Devotion to Allah: 12 benefits of being sincere to Allah

The scholar of Hadith Husayn Al-Awaishah mentions some of the benefits of practicing Ikhlaas in his book Kitab Al-Ikhlaas. Ikhlaas is sincerity to Allah in everything we do.
1. The Muslim Ummah will be victorious, for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, which translated means, “Allah only gives victory to this nation because of its weak ones, because of their du’a, prayer and Ikhlaas.” (At-Targhib wa At-Tarhib)
2. Acquiring safety from Allah’s punishment and wrath in the Hereafter. Allah said about some people who observe Ikhlaas, which translated means:
“And they give food, in spite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to the poor, the orphan, and the captive. (Saying), ‘We feed you seeking Allah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you. Verily, we fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible (from extreme dislikeness to it).’ So Allah saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them Nadhratan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken garments, because they were patient.” (Qur’an, 76:8-12)
3. Protection from falling into misguidance. Allah mentions how he protected Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him):
“Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely, he was one of our Mukhlasin (chosen, guided persons who observe Ikhlaas with Allah).” (Qur’an, 12:24)
4. Being blessed with Hudaa (right guidance), as Allah said, which translated means:
“Truly! They were young men who believed in their Lord (Allah), and We increased them in guidance.” (Qur’an, 18:13)
5. Residents of the heavens and earth will love those who observe Ikhlaas. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, which in translation means, “When Allah loves a slave, He summons Jibreel, saying, ‘Allah, the Exalted, loves Fulan (such and such person), so love him,’ and Jibreel will love him. Then he calls upon the inhabitants of the heaven, ‘Allah loves such and such person, so love him’, and the inhabitants of the heaven will love him. Then acceptance (honor, content, love, etc.) will be sent down (and spread up) on earth for him.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
6. Achieving tranquility in the heart and feeling joy, content and elation, for Allah said, which in translation means, “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Qur’an, 13:28)
7. Faith will be endeared to the sincere ones, while wickedness will be made hateful to them. Allah said, which is translation means:
“And know that, among you there is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you (follow your opinions and desires) in much of the matter, you would surely be in trouble, but Allah has endeared the Faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wickedness and disobedience (to Allah and His Messenger) hateful to you. These! They are the rightly guided ones.” (Qur’an, 49:7)
We have mentioned before how Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was made to hate illegal sexual intercourse, disbelief and wickedness, and how Iman was made beautiful to him, that he preferred staying in jail rather than falling into illegal sexual intercourse and sin.
8. Insha Allah, Ikhlas will guide one to choose the rightly-guided company of those who observe Ikhlaas. The best example for this subject is that the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) were friends with each other as they were friends with the Messenger, and who can find a better company than the Prophet and his companions?
9. Enduring all types of hardships in this life with patience. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions were excellent in this type of behavior, for they endured and were patient in the face of all kinds of hardships, and the proof to this better behavior is detailed amply in their seerah.
10. Acquiring the good end, as is evident from the story of the man who had killed 99 people, but then sought to repent of his crimes. This person’s Ikhlaas in seeking forgiveness from Allah guided him until he died while his heart was returning back to Allah.
11. Du’a will be accepted, as is evident from the story of the young boy, the wizard and the priest. Another example to this is the story of the three men trapped in the cave (who make du’a to Allah with deeds they did sincerely for His sake), this, indeed, is a vast subject with numerous examples testifying to the fact that Ikhlaas is an essential ingredient that ensures the acceptance of du’a.
12. Being rewarded in the grave, and receiving the glad tidings of the joy and happiness that those who had Ikhlaas will enjoy in the grave and in the Hereafter. The Hadith by Al-Baraa’ Bin Azib describes how one’s good deeds will come in the shape of a handsome man, wearing nice clothes and whose scent is pleasing, saying, “I am your good deeds.”
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