It’s easy to do good when it feels good.
When people notice, when there’s appreciation, when the barakah is visible.
But the real test of sincerity begins when Allah removes the applause when your effort goes unseen, your kindness is taken for granted, and your sincerity is questioned.
That’s when your intention stands alone, stripped of reward, stripped of validation left only with Allah.
THE INVISIBLE TEST
Allah doesn’t only test us with loss or hardship. Sometimes, He tests us with silence by letting our good deeds pass unnoticed. He watches to see: will you still give? Still forgive? Still serve quietly when there’s no praise waiting at the end of it?
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Actions are judged by intentions, and every person will get what they intended.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
Notice not by results, not by reactions, but by the intention. Because intention is where the soul’s honesty lives. It’s the unseen heartbeat of every deed.
When you post a reminder and no one likes it.
When you give charity and no one thanks you.
When you help someone who later hurts you.
Those moments sting but they also reveal something beautiful: your worship has become purely for Allah.
WHEN SINCERITY HURTS
Sincerity isn’t glamorous. It’s often lonely.
To be sincere means to do what’s right when it gains you nothing or even costs you something.
Allah sometimes hides the fruit of your efforts, not to break you, but to protect you from pride. If you saw how much reward was stored for you in the unseen, you might forget to be humble. So He conceals the outcome to preserve the purity.
Think of the story of Yusuf (عليه السلام) his honesty landed him in prison, not in praise. Yet that unseen sincerity became the foundation of his rise. The world saw betrayal; Allah saw loyalty.
THE DIVINE EXCHANGE
Every time you act with a clean heart even if it goes unnoticed Allah records it. Not a smile, a sigh, or a sacrifice is lost.
“Indeed, Allah does not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost.” (Surah At-Tawbah 9:120)
So the next time your sincerity costs you comfort, remember: you’re trading fleeting validation for eternal value. What feels like loss now will echo as light in the next world.
Because in the end, sincerity isn’t proven by what you gain it’s proven by what you keep doing when no one’s watching.
