Ikhlas-Sincerity

"Verily, all actions are but driven by intention and for everyone is what he intended."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

One of the most important aspects of worship in Islam is to do everything with "ikhlas" or sincerity. This is to ensure that we are doing our acts of worship solely for the sake of Allah. We must avoid doing our good deeds and acts of worship merely to get attention and to be seen as a good person. One of the beautiful facets of Islam is that virtually all allowed acts-from eating to sleeping to cleaning the house or cooking dinner-can be acts of worship if we focus our intention toward pleasing Allah. I have personally found that when I feel a chore especially burdensome or repetitive, if I merely say "Bismillah" (in the name of Allah) and focus my attention on doing this act for the sake of Allah, it makes the act much more enjoyable. Focusing our intention on Allah can mean that our deeds our rewarded in the hereafter, even if it seems no one notices them or appreciates them in this life. And much greater is the reward of Allah than the reward of his creation!

So how can we ensure that we are doing things for the sake of Allah alone? One tip is to find one consistent habit or action each day, outside of the obligatory acts of worship, that you do privately. Don't tell anyone about it, keep it merely between yourself and Allah. Any allowable action that you wish to do: reading a few pages of Quran, studying Arabic, seeking knowledge, reading a Hadith, donating even a dollar a day to charity, doing dhikr. No matter how small the action may seem in your eyes, if done consistently the act can become great in the eyes of Allah.