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CONTENTS

PUBLISHER’S NOTE .................................................................... 7

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 9

Importance of the Objective and Its Necessity ................................ 9

The Aim Set by Islam is Indispensable for Humanity................... 15

Natural Instincts Versus Religious Instincts.................................. 18

CHAPTER ONE............................................................................ 21

The End to Which the Legally Capable Muslims

Strive is Solely One ....................................................................... 23

Devotion (al-Ikhlā�) is the Sole Aim in Qur’anic

Terminology .................................................................................. 24

The Difficulty of Attaining Sincerity and Devotion..................... 28

Why is Allah (�) the Ultimate Aim and None Other

than Him?....................................................................................... 36

Islam’s Position Concerning Devotion in Acts of Worship ......... 52

CHAPTER TWO........................................................................... 55

Erroneous Ideas Concerning Devotion.......................................... 57

The Multiplicity of Good Intentions.............................................. 88

CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................... 89

Ill-Intentions .................................................................................. 91

Whoever Seeks From Worship Other Than What has Been

Intended by the Shari‘ah, Then He Will be in Violation

of the Shari‘ah ............................................................................... 91

Misguidance................................................................................... 94

Hypocrisy..................................................................................... 114

Worshipping With the Intent to Become Aware of the Unseen

Realm........................................................................................... 156

Escape From Worship.................................................................. 164

CHAPTER FOUR ....................................................................... 171

The Influence of Intentions Upon Deeds..................................... 173

The Impact of Intent on the Permissible...................................... 173

The Influence of Intent in Forbidden Acts .................................. 181

Achieving Closeness to Allah (�) Through

Innovated Worship....................................................................... 187

GLOSSARY ................................................................................ 191

SYMBOLS’ DIRECTORY ......................................................... 194

TRANSLITERATION CHART.................................................. 195

Devotion 6

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Praise be to Allah, the Originator of the earth and heavens, the

Creator of life and death, the Disposer of the affairs of all

organisms. May the Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon His

Prophet Muhammad (�) and upon his Kin and Companions until

the Day of Judgment.

Prophet Muhammad (�) said, “Deeds depend upon intentions, and

every person receives but what he has intended. Therefore, whoever

emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his

emigration is rewarded for what he emigrated for.” [Bukhārī, 1, 1/1]

Thus, intentions must be devoted to Allah Alone because the

correctness and the rewards of deeds depend upon intentions, and

Allah (�) only accepts intentions and deeds which are solely

devoted to Him.

Professor ‘Umar al-Ashqar presents Devotion, which is a

comprehensive research on sincerity and faithfulness in Islam.

Al-Nafaes House for Publishing and Distribution is blessed to have

the opportunity to publish this book and hopes the knowledge

contained therein will be beneficial to our English readers who seek

Allah’s Acceptance for their deeds.

We ask Allah (�) to reward the author, the translator, and all those

associated with the publication of this work for the efforts they

exerted for this valuable book.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

General Manager

An-Nafaes House for Publishing & Distribution

Amman, Jordan

Devotion 7

Devotion 8

INTRODUCTION

Importance of the Objective and Its Necessity

The volitional deeds performed by humans inevitably have what

motivates them, impelling the human into action and actualizing

them. Those motivations may stem from the basic human need for

a particular thing such as food, drink, and procreation; or they

might be aims which have been embellished for him and have

become urgently desired, driving him to actualize them given that

his belief indicates that it would be beneficial to seek to realize

them.

Those movers (reasons), inasmuch as they are impulses and

visions, are considered as motivations, given that they are external

things which a human seeks to actualize and obtain. Thus, in the

process, it becomes an aim and a purpose. Among the scholars are

those who mean by motivations the totality of the mover that is an

integral part of a human and the aim which he strives to actualize.

Mainly we shall consider it as the purpose, because we perceive it

from this aspect more than any other aspect even though there is an

indissoluble connection between them.

The purpose that is conceived by a human has a great influence

upon him such as those who voluntarily exert themselves in the

arenas of war and combat are eager to achieve martyrdom.

Rulers, politicians, leaders, teachers, economists, and others have

studied motivations and purposes with great care. Due to its

importance and great benefit, the academic field of “Social

Psychology” has dealt with this aspect through extensive studies.

Devotion 9

We readily recognize, by observing ourselves and others around us,

that the purposes which we depict in our conceptualizations capture

our attention with intensity, perpetually engage our minds, and are

continuously palpable to us no matter however preoccupied we are

with life. We do not rest or surrender until we apprehend them;

otherwise our hearts would ache and become a pain within our

souls.

It is for this reason that researchers of all disciplines have devoted a

lot of attention to this aspect. Their purpose has been to identify

and unravel what motivates human behavior towards its aims.

Thus, scholars in the field of education wish for the young

generation to move forward individually to achieve the aims which

they draw up and define.

In a similar manner, economists strive for optimal productivity

which can only be achieved when employees engage in work

voluntarily and enthusiastically. Believing that such work helps to

achieve what is best for their interests and welfare, they are

motivated to work harder.

Islam emerged to reform the human soul and psyche. The One Who

revealed it knows all of the inner workings of this soul. Hence,

humans have not been forced to embrace and apply it, because

compulsion runs counter to human instincts and the wisdom behind

the creation of man. This is why the path of Islam elucidates the

purpose which man must strive to fulfill, the reasons for this, and

the positive results reaped by humans who follow this path. It

explains the harmful and grave consequences that might result from

not pursuing the Divine Purpose Allah (�) has drawn up. When we

read the Islamic texts contained in the Qur’an and hadith, we

Devotion 10

realize the extent of attention given to elucidating the aim and

depth of focus on its various dimensions.

It suffices us to know that the purpose sought by a Muslim from his

deeds is the criterion through which he evaluates his actions. Deeds

are valued or are worthless depending on the purpose which the

person intends by his actions. Thus, one who performs prayer to

please Allah (�) shall have committed the best of deeds, while one

who prays in order to gain honor and prestige among people shall

have committed the worst of deeds. One who migrates in obedience

to the Command of Allah (�) and for the sake of His Religion shall

have achieved a high standing. Whereas the one who migrates (or

does any thing) for reasons of worldly benefit such as striving for

wealth or to marry a woman, his deeds will not be accepted. On

this, Allah Almighty says:

�m� �P��O��N� �M�� �L� �K��J��I��H� �G��F� �E��D��C�B��A

��\� �[� �Z� �Y� �X� �W� �V� � �U� �T� �S� �R� �Q

��`��_��^���]l

�Whoever wishes for the quick-passing [transitory enjoyment

of this world], We readily grant him what We will for whom

We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell,

he will burn therein disgraced and rejected, [are away from

Allah’s Mercy]. And whoever desires the Hereafter and

strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it [i.e. do

righteous deeds of Allah’s Obedience] while he is a believer

[in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism], then such are

the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, thanked and

rewarded [by Allah (�)].� (Qur’an 17: 18-19)

Devotion 11

Prophet Muhammad (�) said, “Deeds depend on intentions and for

each shall be what he intends. Hence, the one who migrates for

Allah and His Prophet, his migration shall be for Allah and His

Prophet; and the one whose migration is for the sake of a worldly

reward or a woman that he wishes to marry, then his migration

shall be reckoned in terms of what he migrated for.”1

The key is knowing the human psyche and actual purpose which

evokes into taking action. The human psyche was and continues to

be considered a strange mystery or a complex enigma which has

tired minds and puzzles philosophers and thinkers since the oldest

eras of history. In fact, scholars and thinkers have put forth

laborious efforts in order to unravel the core of the human psyche

and fathom its depths. The studies of scholars have oftentimes

faltered simply because they sought to discover something which

humans have not been endowed with: the ability to know

everything.2 However, the spirit of man and the secret of life are

within the exclusive domain of Divine Knowledge:

m…È��Ç��Æ��Å��Ä��…� �Ï��l

�…Say: ‘The Rū� [the Spirit]: it is one of the things, the

knowledge of which is only with my Lord…’�

(Qur’an 17: 85)

1 Related by Muslim, Bukhārī, and others.

2 Lucien, the French psychologist said, “Human knowledge used to acquire the

attribute of being scientific to the extent that it descended to (delves into the)

sectors of human life, and likewise loses the said scientific attribute to the

extent that it ascends and fathoms the complex essence and the authentic

aspects of human nature.” ‘Ilm a�-�ibā‘, p. 27.

Devotion 12

Today, many scientists have averred that the human soul does not

exist but is merely a machine that responds to surrounding stimuli

and is not moved by any internal motivations. It is the view of

many scientists that what is referred to as instinct and natural

impulses may be analytically ascribed to a series of reflexes.1

Materialist scientists view the human in a purely worldly

perspective. Indeed, they do not recognize that there is a

transcendental aspect within humans. Freud2 portrayed the human

being as merely a set of desires which do not transcend the material

reality or escape from their fetters. The human being is a creature

that is tied to this earth which is his habitat, his ultimate hope, and

his desired aim.

Unfortunately, the human being has gone off target in the quest for

the closest thing to himself, his soul. He lost his soul while

searching for it. One group of scholars denied the reality of man by

denying the spirit which permeates his being. Another group could

not acquire a true knowledge of the spirit, albeit believing in its

existence. The impending result was that the aim which he strove to

fulfill remained unidentified and the paradigm which he followed

remained absent. Hence, the human carelessly continued to live his

life in an endless labyrinth.

The correct view is to stop the quest to expose the reality of the

human soul simply because it is a path that has been proven to be

unproductive. In fact, we have been informed by Allah (�) that it

is unattainable. The proper approach, once it is defined, is to

identify the ideal purpose with which the human soul can interact

1 Human Behavior, p. 126.

2 Al-Insān Bayn al-Mādiyyah wal Islām, p. 31.

Devotion 13

and act in accordance with it. In this way, happiness can be

attained. This is what the Holy Qur’an essentially enjoins and

espouses. This is the simple solution Islam uses to solve the puzzle

which humans have spent lifetimes searching for. Islam unraveled

it through the simplest method. To define the aim and strive to

achieve it, man must find it acceptable and in this way, he will

discover himself, fulfill his role, and proceed to what he desires. He

will be relieved of the immense burdens which have accumulated

due to the blatant ignorance of error and darkness which have

enveloped humanity across the centuries. This is what we shall try

to explain in the next chapter, Allah Willing.

Devotion 14

The Aim Set by Islam is Indispensable for Humanity

There is no dispute that the common goal of people is the

achievement of happiness. For happiness, people strive and

endeavor day after day, month after month, and year after year.

This is a fact that has been affirmed by thinkers, scholars,

sociologists, and psychologists. In this regards, Ibn Ḥazm said, “I

strove for an aim which all people aspire to and consider as

positive. I discovered that the goal of this aim is to expel grief.

Upon pondering the matter further, it became evident to me that not

only all people consider it desirable, but I have found in all their

actions, irrespective of their desires, wishes, and varied aims, that

they are motivated by the said aim.

Hence, expelling grief is something all nations have worked

towards since Allah Almighty created the world and will continue

to strive for until the end of the world. People are held to account

for it in case they strive for anything other than that. Any other aim

is not considered praiseworthy by people.”1

What Ibn Ḥazm called the expulsion of grief is actually what we

call happiness, for happiness is only attainable by the expulsion of

the worries that envelope the soul.

Even though people concurred on this view, they differed

considerably regarding the definition of happiness which the

human strives for and seeks to realize in his life.

The basis for this controversy lies in the ignorance of which no

human can disentangle himself from regardless of the depth of

1 Kitāb al-Akhlāq was Siyar, pp. 13-14.

Devotion 15

knowledge he may have acquired. Many people seek the attainment

of things which causes their perdition. Others reason that the

misery of humans is caused by carrying out certain actions; thus

they flee from these actions as wild donkeys flee from a lion when

in fact, happiness and righteousness rest in the attainment of those

things.

This ignorance is attributable to the deficiency of knowledge

regarding real matters and their concealed aspects coupled with a

lack of knowledge of the consequences and results. Furthermore,

what lies beyond the present world is not perceptible by man given

that the view of humans is governed by this world. If man solely

relies upon himself, this view does not exceed beyond the obvious

due to the deficiency of the knowledge of man regarding what lies

beyond the seen world.

Coupled with ignorance is the oppression of the soul. Souls, in

terms of what is attractive to them in transient and visible

pleasures, are heedless of the real good they must strive for:

�m� �E��D��C�B��Al

�Nay, you prefer the life of this world.� (Qur’an 87: 16)

It is for this reason that many people have preferred material

benefits and gratification of the worldly senses which satiate the

appetites and whims of souls. Forsaking the Hereafter requires

exerting extra effort and contradicting human passions.

Due to the inability of man to identify the straighter path and the

loftier aim, religions were revealed. Prophets were sent to elucidate

the facts and to enlighten humans in regards to the ultimate purpose

of life.

Devotion 16

Natural Instincts Versus Religious Instincts

There are natural instincts impelling man to achieve his purpose.

Not all natural instincts are bad or blameworthy, for many of them

were placed in man by Allah (�). Thus, man seeks to attain the

purpose upon which his life depends. In fact, if Allah (�) did not

create those instincts within man, he would not have striven to

generate a livelihood, nor would he have hunted or cultivated his

provisions or engaged in marriage. Indeed, a group of scholars1

have noted that the feelings that are anchored in natural instincts

are instilled in the depths of the human soul. They did not

(sometimes) explicitly refer to them given that they are natural

impulses, for they are solely sufficient to impel man to fulfill them.

While some people have sought to suppress and prohibit natural

instincts and desires, such as indulging in marriage and the delights

of nourishment, Allah (�), the Legislator, is averse to such an

orientation and considers it a reprehensible crime.

As for those acts that souls are averse to or repelled by, Allah, the

Legislator, wishes for man to carry out He specifies rewards and

incentives so that man can overcome such aversions. It is sufficient

to refer to the books of at-targhīb wa at-tarhīb (the invitation and

the intimidation) in order to know what Allah (�) has prepared for

those who perform their duties and strive for the great rewards

When the hearts sense those rewards, they respond positively and

embark on performing what is requested of them.

A person who reflects on the stories of the righteous of this nation

can only admire their patience and endurance in the face of

1 See Maqālāt al-Islāmiyyīn, 2/114; Ad-Dā’ wad Dawā’, p. 159.

Devotion 17

affliction, their exertions for the sake of Allah (�), their

fearlessness in the face of death, and their willingness to endure

suffering and pain.

One can only admire the great endurance and strong will of the

righteous who supplicate to Allah (�) for His Forgiveness, perform

prayers by night, offer small and great sacrifices neither asking for

reward nor recognition, abstain from the desires attractive to the

souls, and fast long days during the hot summer months. All of

these achievements occur because of the knowledge they acquired

from Allah (�) and His Prophet (�), which encourages them to

follow Allah’s Law uprightly. Thus, they strive to obey the Will of

Allah (�) in order to attain the fulfillment of His Pledge to them.

We have observed how Allah (�) has promised rewards that, in

scope, surpass what the nafs (self) and Satan call to. Thus, the nafs

(self) that commands evil and the devil who embellishes all that is

evil are overcome and yielding to them is prevented.

Concerning the acts which the souls find repulsive and are difficult

for humans to perform, Allah (�) actually provides incentives

whereby those acts become easier to execute. They embark upon

these acts in total obedience and with contentment. This is a

manifest and clear paradigm for those who read the texts of the

Qur’an and Sunnah. Hence, Allah (�) has described His Book as

containing glad tidings as well as warnings:

�m� �¿��¾��½��¼�� � �»��º��Å��Ä��Ã���Â��Á�À

��É��È���Ç��Æl

�[He has made it] Straight to give warning [to the

disbelievers] of a severe punishment from Him, and to give

Devotion 18

glad tidings to the believers [in the Oneness of Allah, Islamic

Monotheism], who work righteous deeds, that they shall have

a fair reward [i.e. Paradise].� (Qur’an 18: 2)

Moreover, Allah (�) described His Prophet (�) in terms of the

following two qualities:

�m� �±��°��¯��®���¬��«l

�Verily, We have sent you [O’ Muhammad (�)] as a witness,

as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner.� (Qur’an 48: 8)

CHAPTER ONE

THE END TO WHICH THE

LEGALLY CAPABLE

MUSLIMS STRIVE

ULTIMATELY ONE

The End to Which the Legally Capable

Muslims Strive is Ultimately One

There is only one ultimate aim by which Muslims are obligated to worship. This

goal is to worship only One God without associating any partners with Him. Hence,

work that is not solely devoted to Allah (�) is done without value. Surely, one who

ponders the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah will realize it is the sole aim which Islam

recognizes. This is why the first command in the Book of Allah (�) is contained in

the following Qur’anic verse:

�m� �w��v��u��t��s��r���q��p��o��n��m��ll

�O’ mankind! Worship your Lord [Allah], Who created you and those who

were before you so that you may become al-muttaqūn [pious].�

(Qur’an 2: 21)

Moreover, Allah (�) said:

�m� �l��k��j��i��h…� �y��l

�And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and

worship none but Him Alone…�

(Qur’an 98: 5)

Devotion (al-Ikhlā�) is the Sole Aim

in Qur’anic Terminology

The Holy Qur’an assigns the term, devotion (al-ikhlā�) to this aim.

�m…� � lk�� �j��i��h��g� �f��e… � �ol

�…‘O’ my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilāh [God] but Him

[Islamic Monotheism]…� (Qur’an 23: 23)

It is not intended for devotion to be directing a particular act to Allah (�), but rather,

it is intended that a Muslim devotes all of his deeds solely to Allah (�). A Muslim

should not consecrate his worship to an angel or a king, nor should he worship trees,

rocks, the sun, or the moon. Devotion denotes directing one’s physical actions

exclusively to Allah (�), just as a Muslim would in terms of apparent deeds.

Devotion is the basis of the religion which Allah (�) entrusted to all of the Prophets,

representing the axis and crux of their missions. Likewise, it is the religion the

Prophets asked their nations to believe in:

�mp��o��n�� �m��l��k��j��i��h…� �y��l

�And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allah, and

worship none but Him Alone [abstaining from ascribing partners to Him]…�

(Qur’an 98: 5)

Indeed, each Prophet informed his nation:

�m…lk�� � �j��i��h��g� �f��e…� �o��l

�…‘O’ my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilāh [God] but Him

[Islamic Monotheism]…� (Qur’an 23: 23)

Allah (�) corroborated this truth:

�m� �P��O���N��M��� � � � � �L�� �K�� �J���I��H��G��F��E��D��C��B��Al

�And We did not send any Messenger before you [O’ Muhammad (�)] but We

inspired him [saying]: Lā ilāha illā Anā [none has the right to be worshipped

but I (Allah)], so worship Me [Alone and none else].� (Qur’an 21: 25)

Furthermore, Allah (�) said:

�m� on��m���l��k��j��i��h��g��f��e��d…� �b���l

�And verily, We have sent among every ummah [community, nation] a

Messenger [proclaiming]: ‘Worship Allah [Alone], and avoid [or keep away

from] �āghūt [all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship �āghūt besides Allah].’�

(Qur’an 16: 36)

The definitions of devotion or sincerity which the scholars offer are similar, revolving

around devoting worship to Allah without any partners. Abu al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī

defined it as, “Devoting oneself solely to the True Almighty in one’s acts of

obedience, namely, to intend, by obeying and worshipping Him, to be nearer to Allah

to the exclusion of any other creature either in terms of being pretentious in front of

them or being praised by people, or in terms of any intention other than drawing near

to Allah Most High.”7

On his part, al-‘Izz bin ‘Abd As-Salām defined it as follows: “Devotion is for the

Muslim to perform acts of worship with all his sincerity solely aimed towards Allah,

without seeking the deference of people, to acquire religious benefit, or to ward off

worldly damage.”8

In works of philology and lexicography, al-ikhlā� or devotion is purity and

distinctness from accretions which mar something. It is said: This is solely for you,

that is, none shall share it with you. The Arabs assign the meaning of al-ikhlā� to milk

if it is free from foam.

Al-ikhlā�, in Arab linguistic usage is the gold and silver that is purified by fire.

These meanings occur in the Qur’an:

�m…� �b��a��`��_��^��]��\��[�� �Z��Y…� � �el

�…We give you to drink of that which is in their bellies, from between

excretions and blood, pure milk…�

(Qur’an 16: 66)

That is, it is not mixed with blood or dung.

Concerning adornments and worldly possessions, Allah Almighty said:

�m� �g��f���e��d��c�� �b��a��`��_�� ^]��\��[��Z��Y��X�� �W��V��U��T��S

ih…� �ol

�Say [O’ Muhammad (�)]: ‘Who has forbidden the adoration with clothes

given by Allah, which He has produced for his slaves, and a�-�ayyibāt [all kinds

of �alāl (lawful) things] of food?’ Say: ‘They are, in the life of this world, for

those who believe, [and] exclusively for them [believers] on the Day of

Resurrection [the disbelievers will not share them].’…�

(Qur’an 7: 32)

Thus, the unbelievers do not have a share in them.

Hence, we find there is consonance and compatibility between the linguistic and

idiomatic meaning. Devotion aims to purify the orientation towards Allah Almighty

1 Ar-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, p. 95; Al-Majmū‘, 1/29; Dalīl al-Fāli�īn, 1/42.

8 Qawā‘id al-A�kām, 1/146.

from corruption, pollutants, and accretions which mesh with it, whereby the intention

is purely towards Allah (�) without any partners in all acts of worship.