Learn 4 simple steps to obtain ikhlas in every action to bring you closer to Allah SWT. This is a Muslim´s ultimate goal in this dunya. Obtaining ikhlas in every action and doing good deeds solely for Allah SWT is a way to gain reward from Allah SWT insha Allah.
In this blog post, we break it down into 4 simple steps to obtain ikhlas in every action. Even in daily simple actions, you must follow these 4 simple ways to be sincere in your actions.
Let´s learn together Bi ´idnillah!
Salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
Bismillahir rahmanir raheem – we start in the name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate.
I ask Allah SWT to put Barakah in this post, bless the readers, and guide us all closer to Allah, amiin.
**Disclaimer: I´m no scholar and I´m just a slave of Allah SWT studying our deen, & Allah knows best. These are reminders for myself as much as for my readers. Some links may be affiliated links, which means I might get a small commission from the sales, at no extra cost for you.
In everything we do as Muslims, doing it for the sake of Allah SWT is our main focus. We aim to worship only Allah SWT, pray only to Allah SWT because Allah SWT told us to pray. Work for the sake of Allah SWT, get up in the morning to worship Allah SWT. Provide for the family for the sake of Allah SWT, and love each other for the sake of Allah SWT. All of this, not for worldly gains, such as money or fame. But to be successful after our life in this Dunya to reach Jannah insha Allah. Before we do any action, both obligatory and voluntary actions, we have to be sincere in our actions for them to be accepted by Allah SWT. Which means performing an action solely for Allah´s SWT sake and to then gain reward.
Seek knowledge before any deed
According to this commentary of 40 hadith an Nawawi, you should first seek knowledge before any deed. Why? For your actions to be guided by knowledge and for your deeds to be in accordance with the Shariah. Therefore you should seek knowledge about ikhlas to be sincere in every action you do daily. In this blog post, I will explain what it means to be sincere in every action and how to obtain ikhlas in 4 simple steps.
Why do you need ikhlas in every action?
In every daily action you do, it is easy to just do it because you “have to”.
You get up early in the morning because you “have to” go to school/work. Eat breakfast only because you are hungry. Then at night, you go to sleep just because you are tired. But in all these simple daily tasks that we all do, if I were to tell you, that there was a simple way to obtain ikhlas and then gain reward from these daily acts, would you do it?
I remember waking up at the last minute to hurry to school, only because I “had to” wake up for school. That was before I knew the immense reward, I easily could have gotten, from Allah SWT. Now knowing the reward I missed out on. Oh how I wished I would have known about ikhlas a bit earlier. Then I would have enjoyed waking up for school as much as I enjoy waking up and doing daily tasks now! Knowing every step towards the school building would bring me reward from Allah SWT with the right intention and being sincere in my actions. Therefore I wanna share this with you. To make it easy, I will break it down into 4 simple steps to obtain ikhlas in every action. You will then know what my younger self would have loved to know.
You might be asking, but is there really a way to gain reward from Allah SWT for “just” eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
I am here to tell you, yes there most definitely is a way to do that! Continue reading to know how it is done Bi idnillah.
Let me tell you how it could be done
It all comes down to ikhlas and niyyah.
Ikhlas which means to be sincere in your actions and niyyah means to set good intentions before your actions. Since ikhlas and niyyah go hand in hand, it is important to have an understanding of both concepts in Islam. To gain more knowledge about setting good intentions go check out my blog post about Niyyah.
It is your duty as a Muslim to seek knowledge of our Deen. Before heading into the 4 simple steps to obtain ikhlas in every action. Let us gain more knowledge about ikhlas first.
I must disclaim that as a Muslim our 5 obligatory pillars in Islam such as shahaadah, the 5 daily salah, zakah, fasting, and hajj also must be done with good intention and sincerity. In this blog post though, I will be giving other examples, outside our obligatory forms of worship. Examples such as daily duties like eating, sleeping, and cleaning.
Definition of ikhlas in Islam
The word Ikhlas is Arabic and means sincerity. To be truthful and honest to Allah SWT alone, performing an act solely for Allah´s SWT sake whereby no other witness except Allah SWT is sought.
Allah, the Most High, said in the Quran:
مَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ – 98:5
“And they were not commanded except that they should worship Allah alone, to be sincere to Him in Religion, upright and steadfast―and to perform the Prayers and pay the Zakāt, and that is the true religion.” (Al-Bayyinah: 5)
It is important to note that actions must be done following the Shariah. An example is: having good intentions but doing haram knowingly.. simply just does not make sense, right?!
From surah Al-Bayyinah: ayah 5 we learn from Allah SWT that we have to be sincere to Allah SWT in our Deen. When you worship Allah SWT you must be honest in every act of worship. As I explained above even cooking, sleeping, and so on, is an act of worship. With the right intention and sincerity, you can get far in this life in Dunya and the afterlife insha Allah.
A simple way to gain reward for every daily action
Here I am letting you in on the “secret” to gain reward for simple actions and daily tasks such as eating, sleeping, spending time with family and even cleaning! Allah SWT truly made Islam easy for us alhamdullilah.
By setting good intentions and being sincere in every action you do, you can obtain ikhlas in every action insha Allah. Let me give you an example.
When eating breakfast start by saying “Bismillahir rahmanir raheem”. Set your intention that you are eating breakfast to fuel your body and to have energy to worship Allah SWT. Be present in the moment (not on your phone or watching tv..) and notice every bite you take. Say Alhamdulillah when you are done eating!
These simple, but life-chancing tips (- if used correctly), can be used in every daily situation. Cleaning, cooking, walking, talking, and going to sleep and so much more! The list goes on!
Set your intentions before every action
- Start with bismillahir rahmanir raheem
- Set your intention (a good intention for the sake of Allah SWT)
- Be present in the moment
- End the action with Alhamdulillah!
Do simple good deeds to obtain ikhlas in every action
Outside of our daily habits, it is important to do extra good deeds daily. These can also be simplified and written in a journal or on this app on your phone so you have it with you on the go. When you do daily good deeds and mix them up, by doing different good deeds, you maintain your ikhlas in your actions each time!
To hold yourself accountable in your daily worship you can use this Simple Prayer Tracker to track your daily salah both obligatory and voluntary insha Allah.
Hadith related by Bukhari & Muslim
“Actions are according to intentions, and everyone will get what was intended…”
Simple good deeds as an act of worship
My recommendation is to make a checklist of simple good deeds.
I use Notion to write my checklists and to-do lists as well. When you upgrade to Notion Plus you can invite up to 100 guests to your Notion list and brainstorm different good deeds to do! A great way to keep each other accountable and stay on track.
After writing a list of simple good deeds, you then pick one good deed each day of the week. You choose one of the good deeds from your list to do that day and continue every day with a new deed. After completing it, it is quite satisfactory to check the box on the list as done!
When using Notion like me, for your checklist of good deeds, you don´t have to share the list with anyone. Then only you can see the list and it will still be sincerely between you and Allah SWT. This could be a way to remember to do daily good deeds and try new good deeds. Still keeping it between you and Allah SWT and being sincere to Allah SWT. Since it is a new deed daily, you will also renew your intention daily so it doesn´t just become a mindless habit or go on autopilot.
Are you interested in me sharing some examples of daily simple good deeds to do? Let me know in the comments!
The 4 simple ways to obtain Ikhlas in every action:
1. Do righteous deeds1
When you do righteous deeds daily and remember Allah SWT, you work on being sincere to Allah SWT in your deeds. Don´t forget that deeds have to be according to the Shariah of course. Ikhlas is one of the conditions of accepting good deeds. Make a checklist of simple good deeds to do.
2. Seek knowledge
The other condition of accepting good deeds is that the actions must be done in accordance with the Shariah. Seeking knowledge in Islam is automatically an action that is considered that of good intention. When seeking knowledge in Islam, implement it in your life as well. Then by using the knowledge and acting upon the knowledge you have gained, your good deeds will be in accordance with the Shariah. You will be sincere in your actions since you now know the reason and reward for doing good deeds.
3. Do not give false impressions
Giving false impressions to your surrounding community will lead you away from being sincere to Allah SWT.
It could be such as; praying many sunnah prayers when surrounded by other people in the mosque to impress others. But then never do it at home when only Allah SWT sees those actions and no humans are watching. Lying is another form of giving false impressions. Do not make others believe that an action you did was good when it was not!
4. Check your niyyah before every action
Keep checking your intention before acts both before acts of worship (ibadah) but also before daily actions. Even before speaking to family members, and strangers, or before daily chores and actions. In that way, you can make sure to maintain sincerity in your actions and gain that extra reward from Allah SWT.
Be consistent with implementing the 4 steps to obtain ikhlas in every action
Now that you know 4 simple ways to obtain ikhlas in every action you have to stay consistent. It is not enough to once check your intention and sincerity before an action. You have to keep checking your niyyah and ikhlas before every action every day. As mentioned in step 4, this will ensure your actions to remain pure insha Allah.
Mean what you say and say what you mean
It can easily become a mindless habit to start with Bismillahi rahmanir raheem and so on. Not to say that it is a bad habit. Indeed it is a good habit but remembering why you say Bismillah hirrahmanir raheem before actions and what it means in your mother tongue (if you´re not fluent in Arabic) is important to remember to do every time. As for it to not become a mindless habit – something you just do without really a meaning to it. Do say what you mean and mean what you say in accordance with the Shariah. You cannot say Bismillahir rahmanir raheem before a haram action! It will not be in the name of Allah SWT then…
Take accountability and do not just let it become a mindless routine
If you need an accountability partner to stay consistent, find a sister within your community to keep you accountable. Sisters and friends, who also have the same goal or vision as you, is a great way to take accountability. You can text or call to hold each other accountable. Be a reminder for each other to do your daily good deeds. Talk to each other about your struggles and wins. Give and spread good ideas for good deeds between sisters. So we all join in on spreading Islam through good deeds.
Allah SWT tells us through the Prophet (pbuh),
وَاللَّهُ فِي عَوْنِ الْعَبْدِ مَا كَانَ الْعَبْدُ فِي عَوْنِ أَخِيهِ
“Allah helps his righteous servant, as long as his servant helps their fellow brother or sister.”
(Sahih Muslim 2699)
But if you want to keep the intention between you and Allah SWT and be sincere to Allah SWT only without an accountability partner, then use this app. In the app, you can track your daily good deeds. By upgrading you can even set reminders for yourself and others! Some deeds you have done are good to share with others as an inspiration. But most beloved to Allah SWT is the good deeds done in “secret” between only you and Allah SWT.
Allah SWT says in the Quran 5:2
“..Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment.”
On the Day of Judgement, we will all stand in front of Allah SWT and you will be held accountable for your actions. Let us help and guide each other to goodness now to get closer to Allah SWT before it is too late.
I pray you found these steps helpful and easy to follow. If you have any tips you wanna share on how to obtain ikhlas, comment down below! insha Allah and Allah SWT knows best.
Salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
- Imam nawawis 40 ahadith ↩︎