has created us for His worship. And in order for that worship to be complete, in order for that worship to be correct, in order for that worship to be accepted by Allah, the intention must be correct.
The Importance of Intention
And this is why Imam Ibn Hazm )رحمه الله تعالى(, when speaking about the intention, he said the intention is like the heart and soul of our worship. He says just like the body has a soul, likewise our actions, our worship must have the soul which is the intention.
And he said just like the body loses life without the soul, likewise our acts of worship, they will be ruined and they will lose life without the correct intention.
Hadith on Intentions
And this is why the Prophet ﷺ said in the hadith of Umar )رضي الله تعالى عنه( said:
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
"Actions are only judged by their intentions."
(Sahih Muslim)
And this is why Allah, when telling us the job of the prophets, said that they weren't commanded with anything except the worship of Allah with sincerity in religion. It's almost as if this is the only message that was given to
the prophets. This is the only job that they had: to tell people to worship Allah in sincerity. Meaning this was the crux of the matter. This was the most important thing that the prophets came with—the worship of Allah with sincerity.
The Balance Between Dunya and Akhira
And this is why for a Muslim, there is an innate relationship between our dunya and our akhira in all of our deeds. In every single thing we do in life, we have the relationship between our dunya and our akhira. Or we can say there is a relationship between the physical realm and the spiritual realm.
And it is always connected. And when we separate the two, we remove our spiritual side from our physical side, we're not going to be happy. And so this is why you see somebody who finds themselves on either one of the two extremes.
So if it's just about their physical lives, then this person will never be happy because they're missing that spirituality. On the other hand, if you see somebody who, for example, has abandoned the dunya, and they're like "my life is just about spirituality and that's it and nothing else, and I don't really want to have anything to do with this dunya," even they are not going to be happy.
It's only when we have balance between our dunya and our akhira, our physical life and our spiritual life, it's only at that point that we're truly going to be happy and we're truly going to be satisfied.
Knowledge and Intention
And so when it comes to seeking knowledge, obviously we're going to talk about the intention. Because that is really what completes our knowledge. And that is what really gives life to our knowledge.
And this is why Imam Ahmad )رحمه الله تعالى( when talking about intentions and knowledge, he said that there is nothing that equals knowledge, meaning in reward, for the one who has the correct intention. Meaning if you have the correct intention, then nothing will equal knowledge. Meaning the reward of knowledge will not be equaled by anything as long as the intention is correct.
Warning: The Danger of Incorrect Intention
However, if the intention is incorrect, what happens? We know how it is mentioned in Sahih Muslim in the Hadith of Abu Huraira رضي الله تعالى عنه( : The Prophet ﷺ spoke about the first group of people to enter the hellfire.
And the Prophet ﷺ said that amongst the first group of people to enter the hellfire is the person who sought knowledge, who studied the religion, and the person who learned the Qur'an. And this person will be brought in front of Allah, and he will be made aware of his blessings.
فَعَرَّفَهُ نِعَمَهُ فَعَرَفَهَا
He will be made aware of all the blessings that Allah gave him, and he will know. And Allah will ask him: What did you do with your blessings?
And this person will say that I acquired knowledge and I taught it to others and I recited the Qur'an for your pleasure—meaning the pleasure of Allah.
And then Allah will say to this person:
"You have lied. You only sought knowledge so people would say that you're a scholar. You only learned the Qur'an so people would say that you're a reciter of the Qur'an."
"And it was said"—that's what was said about you.
And so this person will be dragged into the hellfire on his face. And this is the danger of having the incorrect intention. This is the danger of not having the proper intention when seeking knowledge.
(Sahih Muslim)
Learning Intention Like Learning Action
And this is why the scholars of the past, they would always begin with the issue of the intention. When they would write books, when they would write treaties, and when they would give talks, they would begin with the issue of the intention—no matter what science of Islam they're talking about. Whether it's fiqh or tasawwuf or aqidah or hadith or mustalah or whatever science of Islam they're speaking about, they would begin with the issue of intentions.
And a lot of scholars would begin their books with the hadith of Umar that actions are judged by intentions. Meaning: before you crack open this book, before you move forward in your knowledge, know that if your intention is not correct, then you won't be rewarded for this deed. And this is why before you get into seeking knowledge, before you start this action, make sure that the intention is correct.
And this is why Imam Sufyan al-Thawri )رحمه الله( said that the people at his time, the scholars, he said they would learn the intention just like they would learn the action. So just like they would learn how to pray, they would learn how to have the correct intention when praying. Meaning they didn't separate the two.
It wasn't just about the act of worship; it's about performing the correct act of worship and having the right intention when performing that act of worship. Because without that intention, that act of worship becomes useless.
The Wrong Intentions
So obviously the question comes up: what is the wrong intention? We keep talking about correcting our intention, having the right intention. So what exactly is the wrong intention?
The Prophet ﷺ in the hadith of Ibn Umar mentioned in Sunan Ibn Majah, tells us what the wrong intention is. The Prophet ﷺ said:
(Sunan Ibn Majah)
"Whoever seeks knowledge to argue with the foolish, or to boast amongst the scholars, or to turn the faces of people towards him, then this person will be in the hellfire."
(Sunan Ibn Majah)
And the Prophet ﷺ said: either any of these intentions are the wrong intention. Those are the intentions that lead us to the hellfire.
And Subhanallah, if you look at why people oftentimes seek knowledge or why they get into seeking knowledge when they have the incorrect intention, it will always fall into one of these three intentions.
The Modern Challenge: Social Media and Attention-Seeking
And Subhanallah, in our times, because of things like social media—because of like Facebook and Twitter and things like that—and internet popularity and YouTube popularity and things like that, these things become even more serious. Because the average person now has the ability to sit on their computer and record a couple videos on YouTube and become popular and get people's attention, to turn the faces of people towards themselves, to seek that popularity.
The Prophet ﷺ said this is what leads to the hellfire. If that is the intention, then that is what leads to hellfire.
Or to argue with the foolish: How many times have we seen people arguing with others on Facebook or on the internet? And people sometimes may seek the knowledge—they'll go read a book or do some research or whatever. Why? To show this person that he's wrong. To say: "Listen, I have studied. I know what I'm talking about."
Or to boast amongst the scholars: To say, "Listen, I know what I'm talking about," to sit with the scholars and say, "Listen, I am also learned. I have studied this and I've studied that and I've been here and I've been there and I've sat with this scholar and I've sat at this university," etc., etc.
These are the wrong intentions, my brothers and sisters.
The Correct Intentions
So what is the right intention? What are the right intentions to have when seeking knowledge?
You remember how I said Imam Ahmad said that nothing equals knowledge for the one whose intention is correct? When he said that, a man asked him, he said: What is the correct intention then? How do we make the correct intention?
And Imam Ahmad, he said: The correct intention is the intention to remove ignorance from ourself and to remove ignorance from others. That is the correct intention.
Eight Things to Encompass the Correct Intention
And Imam Ibn Jama'ah mentions eight things that encompass the correct intention, or eight things that we do in order to have the correct intention:
1. Seeking the Reward of Allah
We make the intention to seek the reward of Allah. That is the first intention we make—that with this knowledge that we're seeking, with this lecture that we're listening to, this book that we're reading, or this lecture we're attending, or whatever it is—with this knowledge, I'm seeking the reward of Allah.
2. Acting Upon the Knowledge
That I want to act upon the knowledge that I'm learning. That it's not just about learning the knowledge, it's not just about saying that I've acquired this knowledge or I've studied these books or I've listened to these lectures or I have this degree from here. It's not about that. It's about acquiring the knowledge to act upon it and to be able to put into practice what we have learned.
3. Reviving the Shari'ah
To revive the shari'ah, to be part of the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. As we mentioned, if you remember on day one, we said how the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Indeed, the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets."
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3641; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2682; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 223
So we make the intention that with this knowledge we are carrying on the message of the Prophets, and we are carrying on the message of the Prophet ﷺ. We are bringing the Qur'an and the sunnah to the people. We are showing people what Islam really is.
4. Enlightening Our Heart
To enlighten our heart, to bring awareness to our heart. And this is what Imam Ahmad was talking about. He said: to remove ignorance from ourselves and to remove ignorance from others. Because we don't want to
5. Purifying Our Soul
To purify ourselves, to purify our soul. As Allah said:
"Most certainly, the one who purifies it has become successful."
"And the one who has corrupted it—corrupted their soul—this is the person who has failed."
And Subhanallah, this is the point that I want you to pay special attention to. Because in our times, we have this call for purification of the soul, to purify our nafs—which is excellent, Alhamdulillah. That should be one of our goals: to purify our nafs, to purify ourselves, to increase in our spirituality. But we want to do it upon the guidance of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
We don't take our guidance from anyone else regarding our purification, how we purify our souls. We stick to the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And if we have the correct knowledge, then we're able to purify ourselves upon the guidance of the messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
How many times have we seen people doing things in the name of Islam and saying, "Yeah, I heard someone say this," or "My parents taught me to do this," or "I read here or there," or "For the last three generations, my family in this country or that country, they've been doing this action, and we do this to get closer to Allah"? And there's no proof for that. This was something never done by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). It was never done by the companions. It was never done by the generation after them or the generation after them.
So when we seek knowledge, we make the intention that we want to purify ourselves, but we want to purify ourselves upon the guidance of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
6. Being Close to Allah on the Day of Judgment
That we want to be close to Allah on the day of judgment. On that day—the day of chaos that we know is going to be 50,000 years long, the day on which the sun is going to be on top of our heads, when a mother will drop her newborn child—on this day, we want to be close to Allah.
7. Paying Attention to the Rewards of the Akhira
That we are able to pay attention to that which Allah has prepared for us, from His favours—so the rewards of the akhira.
And Subhanallah, this is something you may see: that a person who doesn't have knowledge, or a person who is not seeking knowledge, or a person who isn't sincere in their knowledge—what you'll see is that they will
seldom think about the rewards of the akhira. The dunya overtakes them. They think about the nice things they have in life: cars and money and houses or whatever it is. And people forget about the pleasures of the akhira.
And it takes knowledge, and it takes sincerity and knowledge, for a person to be able to long towards the akhira. Because when we long towards the akhira, then we're going to work for it. And that is what sincerity gives to us.
8. Paying Attention to the Blessings of Allah
Lastly, number eight: is that we pay attention—or that we're able to pay attention—to the blessings of Allah, to the favours of Allah. Meaning the ability to simply look out, to look at the sky, to look at the stars, look at your own body, your fingers and your legs, and to say: Alhamdulillah, this is a blessing from Allah.
Not everyone has that ability. For how many people live their life and they never think how their hand—simply their hand—is an immense blessing from Allah? Their eyesight, the ability to see, is a blessing from Allah. The ability to think and to ponder and to rationalize—this is a blessing from Allah. This is an ability that we all need to get closer to Allah.
Benefits of Having the Correct Intention
My brothers and sisters, having the correct intention when seeking knowledge—and in general—does so much for us. There are so many blessings of having the correct intention. Amongst that is—and this is I would say the most important thing when seeking knowledge—is that it turns our knowledge, or the knowledge that we're seeking, into an act of worship.
So an act which would regularly be simply an act where we're informing ourselves, we're increasing our own information, our own knowledge, now becomes an act of ibadah to Allah. So every time we sit and we listen to a lecture or we read a book or whatever we do, we're rewarded by Allah for that action. And that is what the ability the intention—has to do. If the intention is correct, now all of these actions get turned into an act of ibadah.
And like I mentioned on Friday: how many people out there are studying Islam? We have non-Muslims studying Islam at universities and this and that. And they're studying Islam just for the information, just for the knowledge. But a Muslim studies Islam not just for the knowledge—yes, we want to increase our knowledge—but for the reward of Allah, for it to become an act of ibadah.
Reaching Higher Status Through Sincere Intentions
Also, my brothers and sisters, amongst the blessings of having the correct intention is that we can reach a much higher status simply because of our intentions. Because sometimes there are things that we're just not capable of doing, things that we're unable to do. However, if our intention is sincere, if it's correct, then we can still get the reward for those matters.
And I'll explain to you what I'm talking about: People may be—someone may be able to control our bodies. They may be able to restrict us or restrain us. So you can imagine somebody who is imprisoned. He may be stopped from praying. Physically he's unable to pray. But if he has the intention of prayer, Allah will reward him for that prayer, even though physically he's incapable of praying.
So people can lock you up, they can chain up your body, but they can't chain up your intentions. They can't lock up your intentions. And that is what you have control over. That is what Allah has given you. And that is the blessing of having the correct intention.
Hadith on Martyrdom
And as we know, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned in Sahih Muslim—there's a hadith in Sahih Muslim—where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) tells us, he says that the one who asks for martyrdom with true sincerity, then Allah will give this person—put them in the ranks of the martyrs—even if this person dies on their bed.
The key issue, the key point here, is the sincerity of the intention. So if the person makes that intention, if they have the intention of martyrdom, then Allah will grant him that, even if this person, as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said even if this person dies upon his bed.
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1909)
Hadith of the Four Types of People
And we have the famous hadith of Abu Kabsha (رضي الله عنه) mentioned in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said—he said: This world, this dunya, is for four types of people.
First Type
He said number one: the one who is blessed with wealth and knowledge, and this person, they fear Allah with their wealth, and they use their wealth to nurture the ties of kinship, and this person knows that Allah has a right in their wealth. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: This is the most virtuous rank. This is the most virtuous rank.
Second Type
The second person the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned is the one who has knowledge, but this person has not been given wealth. However, this person, he says that if I had been given wealth, then I would do the deeds of so-and-so with my wealth—meaning I would benefit the people, I would keep the ties of kinship, I would know that Allah has a right in my wealth.
And then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that this person's reward is equal to the reward of the first person.
The first person who had the wealth—this person didn't have the wealth, but he had the knowledge, so he made the intention right. How many of us are unable to do actions? We're unable to give a million dollars in charity.
But if we have the correct intention with sincerity, we have the knowledge, we can get the reward of the person who made the intention to give a million dollars in charity.
That's why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: His reward is same, is equal to the one—the person before him.
Third Type
Number three, the third type of person is the one who has wealth but he has no knowledge. And so this person, because of his lack of knowledge, he spends his wealth rashly. He doesn't fear Allah in his wealth. He doesn't understand that Allah has a right in his wealth. And therefore the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: This is a despicable rank. This is one of the worst people—a person Allah gave wealth to, but they didn't use their wealth to benefit them, because of their lack of knowledge.
Fourth Type
Number four is the person who has no wealth and they have no knowledge. And because of their lack of knowledge, they say to themselves: If I had wealth, I would do the deeds of so-and-so—the deeds of the sinful person.
How many times have we seen people watch like MTV Cribs or something like that, or watch like rappers or whatever, and say: If I had money, I would do the same things. I would party and I would have girls and I would do this and that.
Subhanallah, this person has not been put in that trial, but he makes that intention—that if I had this, if I had the money, I would do so-and-so. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that this person is equal with the person before him, the one who actually did the deeds, because he sincerely made the intention. He said: If I had this, if I had this wealth, I would spend it in that haram manner.
And here, what you see in this narration, with this hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is the importance of two things:
- Number one: The importance of knowledge—how knowledge can make a difference in our deeds.
- Number two: The importance of our intentions—how our intentions can have an impact on our deeds and how we are able to do things—or we are able to get the reward for something—even though we may be incapable of physically doing that action.
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2325)
Hadith on Salatul Layl (Night Prayer)
And as we know the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told us—this is mentioned in Sunan Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i—where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) tells us that a person who habitually prays Salatul Layl, the night prayer—so they have a habit of praying the night prayer; every night they do it—and on one night this person becomes incapable, sleep overtakes them and they are unable to pray this prayer.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that this person receives the reward of that Salatul Layl, of that night prayer.
كُتِبَ لَهُ مَا كَانَ يَعْمَلُ وَكَانَ نَوْمُهُ عَلَيْهِ صَدَقَةً
"And his sleeping is a charity for him."
So this person did not wake up in the night. They slept through the night. They weren't able to wake up. And Allah still rewards this person for this action. This is the importance of our intentions.
(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1314; Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 1785)
The Story from Imam al-Ghazali
Likewise, my brothers and sisters, our actions may come to an end—our physical actions may come to an end—but the reward doesn't have to, as long as our intention is there.
And this is why Imam al-Ghazali (رحمه الله تعالى) narrates a story. He said that a man went to a scholar and he asked the scholar, he said: Tell me an action that I can continue to do even until my old age. Because I don't want to die in a state where I'm not in worship to Allah, and I don't want to die in a state where I'm unable to worship Allah. Meaning, I want death to come upon me and I'm still worshiping Allah.
And so this scholar, he said to this man, he said: Do as much good as you can do. However, always keep the correct intention. And when you become incapable, continue with your intention. Because your body may become incapable, but your intention doesn't have to become incapable.
So if your intention is there and your body is unable to do this action, and you had the right intention, you still can die in a state where you are in a state of ibada to Allah.
The Story of the Man Who Gave Charity
Likewise, my brothers and sisters, what the intention does for us is that it allows us to be rewarded for actions even when the outcome of that intention is not what we intended, is not what we were aiming for.
And we learned this from the hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned in Sahih Muslim, where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentions to us a story of one of the people from the previous ummah.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told us that there was a man who had made the intention to give charity. He makes the intention to give charity. So one night, when everyone else is sleeping, he leaves his house and he goes and he gives charity. But he unknowingly gives charity to a thief.
So the morning time approaches, and the people start saying: This man gave charity to a thief.
And so this person says he says: يَا اللهُ سُبْحَانَكَ "Ya Allah, Subhanak, all praise belongs to You, and I will give charity again."
And the next night comes, and he goes out, and he unknowingly gives charity to a prostitute. And so the morning time comes, and the people start saying: Look at this man—he gave charity to a prostitute.
And once again he says: (يَا اللهُ سُبْحَانَكَ - Yā Allāhu Subḥānak) "Ya Allah, Subhanak, praise be to You, and I will give charity again."
And the third night comes, and he goes out, and once again he unknowingly gives charity to who? A wealthy person.
And in the morning time, he begins to hear that the people are saying: This man gave charity to a wealthy person.
And then this person says : (يَا اللهُ سُبْحَانَكَ - Yā Allāhu Subḥānak) "Ya Allah, Subhanak, for You allowed me to give charity" or "You made it so that I gave charity to a thief, a prostitute, and a wealthy person."
And then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) told us that it was said to him and the scholars have mentioned that the one who said this to the man was actually an angel—that an angel came to this man, and he said to him that the charity that you gave to the thief could make this thief stop stealing from people. And the charity that you gave to the prostitute may allow her to quit her prostitution. And the charity that you gave to a wealthy person may allow this wealthy person to be inspired by you, and now he also becomes charitable and he gives charity.
And here, my brothers and sisters, you see the importance of the intention. This person didn't intend to give the money to the thief or to the prostitute or to the wealthy person. And the outcome was that the money was received by these people. However, Allah knows what his intention was, and Allah rewarded him for that intention.
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1022)
Lesson: Dealing with Haters
And this shows you the other lesson we learn from this hadith is actually how to deal with haters. Because you're always going to have haters when you do any type of good, when you seek knowledge, when you are trying to benefit the people. You're always going to have haters.
And this is why all the prophets—they all had haters. Every single prophet, even our beloved Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)-people all hated on him for his message. But if our intention is sincere and we are trying our best to do what is correct and we fear Allah, then we don't pay attention to the haters. We don't pay attention to the haters, and we continue in the goodness that we are doing.
Forcing Ourselves to Be Self-Aware
Likewise, my brothers and sisters, having the correct intention, or aiming for the correct intention, forces us to be self-aware. And this is something that we as Muslims we strive for. We strive to be aware. We strive to be
self-aware. Because we know that a state of heedlessness is a state in which Allah—a state that Allah described the animals as, as Allah describes the people of the hellfire.
And He says:
"They have hearts by which they do not understand."
وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا
"They have eyes by which they don't see."
That these are the people who are like cattle, like livestock—rather they are more misguided. They are further astray. And Allah says:
وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ
"These are the people who are heedless."
(Quran 7:179)
And our life is a fight against this heedlessness. We want to be self-aware. We want to be aware of our surroundings. We want to be aware of our spirituality. We want to be aware of our need to worship Allah. Because Allah has placed that need within us. It is known as our fitrah, our innate nature to recognize Allah as our only Creator and our only Lord and our only Sustainer, and then Allah's right to be worshipped. This is something which is built in with us, into us. And this is what we strive to be aware about, strive to be aware of.
And paying attention to our intentions forces us to be aware. Because every time we do an act of worship, we ask ourselves: Why did I do that? Did I do it for the people? Did I do it to be praised? Did I do it to be looked at? Or did I do it for Allah?
And if we didn't do it for Allah, we fight our intention. We force ourselves to be sincere.
I attended that lecture—why did I do it? I took an AlMaghrib class, for example. I took the Fiqh of Chilling- why did I do that? Did I do it just to go have some fun? Did I go to chill? Or did I do it to get closer to Allah?
And by Allah, my brothers and sisters, those of you who have taken my class, I hope that the intention is that you want to get closer to Allah from that class. Yes, it's okay to have fun. All that stuff is great. But I really hope, for your sake, that you made the intention—and that you continue to make the intention, or you took that class, you change your intention—that it is with that class that I want to get closer to Allah.
And that is the fight. That is the struggle. And that is what paying attention to our sincerity does. Paying attention to our intentions does.
Signs of Sincerity When Seeking Knowledge
Lastly, my brothers and sisters, I want to leave you with some of these signs of one's sincerity when seeking knowledge. So how do we know that we are sincere in seeking knowledge? What are the things that show us that we were sincere when we sought this knowledge? And if we don't have these signs, what are the things that we need to work towards?
Sign 1: Acting Upon That Knowledge
Number one is acting upon that knowledge. If you find somebody who seeks the knowledge and they act upon that knowledge, it means there is sincerity in that knowledge.
And if you find someone, or if you find yourself, learning knowledge, studying and reading book after book and lecture after lecture and attending class after class, but this had no effect on the person—they are the exact same person—then no, there is very possibly an issue with the sincerity of the person, sincerity when the knowledge was sought.
Because indeed, as the scholars of the past would say, that the actions, the amal, is the thamara—is the fruit of the knowledge. Knowledge is no good to us unless we act upon that knowledge. We can collect as many books as we want. We can study as much as we want. But if we haven't acted upon that knowledge, what good is that knowledge?
And as Allah says, that it is a great hatred in the sight of Allah that you say that which you do not do. So if somebody who learns a knowledge and preaches a knowledge, but that knowledge doesn't affect them, then what is the benefit of this knowledge? What is the benefit of that knowledge? It is an issue of a person's sincerity.
Sign 2: Patience
Number two: patience. Patience is a sign of a person's sincerity when seeking knowledge.
My brothers and sisters, I can't tell you the amount of students of knowledge that I've met in my life who started on a path of knowledge, but as soon as the going got rough, they're like: Yeah, this is not for me. I have a different calling in life.
And I'm not judging anyone's sincerity. I'm not speaking about anyone in particular. But I'm saying: if a person is sincere and they're working on their sincerity, then they'll be patient with the afflictions that come upon a person who seeks knowledge and on the path. Because we know that a person who is seeking knowledge is upon the path of the prophets. And the path of the prophets is not easy. All the prophets were tested and tried, and they all went through hardships. And it's not going to be easy.
And this is why the advice of Luqman (عليه السلام - ʿalayhi al-salām) to his son—he says he says: (يَا بُنَيَّ - Yā bunayya) "Oh my son, establish the prayer and enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil." He says: "Have patience upon that which comes upon you, that which befalls you. And that is indeed from the matters that require a lot of determination."
Because anyone who sets out on a path of da'wah, of seeking knowledge and benefiting the people and acting upon that knowledge, they will have to face this. They will have to come across this.
Sign 3: Gentleness with Others
Number three: gentleness with others, gentleness with the people that you're making da'wah to. This is a sign of a person's sincerity.
And as we know the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was gentle with people, and he was more knowledgeable than any of us. If you find somebody being overly harsh with the people, it's usually one of two problems: either they lack knowledge or they lack sincerity.
So a person has to check: if they have the knowledge, they've learned what they have to learn, they've studied the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) they've studied the books of hadith, they know how the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) dealt with people, and they're still harsh with the people—then no, there's an issue with the sincerity of the person.
And so a person who is seeking knowledge must be patient. They must push themselves to be gentle with people and to be gentle with the ignorance of people.
Sign 4: Not Giving Up Easily
Number four is that a person who is sincere, they don't give up easily. They don't give up easily. Meaning when the going gets rough, when they're making da'wah and things get hard, they're not like: Khalas, I'm done. This is not for me. They keep striving and they keep pushing.
And as you remember, Imam Shadid mentioned on the first day the story of Nuh (عليه السلام - ʿalayhi al-salām). And one of the lessons he mentioned is that it shows us the patience of Nuh (عليه السلام - ʿalayhi al-salām) and his perseverance—that after 950 years, he had a few followers, and he continued to make da'wah. That is a sign of a person's sincerity.
Sign 5: Humility
Number five: humility, being humble. Knowledge should make us humble. Knowledge should give us humility. If knowledge has made us arrogant, there could be an issue with the sincerity of the person who sought this knowledge.
Humility: somebody who seeks knowledge with sincerity doesn't feel shy to say (الله أَعْلَمُ - Allāhu aʿlam) "Allahu a'lam," doesn't feel shy to say "I don't know" when they don't know the right answer. For they know that the great scholars of our past people who are tons more knowledgeable than us—they would never feel shy to say (اللهُ أَعْلَمُ - Allāhu a'lam) "Allahu a'lam, I don't know."
This is a sign of a person's sincerity. They're humble. When they don't know, they don't know, and they say that. They don't care what people think of them. They don't care what people say: "Oh, this person, he's not that knowledgeable." Who cares what a person has to say? Because I have to answer to Allah.
Somebody asks you a question, you don't know, you say: Alhamdulillah, I don't know. Allahu a'lam. This is a sign of a person's sincerity.
Sign 6: Being Careful to Speak About Islam
Number six, the sixth sign is that a person is careful to speak about Islam. Like I mentioned, a person does not afraid to say Allahu a'lam. They're very careful because they know they're speaking on behalf of Islam.
And you see people speaking about Islam like it's no big deal. People are more careful about speaking about worldly matters than speaking about Islam sometimes.
If you ask somebody like a medical question—you ask a doctor a medical question—they might refrain from answering that question because like they don't want to be sued or something. But this same doctor who has like no background, no qualification in Islam—if you were to ask this doctor like an Islamic issue, he'll give you all of his opinion, pull them out of his pockets. "So I've heard this and I've heard this and I've heard this." They don't understand how serious it is to speak on behalf of Islam.
Imam Malik would say that when somebody would ask me a question about Islam, I would envision myself standing between heaven and hell. That's how serious it was for me. And that was because of the sincerity of . (رحمه الله تعالی) Imam Malik
Sign 7: Not Feeling Safe from the Hellfire
Lastly, a person doesn't feel saved. They don't feel safe from the hellfire. So if you find somebody who studies Islam, they're knowledgeable, they're a shaykh or this and that, and they say: Khalas, I'm done. I've attained Paradise. I've nothing to worry about. There's an issue with their sincerity.
Because even the best of generation—the sahaba—were worried about their akhira. They didn't feel like: Khalas, they're done. They're good to go. I got a free pass. Even though the sahaba who are guaranteed—the ten who are promised Paradise—even they would be afraid for their akhira. They would be afraid for their deeds.
And this is because of the sincerity of the sahaba (رضي الله تعالى عنهم - raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum)
Conclusion: Sincerity is a Lifelong Struggle
Lastly, my brothers and sisters, I will say that remember that sincerity—attaining sincerity, having the correct intention is a lifelong struggle. It's a daily, it's an hourly struggle. It's a struggle. It's something you struggle minute to minute.
Don't let Shaytan fool you into thinking that either you're sincere or you're not sincere. Don't let him fool you into thinking that: Okay, I'm just not sincere. Let me give up.
It doesn't work like that. We have to struggle with our sincerity every day. It's a constant battle. It's a constant struggle. It's what we have to do constantly. And that is what Allah requires of us.
I ask Allah to grant us knowledge that is beneficial and to grant us sincerity in the knowledge that we're seeking and give us the ability to act upon the knowledge that we have learned.
Closing
I say what you hear, and Allah knows best. And the last of our supplications is to praise Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
May the peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.
End of Khutbah