People Who Answer with Insincerity When Called on To Be Sincere

We have mentioned how those who grasp how true submission to Allah should be, make every effort to explain this to others as well. But some who receive such advice do not approach it with equal good will and may even react in ways that do not accord with the Qur'an.

However, if a believer makes an effort on behalf of the other, determines his weaknesses for him, thinks about ways of overcoming them and presents these in an encouraging manner so as to make them seem easy, it can be of great benefit. Such judgments made by a believer who fears Allah always accord with the Qur'an: They are honest and sincere. Moreover, with an eye which can evaluate objectively, this believer can clearly identify defects of behavior and faith that the person himself has been unable to, and thus help his brother on this matter. Because a sincere Muslim gives warnings for encouragement, what he says is always extremely important and should be taken seriously.

Nevertheless some people, though well aware of these facts, do not accept criticism. But as we know from the verse, "In fact, man will be clear proof against himself. In spite of any excuses he might offer" (Surat al-Qiyama: 14), those who reject criticism and warnings by pretending not to understand them, in fact know the truth. Hence no matter how much a person wants to persuade and deceive—first himself and then people around him—into believing the contrary, in his conscience he knows the truth. Not applying realities known by the conscience to life causes internal strife, and is definitely one of the secret torments given to people in the world who lack sincere intentions. But some fail to understand this truth. They feign ignorance that the lack of tranquility in their hearts arises from their own mistaken behavior and thinking. For this reason, they react to the warnings in ways that do not accord with the Qur'an—which, in fact, constitutes a second proof of the accuracy of what is said to them. That is because a sincere believer, when invited to an even better morality, accepts this invitation.

Allah tells us how sincere believers behave after noticing their errors:

[People who guard against evil are] those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions (and who can forgive bad actions except Allah?) and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing. (Surah Al 'Imran: 135)

So if a person has achieved genuine sincerity as he claims, when he notes any error he should right away take refuge in Allah and not persist in his erroneous behavior. The aim of the sincere believer is always to try to gain Allah's approval and affection. One way of gaining Allah's affection is explained in a verse of the Qur'an with the words, "Allah loves those who purify themselves" (Surat at-Tawba: 108).

When invited to sincerity, these people's reactions that do not accord with the Qur'an arise basically from their not having understood the faith as they should. In the Qur'an, Allah tells us which people tend to take advice:

You can only warn those who act on the Reminder and fear the All-Merciful in the Unseen. Give them the good news of forgiveness and a generous reward. (Surah Ya Sin: 11)

In the following pages, we will refer to behavioral defects shown by certain people who, given an admonition, deceive themselves that their insincerity can not be proven. These types of behavior are not in accordance with the Qur'an. Indeed, it will be possible for people to be rescued from these secret insincerities, only through their understanding that they are contrary to the Qur'an and that in the sight of Allah, they all amount to sins. Keep in mind that Allah's mercy and generosity are there for those who recognize this truth and sincerely change their behavior—as we are reminded in this verse:

But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and puts things right, Allah will turn towards him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 39)

Failure to Think and Unwillingness to Think

Satan makes every effort he can to divert believers to his own path. One of the things he wants the least is for believers, by gaining true sincerity, to achieve a morality that Allah will approve. For this reason, when people are summoned to the true faith, satan will definitely try to influence them in the opposite direction.

One of satan's efforts towards this end is preventing people from thinking. For this purpose, satan does his best to steer people into defending themselves and finding excuses for their mistakes. A person who is under his influence begins to feel angry with believers who warn him and thinks he's suffering an injustice. In addition, since he realizes that when he thinks he will clearly see the realities and be forced to confess his insincerity, he completely shuts down his thinking process. A person whose mind is infected with this type of insincerity cannot correct his mistakes by thinking matters through.

As a result of their condition, people in question pay attention only to those unhealthy thoughts that cross their minds. They form fixed ideas in compliance with their own opinions and for this reason, try not to listen to, hear or understand what is said to them. No matter how effective or striking another person's words may be, they do not change the thoughts in their closed minds. Satan intensifies their avoidance to such an extent that, even when things are pointed out to them with verses of the Qur'an, they do not think about them or even want to think about them. When reminded about Allah's existence, that they will be called on to account for their actions, that He sees everything and that the payback for their behavior may be the eternal torments of Hell, they arrive at a heedlessness and a mental vacuum that will not allow these truths to affect them.

In this way, they willfully close their minds to admonitions. But deep inside, they certainly know that they are wrong. Because of this, they condemn their consciences to live in trouble and lack of tranquility. They want to live lives dictated by their selves' desires—which is surely a life far removed from the teachings of the Qur'an. Meanwhile, they are also aware that such a lifestyle may cause them great disappointment in this world and the Hereafter. As a result, they spend their lives in internal conflict, foreboding and worry.

Such a heedless attitude is not to be found in people of faith. Contrary to this behavior, the reaction of the faithful to a warning is to consider it and learn from it. This is pointed out in many verses of the Qur'an, and mentioned in the Surat al-A'la. In these verses, Allah tells us that thinking and taking advice are characteristics of people who fear Him in their hearts:

Remind, then, if the reminder benefits. He who has fear will be reminded. But the most miserable will shun it, those who will roast in the Greatest Fire. And then neither die nor live in it. He who has purified himself will have success. (Surat al-A'la: 9-14)

Behavioral Defects

The reactions of those who cannot completely rescue themselves when invited to sincerity, even though they say they believe, make themselves evident to a large extent in defects of the voice, manner of speaking and expression. As we have mentioned, they may place great importance on their image in the eyes of others, though they know very well that what is most important is to earn the approval of Allah. Being the target of criticism and having their errors detected are among the things that damage this image the most. Because of this, when they find themselves in circles where this occurs, they display different voices, speech and expressions that are inappropriate to the morality of the faithful. To list these reactions when their insincerity is discovered:

Reactions apparent in the voice

No doubt, people's voices are one of the most important means by which they reflect their emotions and thoughts to the outside world. Most of the time, whether they want to or not, they make their joy, pleasure, affection, interest, fears and concerns—or their tranquility and comfort—apparent through their tone of voice.

Faced with a warning about his Afterlife, a person who lives the morality of the Qur'an tries to understand and implement what he is told with pleasure and eagerness. That pleasure can be easily recognized in his voice. But in the case of an insincere person, no matter how much he tries to hide the tension he feels because his insincerity has been discovered, sometimes his voice reflects this. The natural, strong, lively, flowing, easy and healthy voice he uses in everyday life gives way to a tone which is uncomfortable, stiff, cold, choked, hoarse, strangled and troubled and is very difficult to understand. In such circumstances, the manner of speaking he uses is not the one normally adopted, and especially not during cheerful moments. The best way of judging this is to compare the person's voice with the tone he adopts when served a dish he likes very much, when a favorite piece of music is playing, or when he is given something he wants very much. In general, a person's normal tone is one he uses when he is cheerful and at peace. The loss of this tone when he is given advice or a warning—that is, when an environment places a strain on him—results from his harboring negative thoughts inside.

Of course, all these details in a person's voice have meaning and contain a message. He sends the impression that he is not happy about the criticism, wants the subject closed right away and otherwise, will put an end to his conversation with the other person and distance himself. By this means, he is implying that if the person he's talking with uncovers his defects and mistakes, his spiritual state will be disturbed and he will lose his normal peace of mind—so that the other should not go on talking about him in this way and should even take a step back.

No matter how much he may seem to be saying positive things, such a person using this voice may in fact be saying the exact opposite. This is the "rejection tone of voice." Although he may seem to agree, he is not of the same opinion in his heart. This is one of the most significant signs of the secret insincerity we have been discussing from the start. It can be realized very clearly from his tone of voice that he does not agree with what's being said to him, is not convinced by the explanations and not pleased by the criticism. But because his words seem to be an acceptance of what he's being told, it's impossible to explain anything to him or persuade him that what he's done is wrong. The person already knows this and is applying this satanic tactic as a way of making a concealed protest.

However, someone who sincerely wants to correct his mistakes and desires to achieve moral perfection expresses his humility, submission and acceptance in the best possible way with his attitude and voice. By speaking in accordance with the Qur'an with a warm and sincere tone, he demonstrates behavior that inspires trust in the one he's talking to.

The negative behavior of people of the opposite sort springs from their desire to continue their immorality and make other people feel troubled. But never forget that someone who distances himself from the morality of the Qur'an causes the greatest harm to himself. If he is invited to faith, warned with verses from the Qur'an and can see for himself what is correct but still secretly persists in his insincerity, he deserves secret torment in the life of the world and the torment of Hell in the Hereafter.

In the Qur'an, Allah describes the state of people who think they are deceiving the faithful with their tactical maneuvers:

They think they deceive Allah and those who believe. They deceive no one but themselves but they are not aware of it. There is a sickness in their hearts and Allah has increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment on account of their denial. (Surat al-Baqara: 9-10)

Manifestations of insincerity in speech

Defects of speech are also among the factors that most clearly betray people's insincerity. In contrast to believers who, when reminded of the verses of the Qur'an, immediately show their humility in their words and behavior, insincere people usually begin to speak in a manner that does not conform to the Qur'an's morality. Allah draws attention to their way of speaking, which is like a mirror in which their true spiritual state can be seen, in this verse of the Qur'an:

If We wished, We would show them to you and you would know them by their mark and know them by the burden of their speech. Allah knows your actions. (Surah Muhammad: 30)

The defects in these people's speech manifest themselves in a number of ways. The most common ones include:

- The collapse of logical speech:

Some exhibit serious defects in their chain of logic. Most of the time, they themselves are not aware of this collapse of logic, which is readily apparent to others. For example, while trying to prove that criticism directed at them is groundless, they put forth evidence to prove that it is incorrect. Every statement they make is based on more twisted logic than before. In every attempt to turn the situation in their favor, they become even more irrational.

- Speech incompatible with the Qur'an

One of believers' most important characteristics is that the morality of the Qur'an governs them at every moment; and that their every word conforms to the verses of the Qur'an.

Some insincere people who receive advice may avoid referring to the Qur'an or mentioning Allah's name, for if they did, they know that they would have to live what they say. For instance, when one of their defects is pointed out to them, if they express the attitude of the faithful referred to in the verse, "[People who guard against evil are] those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions (and who can forgive bad actions except Allah?) and do not knowingly persist in what they were doing" (Surah Al 'Imran: 135), then, in compliance with the Qur'an, they should immediately abandon their insincerity. In the same way, if even for a moment they remember and declare that there is no being other than Allah—that they are impotent in the face of the power of Allah, that everything proceeds according to the destiny Allah has determined, that He knows what is in the inmost depths of their hearts, that people are tormented in this world and the Hereafter in return for their insincerity, that Hell is eternal and that the pain there is real and lasting—then they can hardly demonstrate the courage to persist in their immorality. In such a situation, a person can no longer pursue his own selfish ideas or use a manner of speaking arising from ignorance. Everything is turned on its head and he can no longer satisfy his lower self's desires. All his behavior, his manner of speaking and his tone of voice return to normal. He cannot practice deception or become irritable or protest toward the other person. No matter how hard on his pride, no matter how contrary to the image he believes he has created, he must admit his mistakes and take the effort to overcoming them, wasting no time.

For people who avoid thinking in accordance with the Qur'an, Hell is one of the most important reminders to make them think. When asked a question like, "If you were on the edge of Hell and were to be thrown into it or rescued—according to your behavior—would you still persist in the same behavior?", these people are pushed into a corner because no one on the edge of the fire can show the courage to behave in a way contrary to the morality of the Qur'an.

Such an analogy dramatizes that most people's insincerity arises from their inability to foresee Allah's torment or their lack of a firm belief in the Hereafter. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah warns such people:

What are they waiting for but for the angels to come to them or for your Lord Himself to come, or for one of your Lord's signs to come? On the day that one of your Lord's signs does come, no faith which a self professes will be of any use to it if it did not believe before and earn good in its faith. Say: "Wait, then; We too are waiting." (Surat al-Anam: 158)

In conclusion, keeping in mind the above verse, thinking sincerely that the return for what one has done may be the torment in Hell and so, abandoning insincerity can be the means to continue one's life as an honest person.

- Vehement defensiveness and protests

Another characteristic of some who are determined in their insincerity attracts attention: Sometimes, rather than trying to understand what is said to them, they react by protesting vehemently and defending themselves. A believer should listen to comments made about him or advice offered, ask questions and try to learn and understand. Later, such a person shows that he has understood the warning he's received and makes a sincere effort according to the Qur'an. But such an effort is seldom observed in the kind of character we are talking about.

Allah offers the exemplary behavior of the Prophet Yusuf (as) as an example to the faithful in the Qur'an. Despite being faced with a calumny, the Prophet Yusuf (as) knew that he should not defend his lower self. One verse quotes him as follows:

"I do not say my self was free from blame. The self indeed commands to evil acts—except for those my Lord has mercy on. My Lord, He is Forgiving, Merciful." (Surah Yusuf: 53)

- Silence

Another reaction that reveals insincerity is when people who normally display a lively, cheerful character and engage in sustained, warm conversations, are confronted with criticism. Suddenly they fall silent and seem unable to speak. Believers in the true faith lose none of their eager willpower, even under the most difficult circumstances. On the contrary, such circumstances make them more eager still and they show the strength of their faith by making even greater efforts.

In such circumstances, of course, people who prefer to remain silent rather than provide satisfactory explanations do so as a protest. In this way, they want to wear down the believer who is warning them. But when they are told that this behavior is unseemly, they offer the excuse that they said nothing because nothing crossed their minds.

Behavior of this type is carried out cunningly and cannot be proved. Again, it can be detected and recognized only with the sixth sense. An insincere person takes advantage of the lack of proof and continues his protest. But with this ugly obstinacy, he loses both Allah's approval and the trust, respect and affection of the faithful. Because of his crafty plans, the person in question has an extremely confused spiritual state. He lives with a troubled conscience, knowing that what he's done is insincere, and lives with continual tension and discomfort. This, too, is one of the torments given by Allah to people who practice insincerity.

- Affected speech

People who forget that Allah knows what is hidden in their hearts think it's enough if they can only convince the people around them. In this situation, they resort to affected speech and attitude to conceal what is inside and try to make others believe what is not in their hearts through affected behavior. They also use affected attitudes and speech to hide from people what they want to keep secret. Allah refers to people like this in a verse of the Qur'an:

... They please you with their mouths but their hearts belie their words. Most of them are deviators. (Surat at-Tawba: 8)

Of course, maintaining this hypocritical spiritual state consistently is extremely difficult. For a person to seem to feel things he does not experience requires a great expenditure of effort. People who maintain this extremely wearying behavior create troubles for themselves.

When advice is given them, they pretend—with exaggerated gestures and emphases and long and detailed explanations—to have accepted what has been said. Most of the time, they truly are thinking the exact opposite and appear to accept only because they want the subject closed. They calculate what sort of statements the other person wants to hear and—without thought, feeling or understanding—they say what they think will pacify the other. But while this takes place, their behavior usually does not change for the better. With the help of Allah, Muslims feel that the words of these people are deceitful.

People who practice this deceit believe that they have cleared and protected themselves at the time, but Allah knows the most carefully guarded secrets they keep inside. In the Qur'an, He reveals the following about people who believe they are concealing things in their hearts:

See how they wrap themselves round trying to conceal their feelings from Him! No, indeed! When they wrap their garments round themselves, He knows what they keep secret and what they make public. He knows what their hearts contain. (Surah Hud: 5)

- Using a contrary manner of speaking

To render advice given them ineffective, some resort to using a contrary manner of speaking. In this way they deceive themselves, believing that they can dissuade Muslims who enjoin the good and forbid evil. They deceive themselves because a pious Muslim is responsible only for revealing truths. Another's reaction cannot affect his behaving in accordance with Allah's approval.

These two-faced people use contrariness in the same cunning way as their other behavioral ploys. They try not to give away too many indications or too much evidence of what they really think.

Above all, there is a concealed obstinacy in their speech. With the support of barely perceptible gestures and emphases, they secretly defy the person they are talking with. At first hearing, their words may seem respectful and reasonable. However, their way of saying these words, the emphases they use, the toughness in their expressions and their inappropriate gestures give the impression that they're really contradicting those they're talking to.

In the morality of the Qur'an, there is no place for contrary behavior, whether open or secret. One of the most important characteristics distinguishing the faithful from the ignorant is their gentle, humble, submissive patience and compassion. The only power that can grant these qualities to people is the fear of Allah. For this reason, anyone who engages in secret contrariness should abandon this right away by fearing Allah to his utmost, taking refuge in Him, and demonstrating a gentle and submissive morality.

Defects of expression in eyes

Another indicator of character, emotions, thoughts and level of sincerity is people's expressions in their eyes. Most of what a person experiences inside, what he hides in his heart and what passes through his mind is reflected in his expression. This is a truth well known by most people, for which reason, expressions hold an important place in people's ability to get to know and evaluate one another.

Allah tells us that expressions are an important measure of people's internal worlds. Some of the verses in the Qur'an drawing attention to this are these:

Those who do not believe all but strike you down with their evil looks when they hear the Reminder and say, "He is quite mad." (Surat al-Qalam: 51)

He knows the eyes' deceit and what people's breasts conceal. (Surah Ghafir: 19)

As you can see in the above verses, expressions in one's eyes give away the true thoughts and spiritual state. Such people try to give the impression that they are morally upright. But if anything conflicts with their interests, they give way to anger right away. But they know that anger is against the morality of the Qur'an, so they try to conceal it. By doing so, they both witness their own immorality and feel troubled by it, tormenting themselves unnecessarily with feelings of rage.

The expressions of a sincere person reflect his honesty. In contrast to people who wrong themselves, they live what they feel. Their tranquil and contented spiritual state reveals itself in their eyes as liveliness and depth.

Immediate Submission to Hopelessness

When met with criticism, people who do not live according to the requirements of the morality of the Qur'an immediately descend into hopelessness and defeatism. People who understand Allah's power and His mercy and generosity towards His faithful followers do not submit to hopelessness in any way.

In the Qur'an, Allah tells us of these words of the Prophet Ya'qub (as) on the subject of hopelessness:

"My sons! Seek news of Yusuf and his brother. Do not despair of solace from Allah. No one despairs of solace from Allah except for people who are disbelievers." (Surah Yusuf: 87)

Being aware of his own defective aspects is a great blessing and an opportunity for a person. In this way, he can cleanse himself of his errors. But when warned or caught out in mistaken behavior, some people immediately give way to hopelessness. This is an indication of their failure to place their trust in Allah. Lack of submission is one of the worst curses that can be suffered in this world, because anyone who believes that some events occur independently of Allah wants to always have them under his own control. But because he can never succeed in this, his life is continually spent in fear, worry, tension and stress. This spiritual state, experienced by people who forget Allah's boundless power and His supremacy over everything, is really one of the forms of torment created for people in worldly life.

The Psychology of Battling Injustice and Counterattacks

Those who cannot understand (as they should) Allah's justice, His compassion towards His faithful servants and, at the same time, the moral perfection of a believer will interpret any warning they receive as an unjust personal attack. They cannot understand that the one giving the warning seeks no benefit for himself, but is making a sincere effort to improve another's life in this world and the Hereafter.

As Allah points out in the verse, "Do they then seek the judgment of the Time of Ignorance? Who could be better at giving judgment than Allah for people with certainty?" (Surat al-Ma'ida: 50), they assess the matter with ignorant criteria. In ignorant socieities, criticism is made for the purpose of setting the critic above others and belittling others and making them ashamed by pointing out their weaknesses. Criticism, according to this thinking, is made to express to someone that the critic does not like him or approve of his behavior. It is not made to solve a problem or as a means to help the other person overcome his defects, become better and earn eternal life in the Hereafter. Since insincere people evaluate events not from the viewpoint of the Qur'an, but using the criteria of the ignorant, they interpret any positive criticism offered to them as detrimental.

People who do not behave in accordance with the Qur'an usually think that they are being forced to suffer an injustice when they encounter such a situation. They utter hurtful words to whoever warns them, become angry, and behave distantly and coldly.

However, it should be clear that none of this behavior conforms with the morality of the Qur'an. Above everything, Allah's justice definitely manifests itself on every person and Allah tells us that nobody will suffer injustice in the verse, "Allah does not wrong anyone by so much as the smallest speck. And if there is a good deed Allah will multiply it and pay out an immense reward direct from Him" (Surat an-Nisa': 40). A believer always hopes that Allah's justice will make itself apparent in every situation, and for this reason he exhibits calm and submissive behavior. Those who say they believe in Allah, but forget His justice and power, live lives of continual trouble and tension with their stance of battling against injustice.

Crafty Behavior on the "Limit Principle"

Some who share the morality that constitutes the subject of this book will say that they conform to the Qur'an, yet maintain their ignorant morality secretly and cunningly. However, all this is done within the "limit principle," meaning that the individual engages in all kinds of insincere acts that cannot be proven. He is also careful to do them in such a way that no one can claim that they are openly against the Qur'an. All his secret activities are kept within certain limits. In order to maintain these limits, the person may carry out both broad and fine tuning, as necessary. Broad tuning is determined from the outset; fine tuning is put into effect when the faithful discover his insincerities. For example, when he says something irritable and is told that speaking in such a way does not accord with the morality described in the Qur'an, he can immediately adjust between speaking crossly and normal speaking. At every warning, he reduces the dose of irritability in what he says, but still does this with fragments of satan inside. At no stage does he submit to advice given on the basis of the Qur'an. But he can refine and narrow the borderline between submission and not submitting. He uses concealed rudeness, concealed protest and concealed obstinacy in such limited doses that they cannot be proven.

In fact, entering into so much trouble and confusion to hide insincerities and protect oneself is meaningless. It is to live such a life and feed corrosive troubles that torment the conscience. Sincerity is much easier, much finer and much more down-to-earth. Never forget that, as we are told in the verse, "On that Day you will be exposed—no concealed act you did will stay concealed" (Surat al-Haqqa: 18). Even if fine tuning is carried out and their dosage reduced, all insincerities are clearly seen and known by Allah. And as He tells us in the verse, "Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. Whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it" (Surat az-Zilzal: 7-8). Every act will definitely receive a return in the Hereafter. For this reason, in His verses, Allah instructs people to give up their sins, whether open or hidden, and warns them of the torment to come:

Abandon wrong action, outward and inward. Those who commit wrong action will be repaid for what they perpetrated. (Surat al-An'am: 120)

... that you do not approach indecency—outward or inward. (Surat al-An'am: 151)

The Psychology of Protest and Reaction

When the ignorant are upset by somebody's words or behavior, the great majority unhesitatingly react by slamming doors, behaving coldly towards other people, not talking to them, refusing to eat food prepared for them or not doing jobs that need to be done. People familiar with the morality of the Qur'an know that such behavior is not appropriate for believers and so do not resort to such protests.

Some who lack sincere faith have no hesitation in carrying out protest actions that do not conform to the morality of the Qur'an, but do not do so openly, mostly with indifferent, silent, cold behavior. When people in such a spiritual state is asked a question, they cannot give a plain, normal answer. Sometimes they give a short, belittling answer and sometimes secretly protest by giving curt answers like "Yes," "No," or "I don't know." This is an attempt to seem to be replying. If asked, "Why didn't you answer?", they put the other person in the wrong by saying, "I did." Sometimes they play for time by giving very vague answers after a delay. When asked why they remained silent or answered late, they put forward which are obviously insincere excuses that cannot be proved as such—for example, "I was thinking," or "I couldn't think what I wanted to say." In an environment where all others are enjoying themselves, they cannot enjoy themselves as they would like and only content themselves with smiling and behaving wearily and coldly. But when asked why they are behaving like this and whether or not there's a problem, they give a false answer by saying, "Nothing is wrong." Sometimes they disguise their protest by offering excuses such as illness or sleeplessness. In this way, when they receive a complaint about their behavior, they claim that none of it is deliberate, but they are behaving that way because they are ill.

Those who exhibit such ugly behavior should know that the only ones who suffer from this situation are themselves. Even when others have no clear proof, most of them realize that such a person is behaving insincerely. In accordance with the morality of the Qur'an, a pious believer gives such a person a useful answer by inviting him to superior morality, and he himself lives in the peace of this superior morality. One who is determined to show secret immorality for the sake of protesting cannot enjoy himself, laugh or speak as he would really like to. Because he judges events or other people from a negative viewpoint, such people can find no pleasure. They interpret everything as a problem and live always in trouble and torment. The only solution is for a person to fear Allah and devote himself to the morality of the Qur'an. Only one who gives himself to Allah with a sincere heart and avoids everything that Allah will not approve of can find tranquility and happiness in this world and the Hereafter.