Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

Bismillahir- Rahmanir-Rahim

1. Opening

Friends whose hearts long for true peace, have we ever reflected: why are there people who diligently worship yet still feel empty inside and are easily disappointed? Scientifically and essentially, it happens because they have only touched the “outer skin” of religion, not yet absorbed its “deepest core.”The deepest essence of practicing religion is not merely fulfilling obligations or physical routines. The core of religion is Wushul_—reaching Allah, being tightly connected to Him, building absolute sincerity [_ikhlas], and making His pleasure the sole center of the entire scope of our knowledge and awareness, day and night. When Allah’s pleasure has become the axis, then human praise will not make us soar, and human scorn will not make us collapse.

Allah SWT affirms this essence of sincerity and seeking His pleasure in the Qur’an:

وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ

“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth.” [QS. Al-Bayyinah: 5]

This inner sincerity that forms the core of religion was also explained by Rasulullah ﷺ when he defined the pinnacle of faith [Ihsan], where our inner awareness is always connected to Allah:

أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّك تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاك

“Ihsan is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then indeed He sees you.” [HR. Muslim]

2. Lessons and Message

The precious message for our souls is: Stop making people your objective. When we do good, help others, or worship just to get “likes,” praise, or reciprocation from people, we are exhausting ourselves. Shift your focus from the gaze of creation to the gaze of the Creator. Make Allah’s pleasure your only life target.

Let us recall a touching story of a great Tabi‘in scholar, Uwais al-Qarni. He was a poor young man who suffered from leprosy, lived in Yemen, and cared for his paralyzed mother with full sincerity. On earth, Uwais was an unknown youth, often mocked and looked down upon by those around him. From a worldly perspective, his life seemed deeply sad and lonely. Yet, because of his extraordinary sincerity of heart and pure devotion, Rasulullah ﷺ even instructed Umar bin Khattab to seek out Uwais and ask for his prayers. Rasulullah said that Uwais was a young man “famous in the heavens.” Imagine, his inner self was so tightly connected to Allah in the silence of Yemeni nights that his name echoed in the sky, even though the earth ignored him. That is the portrait of a soul that has grasped the core of religion.

So we can understand this with a smile, let’s imagine you’re riding a motorcycle on a pitch-black night. At the front of your bike, there is a very bright headlight [this is like the knowledge and awareness of Allah’s pleasure]. Wherever you turn the handlebars, whether right or left, that light will always shine ahead to illuminate your path [this is like our activities day and night that are always centered on Allah]. But imagine someone who mounts the headlight not facing the road, but facing his own face so he looks handsome or gets praised by others on the street [this is like someone who worships for riya/human praise]. Isn’t that both funny and terrifying? Instead of reaching the destination safely, he blinds himself, hits a tree, and falls into a ditch! Well, that’s the fate of someone who practices religion but focuses on seeking human approval; dazzled by praise, then plunged into disappointment.

3. Conclusion and Closing

Friends, in conclusion, let us return our life’s compass to the right path. The core of religion is not about how often we appear pious in front of cameras or in the eyes of people, but how sincere our secret relationship with Allah is when not a single person is watching. Make Allah’s pleasure the gravitational center of our soul, day and night. When we work, intend to seek His pleasure. When we study, intend to attain His pleasure. Because in the end, only a heart full of sincerity will be welcomed with the beautiful words: “Enter My Paradise, pleased and pleasing.”

. والله أعلم بالصواب

الحمد لله رب العالمين

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Abu Sultan Al-Qadrie