securing sincerity

Rasulullah Salallahu'alayhiwasallam was once asked what is iman? He replied: Ikhlas..
Alhamdulillah, Allah  has given us iman. A gift that will not only bring us happiness and salvation in the HereAfter but also happiness here, in this temporary world.
Who says a mu'min cant lead a happy life? In fact, there is no other way to attain true happiness in this life other than choosing to be a mu'min. We need deen to live life successfully. Our Creator knows whats best for us and so He gives us deen as a guidance. He doesnt need us to worship Him, but we need to worship Him for our own well-being in this life and the next.

Zaid ibne Thabit RadiAllahu'anhu narrates: i heard Rasulullah Salallahu'alayhiwasallam saying: He whose goal  and objective (intention) becomes this mortal world, then Allah scatters his affairs (he faces worries and anxieties in every aspects); and He places the fear of poverty in front of his eyes; and he receives only that which has been preordained for him  (and nothing more). And he whose intention (goal and objective) is Al Akhirah, then Allah makes all his affairs easy; and He creates contentment and satisfaction in his heart, and the (mortal)  world comes to him in utter humiliation and abasement.(Ibne Majah)

Iman is believing that there is none to be worshipped except Allah, while ikhlas is to do something solely for the pleasure of Allah. SubhanAllah, how Allah guided our Prophet that he gave such a concise and most correct answer.. Iman is Ikhlas.

All deeds are going to be counted based on the intention.
even if its the smallest of deed but if its done for Allah, only, insyaAllah it shall be of great  benefit for the doer. Without ikhlas, even if its the biggest deed, it will be of no value in the eyes of Allah.
So, people, come! check our intentions, in everything that we do.
scholars mentioned that 1 way of knowing whether one is sincere in doing something is that he or she wont be affected by peoples praising or criticising his or  her work. of course, the work has to be in accordance with the shariah.

as a housewife, i found that remembering the fact that even the smallest  of deeds if done with ikhlas is of great value in the eyes of Allah, can really keep you going. Just that sometimes, when things become a routine u tend to forget to make intention and so you'd end up doing it for the sake of doing your daily chores and having it done. So one good idea i found some of my friends did was to put up a sign on the wall which says: FOR THE PLEASURE OF ALLAH.

The principle of tawheed- believing in the Oneness of Allah, that everything we do in our lives is for Him is a great blessing for all of us. If we really hold on to this, then decision-making in life would be much easier. a  true mu'min will lead a dilemma-free life if he or she really hold on to this principle.
problem with us is that, we always want to make everyone happy with us, when , in fact, its almost impossible or should i say its really is impossible to  do so. So remember, as a mu'min, lets choose to please Allah.

Ibne "Abbas RadiAllahu'anhuma narrates that Rasulullah Salallahu'alayhiwasallam said: He who makes Allah angry for pleasing other people, Allah becomes angered and makes people also angry with him; including those he had pleased to anger Allah. And he who pleases Allah by making people angry; Allah is pleased and makes people also pleased with him; including those he had made angry to please Allah; so much so that he becomes virtous in the eyes of those peoplewho were angry and his words and deeds become adorned in their eyes.

May Allah clean our hearts and make us all sincere in all our endeavours!

Amin.