How does a student of knowledge attain sincerity?
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The questioner : May Allah bless you, esteemed Shaykh: How does a student of knowledge attain sincerity in his deeds for Allah, Mighty and Majestic?
The Shaykh : Sincerity for the student of knowledge, for the one who worships Allah, and for the one who assists others in their affairs is that a person seeks, through his deeds, only the Face of Allah and the Hereafter. That is, he does not seek for people to praise him or for anything of this world, but rather he seeks the Face of Allah and the Hereafter. This is sincerity. A person seeks help in achieving this by saying to himself: What benefit is there for you if people know of your worship or praise you? What benefits me? Nothing benefits me except Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And whenever a person finds in himself any showing off, let him seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, for showing off is from the work of Shaytan.
The Shaykh : Sincerity for the student of knowledge, for the one who worships Allah, and for the one who assists others in their affairs is that a person seeks, through his deeds, only the Face of Allah and the Hereafter. That is, he does not seek for people to praise him or for anything of this world, but rather he seeks the Face of Allah and the Hereafter. This is sincerity. A person seeks help in achieving this by saying to himself: What benefit is there for you if people know of your worship or praise you? What benefits me? Nothing benefits me except Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And whenever a person finds in himself any showing off, let him seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan, for showing off is from the work of Shaytan.