Sincerity & Truth

The pursuit of truth is the defining moral challenge of every human being. But what makes someone capable of discovering it? The Quran makes the answer clear: sincerity. Not knowledge. Not heritage. Not clever arguments. Only sincerity grants a person access to truth.

[56:75] I swear by the positions of the stars.
[56:76] This is an oath, if you only knew, that is awesome.
[56:77] This is an honorable Quran.
[56:78] In a protected book.
[56:79] None can grasp it except the sincere.

(75) I will not be divided into the domain
(76) And it is a division if you know is great
(77) It is a generous reciter
(78) In a place
(79) It is not the same

But does sincerity guarantee that one already has the truth? Not at all. Sincerity does not mean that a person is right—it means they are always ready to be corrected. A sincere person may hold false beliefs or be in darkness, but they will never knowingly cling to them once the truth becomes clear. That is what separates the sincere from the insincere.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. — Proverbs 12:1

To illustrate this distinction, consider the following parable:

A psychiatrist had a patient who believed he was a vampire. Day after day, the doctor tried to reason with him, but the delusion persisted. One day, the psychiatrist asked, “Do vampires bleed?” The patient scoffed, “Of course not. Vampires are undead—they don’t bleed.” The psychiatrist then pricked the patient’s finger with a pin. A drop of blood appeared. The patient stared at it, paused, and said, “I guess vampires do bleed.”

This is the mark of insincerity: when confronted with evidence that disproves a belief, the insincere will twist reality just enough to preserve the illusion. They do not abandon falsehood—they reframe it. For them, the truth is never the goal; the status quo is. The Quran warns repeatedly about this disposition, especially in matters of inherited religious traditions.

[43:22] The fact is: they said, “We found our parents carrying on certain practices, and we are following in their footsteps.”
[43:23] Invariably, when we sent a warner to any community, the leaders of that community would say, “We found our parents following certain practices, and we will continue in their footsteps.”
[43:24] (The messenger) would say, “What if I brought to you better guidance than what you inherited from your parents?” They would say, “We are disbelievers in the message you brought.”

Rather, they said: We found our nation to a nation, and we are guided by their guidance
Likewise, what we sent before you in a village from a vow, except that they said, “We have found us, and we are on the authority of the nation. They are stated
I have come to you with the guidance of what you have found in it

One of the clearest signs of insincerity is the refusal to consider something better simply because it is unfamiliar. When new truth threatens old comforts, disbelievers instinctively search for excuses to dismiss what is plainly evident. In contrast, the sincere—true believers—welcome the possibility of being corrected. In fact, the Quran encourages believers to use this very logic when challenged about the legitimacy of God’s guidance: if you reject it, then bring something better so the believers can follow it.

[28:48] Now that the truth has come to them from us, they said, “If only we could be given what was given to Moses!” Did they not disbelieve in what was given to Moses in the past? They said, “Both (scriptures) are works of magic that copied one another.” They also said, “We are disbelievers in both of them.”
[28:49] Say, “Then produce a scripture from GOD with better guidance than the two, so I can follow it, if you are truthful.”

When the truth came to them from us, they said: If only I would not have come as a matter of what Moses came, if they did not disbelieve in what I have said of Moses You are more free and said: “We are all as a disbelief.”
Say So they came with a book of God, he is the most guidance of them

The Quranic argument is razor sharp: if you have better guidance, then produce it so the people can follow it. This shows that true beleivers are sincere and will accept the truth—no matter where it comes from. But the insincere, no amount of truth will be enough.

This reinforces that sincerity is not the truth itself but a necessary requirement to discover it. Without it, the clearest revelation will appear hidden. With it, even a difficult truth can shine through confusion. The Quran does not promise that the sincere will always be right—but it promises that only the sincere will ever be able to see what is right.

Truth is not owned. It is sought. And sincerity is the price of admission.