🆕💎The Virtue of Being Unfazed by Criticism or Praise (4): Sincerity resides in not loving praise.

🔘 Ibn Al Qayyim (رحمه الله) says [in Al Fawā’id]:

لا يجتمع الإخلاصُ في القلب ومحبةُ المدح والثناء والطمع فيما عند الناس إلَّا كما يجتمع الماءُ والنار والضبُّ والحوتُ.

Sincerity does not coexist in the heart with the love of praise, the desire for acclaim, and the greed for what others possess, just as water and fire, or the lizard and the fish, cannot coexist.

فإذا حدَّثتْك نفسُك بطلب الإخلاص فأقبِلْ على الطمع أولًا فاذبحْه بسكين اليأس، وأقبِلْ على المدح والثناء فازهد فيهما زهدَ عُشاق الدُّنيا في الآخرة؛

If your self whispers to you to seek sincerity, first address your greed by slaughtering it with the knife of indifference. Then approach the desire for praise and fame and renounce them as the lovers of this world renounce the hereafter.

فإذا استقام لك ذبحُ الطمع والزُّهدُ في الثناء والمدح؛ سَهُلَ عليك الإخلاص.

When you manage to slaughter greed and renounce praise, achieving sincerity becomes easier.

فإن قلت: وما الذي يُسهِّل عليَّ ذبحَ الطمع والزهدَ في الثناء والمدح؟ قلت: أما ذبح الطمع فيُسهِّله عليك علمُك يقينا أنه ليس من شيء يُطمَع فيه إلا وبيد الله وحده خزائنُهُ؛ لا يملكها غيره، ولا يؤتي العبدَ منها شيئًا سواهُ.

If you ask how to facilitate the slaughter of greed and the renunciation of praise and acclaim, know that slaughtering greed is facilitated by your possessing certain knowledge that there is nothing desirable except that its treasures are in the hands of Allah alone; none other possesses them, nor grants them except Him.

وأما الزهدُ في الثناء والمدح فيُسهِّلُه عليك علمُك أنه ليس أحدٌ ينفعُ مدحُه وَيزِيْن ويَضرُّ ذمُّه وَيشينُ إلَّا الله وحده؛ كما قال ذلك الأعرابيُّ للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن مدحي زَينٌ وَذمِّي شَينٌ. فقال: "ذلك الله عز وجل"؛

And renouncing praise and acclaim is made easier by knowing that no one’s praise truly beautifies, and no one’s condemnation truly disfigures, except for Allah alone; as a Bedouin said to the Prophet ﷺ "My praise beautifies and my condemnation disfigures." To which he replied, "That is Allah, Exalted and Majestic."

فازهد في مدح من لا يَزِينُك مدحه وفي ذمِّ من لا يَشِينك ذمُّهُ، وارغبْ في مدح مَن كلُّ الزين في مدحه وكل الشين في ذمِّه.

Thus, renounce the praise of those who cannot truly honor you, and the condemnation of those who cannot truly disgrace you, and seek the praise of the One whose commendation is all beauty and whose condemnation is all disgrace.

ولن تقدر على ذلك إلا بالصبر واليقين؛ فمتى فقدتَ الصبر واليقين كنت كمن أراد السفر في البحر في غير مركبٍ.

You will not be able to do this except through patience and certainty; for when you lack patience and certainty, you are like one who wishes to travel by sea without a ship.

قال تعالى: ﴿فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَا يَسْتَخِفَّنَّكَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُوقِنُونَ (٦٠)﴾ [الروم: ٦٠].

Allah the Almighty says: "So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth. And let not those who are uncertain in faith discourage you" (Al-Rum:60).

وقال تعالى: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُوا وَكَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ (٢٤)﴾ [السجدة: ٢٤].

And He says: "And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command when they were patient and when they were certain of Our signs" (Al-Sajdah:24).

🆕💎The Virtue of Being Unfazed by Criticism or Praise (5): The Doorway to Wisdom & Inner-Peace

🔘 Ibn Hazm (رحمه الله) explains that indifference to praise and criticism is a tremendous door to wisdom and inner peace:

باب عظيم من الْعقل والراحة وَهُوَ: اطراح المبالاة بِكَلَام النَّاس وَاسْتِعْمَال المبالاة بِكَلَام الْخَالِق عز وَجل
بل هَذَا بَاب الْعقل والراحة كلهَا،

This is a great doorway of wisdom and peace: discarding concern for what people say and focusing concern on the words of the Creator, Glorified and Exalted be He.

من قدر أَنه يسلم من طعن النَّاس وعيبهم فَهُوَ مَجْنُون،

Indeed, this is the entirety of wisdom and peace. Whoever thinks he can escape the criticisms and people’s fault-finding of him is delusional.

من حقق النّظر وراض نَفسه على السّكُون إِلَى الْحَقَائِق وَإِن آلمتها فِي أول صدمة كَانَ اغتباطه بذم النَّاس إِيَّاه أَشد وَأكْثر من اغتباطه بمدحهم إِيَّاه،

One who deeply contemplates and reconciles himself to calmly accepting the facts, even if they hurt him at first, finds greater joy in people’s criticism than in their praise.

لِأَن مدحهم إِيَّاه إِن كَانَ بِحَق وبلغه مدحهم لَهُ أسرى ذَلِك فِيهِ الْعجب فأفسد بذلك فضائله، وَإِن كَانَ بباطل فَبَلغهُ فسره فقد صَار مَسْرُورا بِالْكَذِبِ وَهَذَا نقص شَدِيد ،

For if their praise is true and reaches him, it breeds vanity within him and thus corrupts his virtues. If what reached him of their praise is false and pleases him, he becomes happy with falsehood, which is a severe deficiency.

وَأما ذمّ النَّاس إِيَّاه فَإِن كَانَ بِحَق فَبَلغهُ فَرُبمَا كَانَ ذَلِك سَببا إِلَى تجنبه مَا يعاب عَلَيْهِ وَهَذَا حَظّ عَظِيم لَا يزهد فِيهِ إِلَّا نَاقص وَإِن كَانَ بباطل وبلغه فَصَبر اكْتسب فضلا زَائِدا بالحلم وَالصَّبْر،

As for people's criticism, if it is true and it reaches him, it may serve as a reason for him to avoid what is criticized, which is a great fortune that only a deficient person would disdain. If the criticism is false and he endures it, he gains additional merit through patience and forbearance.

وَكَانَ مَعَ ذَلِك غانما لِأَنَّهُ يَأْخُذ حَسَنَات من ذمه بِالْبَاطِلِ فيحظى بهَا فِي دَار الْجَزَاء أحْوج مَا يكون إِلَى النجَاة بأعمال لم يتعب فِيهَا وَلَا تكلفها وَهَذَا حَظّ عَظِيم لَا يزهد فِيهِ إِلَّا مَجْنُون

And with this, he benefits, for he collects good deeds from the false criticisms and gains rewards in the abode of recompense, where he is most in need of salvation through deeds that neither cost him effort nor burden him. This is a great portion of success that only a fool would disdain.

وَأما إِن لم يبلغهُ مدح النَّاس إِيَّاه فكلامهم وسكوتهم سَوَاء ، وَلَيْسَ كَذَلِك ذمهم إِيَّاه لِأَنَّهُ غَانِم لِلْأجرِ على كل حَال بلغه ذمهم أَو لم يبلغهُ وَلَوْلَا قَول رَسُول الله صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسلم فِي الثَّنَاء الْحسن (ذَلِك عَاجل بشرى الْمُؤمن) لوَجَبَ أَن يرغب الْعَاقِل فِي الذَّم بِالْبَاطِلِ أَكثر من رغبته فِي الْمَدْح بِالْحَقِّ

If the praise of people does not reach him, then their words and their silence are equal, and their criticism is not the same because he gains reward in any case, whether their criticism reaches him or not. Were it not for the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about good praise ("This is the believer's prompt glad tidings"), it would be appropriate for the wise to desire false criticism more than truthful praise.

وَلَكِن إِذْ جَاءَ هَذَا القَوْل فَإِنَّمَا تكون الْبُشْرَى بِالْحَقِّ لَا بِالْبَاطِلِ فَإِنَّمَا تجب الْبُشْرَى بِمَا فِي الممدوح لَا بِنَفس الْمَدْح

But since this saying is reported, the glad tidings are due to what is truthful (of praise), not what is false. The glad tidings are indeed obligatory for what is within the praised, not for the praise itself.”

🆕New Article: The Rarity of Sincerity (1): Defining Sincerity: https://www.umarquinn.com/articles/the-rarity-of-sincerity-1-defining-sincerity

🆕 THE RARITY OF SINCERITY (2): INSINCERITY CAUSES BURNOUT IN KNOWLEDGE & ACTION: https://www.umarquinn.com/articles/the-rarity-of-sincerity-2-insincerity-causes-burnout-in-knowledge-amp-action

💎 The Sign of a Sincere Person

Imam Al-Dhahabi said:

قُلْتُ: عَلاَمَةُ المُخْلِصِ الَّذِي قَدْ يُحبُّ شُهرَةً، وَلاَ يَشعُرُ بِهَا، أَنَّهُ إِذَا عُوتِبَ فِي ذَلِكَ، لاَ يَحرَدُ وَلاَ يُبرِّئُ نَفْسَه،

I said: The sign of a sincere person who may love fame without realizing it is that if he is criticized for it, he does not get angry or defend himself.

بَلْ يَعترِفُ، وَيَقُوْلُ: رَحِمَ اللهُ مَنْ أَهدَى إِلَيَّ عُيُوبِي،

Rather, he acknowledges it and says: "May Allah have mercy on the one who shows me my faults."

وَلاَ يَكُنْ مُعجَباً بِنَفْسِهِ؛ لاَ يَشعرُ بِعُيُوبِهَا، بَلْ لاَ يَشعرُ أَنَّهُ لاَ يَشعرُ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا دَاءٌ مُزْمِنٌ.

Let him not be amazed with himself, unaware of his flaws, much less unaware that he is unaware, which is a chronic disease.”