Sincerity in worship and deflecting blame through it
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Your Eminence! One of them wrote an advisory article in one of the magazines, warning in it about a hidden disease that afflicts those who call to Allah the Exalted and those in charge of judgment and knowledge.And he says: He says that this disease may afflict a person such that he stands to Allah the Exalted at night, or stays late in the mosque for prayer, because he is a judge in the country or a caller to Allah the Exalted. Does this have a basis in the Shari'ah, and how does this statement hold up?The Shaykh: I did not understand?The questioner: I mean: it is possible that some callers to Allah the Exalted are afflicted with what he calls a hidden disease. It is not showing off (riya'), but it is possible that he stands in prayer at night, standing to Allah the Exalted at night, and no one sees him, because he is a caller to Allah or because he is a judge whose position requires him to do this, or he stays late in the mosque for prayer.Meaning: Not out of showing off, but it is this hidden disease. Does this have a basis in the Shari'ah that anyone has spoken about?The Shaykh: I mean, his intention is to deflect blame from himself, that this is what he worships Allah with, to deflect blame from himself.
The questioner: And he watches over Allah the Exalted by making this work sincere for Allah the Exalted.
The Shaykh: There is no objection to a person being sincere to Allah the Exalted in his work and also wanting to deflect blame from himself.
The questioner: But restricting it to this thing, meaning standing to Allah the Exalted at night, and calling this a disease, how is that?The Shaykh: Absolutely not. It is not a disease. We do not agree with this speaker that it is a disease.We say: If a person wants to deflect blame from himself, or wants to train himself for righteous work, although the better thing for a person, if he wants complete sincerity, is not to care about anyone, as long as he is sincere to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, he does not care about anyone.
The questioner: And he watches over Allah the Exalted by making this work sincere for Allah the Exalted.
The Shaykh: There is no objection to a person being sincere to Allah the Exalted in his work and also wanting to deflect blame from himself.
The questioner: But restricting it to this thing, meaning standing to Allah the Exalted at night, and calling this a disease, how is that?The Shaykh: Absolutely not. It is not a disease. We do not agree with this speaker that it is a disease.We say: If a person wants to deflect blame from himself, or wants to train himself for righteous work, although the better thing for a person, if he wants complete sincerity, is not to care about anyone, as long as he is sincere to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, he does not care about anyone.