In the Name of Allah, The most gracious, The Most Merciful
Sadaqa Defined:
To be truthful, true, sincere, speak the truth, establish or confirm the truth of what another has said, verify, keep faith, observe a promise faithfully, fulfill, speak veraciously, and hold anyone as trustworthy. Sadaqa, a root word, appears in the Qur’an 155 times.
What Does It Mean to Be a True and Sincere Muslim?
In theIdeal Muslim, on page 27, it discusses a Muslim should first and foremost be true and sincere to Allah.
As we can see from the definition of sadaqa, this means the Muslim man is true to Allah, sincere to Allah, and he confirms what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have given in the Qur’an and sunnah with the truth.
He observes the promise of his shahada (testimony of faith/accepting Islam) faithfully as this is a contract between him and Allah.
The Muslim man speaks the truth about Allah without fear or hesitation and confirms what Allah has said of himself without explaining what Allah himself has not explained.
The Muslim man fulfills his duties in the best of matters, knowing Allah is always watching.
It is very important to understand niyyah, which means intention, and ikhlas, or purity. Why is it important to understand these terms? If you do not understand these terms, you could never worship Allah properly. Only with knowledge can you have the proper intention, and intention can only come from a pure heart. Allah says,
“And I (Allah) created not jinn and men except that they should worship Me (alone)”Qur’an 51: 56
The Muslim’s entire life should revolve around worshiping Allah wholeheartedly. The heart is purified through the knowledge of Allah. The more the Muslim learns about Allah, the greater his love will grow.
As the love grows, you become more conscious of Allah in everything you do, which in turn purifies your intentions and helps you become a true and sincere Muslim.
The next step in being a true and sincere Muslim is being alert to Allah. He is open-minded to the magnificence of Allah, knowing Allah is the Most-High and the Greatest. The Muslim knows that Allah has no limits, and he learns about Allah through his creation. Allah says,
Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding. Those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and earth, (saying):”Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted are You above all that they associate with You as Partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire.Qur’an 3: 190-191
A true and sincere Muslim understands Allah’s actual existence, taking nothing for granted. The true and sincere Muslim is thankful to Allah as he contemplates all that Allah has given him.
To be alert means, you are awake and watchful, and vigilant. To be alert to Allah is protection from shaytan. The desires of the world will mean nothing to the Muslim who keeps his heart fixated on Allah, The Most-High. There is nothing else to fear in the seen or unseen world but Allah after contemplating the creation of Allah.
Learn From The Companions
One of the reasons the sahaba was so successful is because they remained conscious of Allah, they were true and sincere Muslims. This world didn’t mean anything to them. The only thing that mattered was pleasing Allah. They never thought any deed they had done was enough. Their hearts were fixed on Allah, and their fear of displeasing Allah was great.
The companion’s hearts were pure and true and sincere in their worship. We use them as an example to emulate, and we learn how to be true and sincere Muslims.
The Title of Siddiq
Qadama Sidq means Strong and honorable footing, a footing of firmness, precedence of truthfulness, going forward with truth in words and deeds, with complete sincerity; Good deeds having good results.
Abu Bakr(may Allah be pleased with him) was known as Siddiq, a true and sincere Muslim. In the book Companions Around The Prophet by Abdul Malik Mujahid, on page 18, it says of Abu Bakr:
He was given the title of Siddiq for two possible reasons. Firstly, once the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah made me a Messenger and a Prophet but the people rejected me while Abu Bakr believed and supported me with his life and wealth.”
Secondly, when the Prophet announced his night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to the seventh heaven and back (known as Israa wal Mi’raaj), the disbelieving people ridiculed the prophet and said to Abu Bakr: “Your friend (i.e. The Prophet) is making the claim that he traveled to Jerusalem and back in a single night.” Upon hearing this, Abu Bakr replied: “If he said this then I believe him. I believe that Allah is One and that the Prophet receives revelation from him from above the seven heavens, so this is a relatively smaller thing to believe.”
We can learn from Abu Bakr how to remain strong, how to be a true and sincere Muslim, firm in our deen even in the face of opposition. Allah tells us in the Qur’an to hold firm to the rope of Allah and do not become divided (Qur’an 3:103).
I pray we all heed these words and work hard every day to live as true and sincere Muslims. And Allah knows best.
