Sabr:
“Verily, Sabr is to faith what the head is to the body. The body perishes without the head, and so also when Sabr goes,
faith also disappears.”
[Al-Kulayni, al‑Kafi, vol. 2, bab al‑Sabr, p. 128, hadith # 2]
Shukr:
As Muslims, it is our foremost duty to say shukr to Allah (SWT)
for all of His blessings. It is helpful, therefore, to know in a deeper
way what shukr is. We can describe three levels of thankfulness or
gratitude:
- Shukr bil qalb: to realize and appreciate all blessings by and within the heart.
- Shukr bil lisaan: to say thanks with the tongue.
- Skukr bil jawarah: To express gratitude by doing righteous deeds.
In Surah Rahman, Allah (SWT) asks us the same question thirty-one times, “Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?”
Ikhlas:
Ikhlas is being honest with Allah, and worshipping Him with ihsan. Ikhlas is closely linked to ihsan. When a person is consistently aware that Allah sees all he is more likely to remember the importance of ikhlas. When a person does something sincerely for Allah, he or she is no longer concerned with receiving praise or reward from anyone but Allah. It does not matter who sees you or who does not see you. Sometimes a deed can be done for Allah’s sake but the intention is tainted with boasting and showing off; this is riyaa and it may nullify the rewards that a believer is seeking.
“And whether you hide what is in your breast or reveal it, Allah knows it…” (Quran 3:29)
“…And if you join others in worship with Allah surely your deeds will be in vain and you will certainly be among the losers.” (Quran 39:65)
In order that a believer’s deeds and actions are accepted by Allah they must be performed with ikhlas, they must be preceded by the right intention and they must be carried out according to the shariah.
“And they were commanded not but they should worship Allah and worship none but him alone, and give zakah, and that is the right religion.” (Quran 98:5)
Prophet Muhammad emphasised that, “Allah is Pure and He accepts only that which is pure” thus the Sunnah gives prominence to the fact that Allah accepts only that which is pure and done solely for His sake. For example, Khalid ibn al-Walid was removed from his post as commander of the army by Caliph Umar. Rather than being offended and refusing to fight, Khalid fought even harder. When he was asked why, he said: “I fight for Allah not for Umar.”
Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (Quran 6:162)
