B1/Hadith7 — Forty Ahadith (Imam Nawawi)

Religion is Sincerity

﷽

Hadith #7

On the authority of Aboo ‘Ruqayyah Tameem ibn Aws ad-Daree (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“The religion is sincerity.” We said, “To whom?” He said, “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims, and their common folk.” [Muslim #55]

Explanation

• Sincerity to Allah, The Mighty, The Majestic is: Sincerity to His religion, likewise upholding His commands, abstaining from His prohibitions, believing in His Revelation, repenting to Him, relying upon Him, and other than that from the legislations of Islam and His legislations.
• Sincerity to His Book: Believing that it is the Speech of Allah and that it is comprised of genuine information, just rulings, and beneficial stories. It is incumbent that all judgement is returned to Him in all of our affairs.
• Sincerity to His Messenger: Believing in him, and that he is the Messenger of Allah to all mankind, loving him, emulating him, believing what he informed of, complying to his commands, abstaining from his prohibitions, and defending his religion.
• Sincerity to the leaders of the Muslims: Their admonition is by clarifying the truth, avoiding confusion, and troubling them, patience in the harm that occurs from them, and other than that from their well-known rights. Also included here is aiding and assisting them in repelling the enemy and such similar things.
• Sincerity to the general populous of Muslims: (i.e. meaning the remainder of the Muslims). It is also to strive in advising them by calling to Allah, commanding the good, forbidding the evil, teaching them the good, and what is similar to this. Due to this, the religion becomes sincerity. The first person included in the general populous of Muslims is the person himself, i.e. a person should advise himself.

Benefits of this Hadith

1. Confining the Religion to sincerity due to the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement, “The religion is sincerity”.
2. The focal points of sincerity are give:
   a) To Allah
   b) To His Book
   c) To His Messenger
   d) To the leaders of the Muslims
   e) The common folk
3. The encouragement of sincerity in these five instances, since if this is the religion, then there is no doubt that a person will protect his religion and strongly adhere to it. Because of this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) placed the religion inside of these five instances.
4. The prohibition of cheating since if sincerity is the religion, then cheating is the opposite of sincerity. It contrasts the religion, and it is established on the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said,

“Whoever cheats us is not from us” [Muslim #152]