Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 70
70 feelings no amount of outward humility and show of sincerity can be of any avail. On the contrary such show is a curse which leads but to the pit of darkness. The Holy Quran not only accepts this principle but particu- larly emphasizes it. It says: 'Woe to those who pray but are unmindful of their prayers, and pray in order to be seen. ' 36 Similarly, it says that those who give charity to be seen and not out of the sincerity of their hearts are: 'Like a slab of stone on which there is some dust, and the rain comes and washes it away and nothing can grow on it. ' 37 Such persons, instead of earning any reward for their sincerity, only harm themselves by their lack of sincerity. Mere outward acts of worship, therefore, unless accompanied by sincerity of heart can not be of any avail and are not approved by Islam and Islam requires that not only the tongue and the body but the heart must also join in worship. The Holy Quran, and the sayings of the Holy Prophet sa clearly show that faith is perfected by the 36 Al-M a ‘ u n, 107:5-7 37 Al-Baqarah, 2:265