The Damage Caused by Insincerity (Lack of Wisdom)

Insincerity is a secret curse that not only makes people's lives difficult, leading them into misery, but also causes them swift physical and spiritual harm. Some may not be aware of the harm they suffer. Assuming that the insincerity they hold inside inflicts no harm on them, they make insincerity their way of life.

To anyone of pure faith, however, the harm these people suffer is obvious. Often believers try to explain their situation, call them to sincerity. However, some people's spiritual state causes them to approach with the same insincerity those who try to warn them. As a result, they cannot take advantage of the truths they are told.

We can list some of insincerity's negative effects on people:

Lack of Wisdom

This is one obvious effect of the failure to live by the morality of the Qur'an. Allah grants wisdom to people only if they have sincere faith. Other than wisdom, all other talents can be displayed through intelligence alone.

At first glance, an intelligent person may be assumed to have the same characteristics as of a wise one. Indeed, this is the main reason why so many people err in believing themselves to be wise.

However wisdom is a superior characteristic ensued by conforming to the Qur'an. Allah speaks of a special type of comprehension granted only to those who fear and take refuge in Him:

You who believe! If you fear Allah, He will give you discrimination and erase your bad actions from you and forgive you. Allah's favor is indeed immense. (Surat al-Anfal: 29)

This comprehension allows people to distinguish right from wrong in every matter relating to their lives, including those directly involving themselves.

People who become distanced from the morality of the Qur'an or who permit insincerity at certain points in their lives are weak in distinguishing right from wrong. The major sign of this deficiency is their inability to see the situation in which they find themselves and evaluate it according to the Qur'an—to such an extent that when their incomprehension is pointed out by others, it still persists.

These people lack the clarity, purity and simplicity that exist in sincere people's minds. On the contrary, turbidity and confusion dominate their minds. When compared with the clear signs of wisdom in pious believers, their state becomes especially obvious.

For such people, their inability to achieve clarity of thought and decisiveness in making assessments is a form of torment. Due to the confusion in their minds, they may even not recognize this torment, but they can never attain the comfort of wisdom brought by sincere faith. The way they interpret events and others' behavior clearly reflects their lack of wisdom.