We begin with the first duty of the carrier of the Qur'an and one of his primary responsibilities, which is what the scholars of hadith began their books with due to its importance and priority. They started their books with the chapter on "Sincerity," as sincerity is the spirit of deeds, and a deed without spirit is born dead and is unlikely to be accepted by Allah; rather, it will be rejected. Therefore, we are shaken and urged towards sincerity.
In Sahih Muslim, Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that among the first people to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who learned knowledge and recited the Qur'an. He will be brought and reminded of the blessings he was given, and he will acknowledge them. Then Allah will ask, 'What did you do to express gratitude for it?' The man will reply: 'I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur'an for Your sake.' Allah will say to him: 'You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur'an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.' Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell
So, Carriers of the Qur'an, have you received this news? Have you heard of the fate of some who recited the Qur'an and taught knowledge? If this scene were to unfold before your eyes — and it will inevitably happen tomorrow — and you asked Allah to return you so you could correct your sincerity, and your request was granted, what would you do? What deeds would you examine and review?
Sincerity is a hidden act of the heart, not known by anyone, neither human nor angel. Despite this, there are signs and indicators, measures and balances by which you can assess the level of sincerity in your heart and anticipate what awaits you as a reward tomorrow. If you do not, sudden evil may await you on the Day of Judgment; "And there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not taken into account" (Az-Zumar: 47).
To avoid the greatest sudden evil and the greatest shock in this world and the Hereafter, and so that you do not say that you were not warned, these words are written: O bearer of the Qur'an, sincerity and intention!
The essence of sincerity is to intend with your actions the face of Allah alone, without associating anyone else with Him in your intention. Do not see anyone alongside Allah, and do not let people’s attention to your actions increase your zeal and enthusiasm, nor their absence cause you laziness and apathy. The presence or absence of people should be the same for you, and their praise or blame should only pass through your ears, not affect your heart.
Can you imagine that after this long life, and after exerting these good deeds that you spent your life acquiring, your reward could vanish, and you find your deeds amount to nothing? That Allah would render them as scattered dust, and you would be equal to those who did nothing, or even worse off in punishment, becoming one of the first to be cast into the Fire?
This is the most dangerous threat to you, and it is near, not far. Its danger lies in the fact that most people are heedless of it, to the point where it is said, "The most prone to hypocrisy among you are the ones who feel safest from it."
This reading is not a casual one, but a session of motivation and fear, a chapter from the school of encouragement and warning, and a segment that does not end with reading this page but begins with it, and its effect continues with you according to your faith. Fear is directly proportional to faith; the greater your faith, the greater your fear. If this decreases, then that decreases as well: "But fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers" (Aal-Imran: 175). It is better to accompany someone who instills fear in you until you reach safety than to accompany someone who reassures you until fears befall you.
So, what are the things that nullify deeds and undermine sincerity? What are the holes through which sincerity leaks out of the heart?
1. Your joy at people’s praise and your discomfort at their criticism: Some even become upset if they are not praised sufficiently! They feel a sense of loss if they do not receive the honor due to the carrier of the Qur'an. But did this poor soul learn the Qur'an for this purpose?
Someone might say: What’s wrong with intending both reward and recognition at the same time?
The answer lies in this hadith: The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about a man who fights, seeking both reward and recognition. He replied, "He gets no reward." Then the verse was revealed: "So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone" (Al-Kahf: 110).
2. Not attributing knowledge to its source: As if he alone is the source of knowledge, and all the credit belongs to him. The wise have long said: "The free man is one who acknowledges even a moment of kindness and belongs to the one who taught him even a single word."
If he were truly sincere, hoping for nothing but the face of his Lord, he would have no problem mentioning those who taught him, and it would even please him.
3. Envying his student if the student surpasses him: The sincere person rejoices if his student excels, for the student's good deeds will be added to his record in the Hereafter. He will put his beneficial student ahead of himself because the student is more beneficial to people. He will not feel distressed if people put his student in leadership or prominence.
4. Seeking to be known for accuracy among people for a purpose: One of the flaws in sincerity for the carrier of the Qur'an is that he may intend, through his accuracy in correcting others' recitations, to become known for precision among the people of the Qur'an. Instead of intending to faithfully transmit from his teacher, his intention becomes mixed, and his reward and obedience are scattered. Beware of this trap!
5. Answering every question asked of him: His tongue does not know how to say, "I do not know," or "Allah knows best," even though it is well known that the scholars of Madinah said, "Half of knowledge is saying, 'I do not know.'"
A man asked Imam Malik about an issue, and the Imam replied, "I do not know it well." The man said, "I traveled from such and such a place to ask you about it." Imam Malik replied, "When you return to your place, tell them that Malik said, 'I do not know it well.'"
6. He enjoys teaching others in public and is enthusiastic about it, but his enthusiasm wanes when teaching privately or behind closed doors.
7. Stopping the transmission of knowledge to others and withholding it, under the pretext that there is no one worthy of receiving it, ignoring the Prophet's (peace be upon him) advice: " Convey from me even an Ayah of the Qur'an."
8. Preferring to sit at the head of the gathering rather than where the gathering ends. Not just leading the gathering, but leading the scene, where he dislikes any matter being decided without referring to him and taking his opinion.
9. Preferring that people defer to him when competing for something, that they serve him and rush to fulfill his needs, falsely attributing this to honoring the Qur'an and not his person. He forgets that this encroaches on others' rights. Even if he were to ask their permission, it would be with the weapon of shame. It is for this reason that Sufyan Ath-Thawri used to warn: "It is better for me to seek the world with a drum and flute than to seek it with religion."
10. The scarcity of his secret worship and hidden good deeds: Night prayers, remembering Allah in seclusion, and secret charity are at the bottom of his priorities, even though these are the water that nourishes the tree of sincerity in the heart and eradicates the germ of showing off and hypocrisy.
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