Is the Highest Sincerity Not Expecting Heaven or Fearing Hell? This Is the Explanation from Ulama

Sincerity is the soul of every act of worship. No matter how great a person’s worship, its value in the sight of Allah SWT is determined by the sincerity residing in the heart. So, do all forms of sincerity hold the same status? The great scholar Syekh Muhammad Nawawi bin Umar al-Banteni explained that sincerity has three levels, from the highest to the lowest, according to the purpose behind a person’s worship of Allah SWT. In his book Nurudh Dholam, Syekh Nawawi Al-Bantani explains that the first level is sincerity for the sake of Allah. This sincerity occupies the primary and highest position. According to Syekh Nawawi, sincerity at this level is when a believer worships Allah and performs righteous deeds without expecting anything except the pleasure of Allah, not even hoping for the reward of heaven or to avoid the punishment of hell. The second level is sincerity for the sake of the afterlife. This level involves worshipping and performing righteous deeds to hope for reward, attain heaven, and fear the punishment of hell. According to Syekh Nawawi, this level of sincerity is at the intermediate level. The third level is sincerity for the sake of the world. This level of sincerity involves worshipping with the hope of receiving worldly returns, for example, someone reciting Surah Al-Waqi’ah hoping to gain wealth, giving charity hoping for multiplied sustenance, and so forth.