'Pure Intention' Matters: Scholar Warns of Hypocrisy in Good Deeds

IQNA – A senior Shia cleric highlighted the importance of having a pure intention while doing good deeds.

"The human soul, like farmland, must be cleared of obstacles to allow virtues to flourish," Grand Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani said on Wednesday while addressing a Kharij fiqh class in Qom.

He emphasized that just as a farmer removes impediments to ensure the growth of plants, individuals must cleanse their souls of vices to adorn them with virtues.

He explained that ethics has two aspects: vices and virtues. "Ethicists first address vices before moving on to virtues, indicating that one must eliminate vices before acquiring virtues," he said, adding that this process is akin to "first emptying, then adorning."

He identified hypocrisy as a significant vice that hinders the growth of human virtues. "Ethicists say hypocrisy is when a person performs good deeds to gain recognition and elevate their status in society, rather than for God. Such actions will not grow if not done for God."

Ayatollah Sobhani cited the Quran, which warns against nullifying charitable acts with reminders of generosity or harm, likening it to those who perform deeds for show.

He quotes verse 264 of Surah Baqarah which reads: "O you who have faith! Do not render your charities void by reproaches and affronts, like those who spend their wealth to be seen by people and have no faith in Allah and the Last Day. Their parable is that of a rock covered with soil: a downpour strikes it, leaving it bare. They have no power over anything of what they have earned, and Allah does not guide the faithless lot."

He stressed that the first step to achieving virtue is to perform all good deeds for God. "Previously, the slogan was 'bread and water for all,' but we say 'ethics for all.' If actions are for God, they will grow," he asserted.

Ayatollah Sobhani contrasted Western and Islamic ethical schools, stating that Western ethics focus on the act itself, while Islamic ethics emphasize the intention behind the act.

"In Islam, even good intentions are rewarded by God," he said, recounting a story from the Battle of Jamal where Imam Ali (AS) acknowledged the intention of a man who wished to join the battle but could not.

He urged individuals to ensure their intentions are pure, as improper intentions can nullify good deeds. "We must strive to keep our intentions pure in our actions," he advised, warning that even good deeds done for the wrong reasons can be nullified.