Shuffaya ibn Mat’e al-As’bahi was one of the Tabe’in. He narrates his experience: “I left for Madinah for the first time and was worried about the place as I was a stranger there so I prayed to Allah to give me good company during my stay. When I entered the Masjid, I saw a person surrounded by a lot of people. I asked who he was. Someone replied, “This is Abu Huraira.” Soon the session started. I, too, joined the session and tried to get as close to him as I could. He kept narrating Hadith after hadith till the time was up and he got up to leave. People scattered slowly till he was alone. He then left for his home and I followed him.

Then I introduced myself and requested him to narrate me a Hadith which he had heard directly from the Prophet ﷺ and understood it perfectly.  He agreed and began narrating a Hadith but he screamed and fainted when I supported him with my arms. He recovered and began narrating the Hadith again but fainted again (due to fear). This happened three times. I was worried, but afterwards he recovered and stood up. He began narrating the Hadith again, “I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘ Verily, the first to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who had died as a martyr. He will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I fought for Your Cause till I was martyred.’ Allah will say: `You have lied. You fought so that people might call you courageous; and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.

Next, a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge (to others) and read the Qur’an, will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur’an for Your sake.’ Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur’an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.

Next a man whom Allah had made affluent and to whom Allah had given plenty of wealth, will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. He will ask him: `What did you do to express gratitude for it?’ The man will reply: `I did not neglect any of the ways You liked wealth to be spend liberally for Your sake’. Allah will say to him: `You have lied. You did it so that people might call you generous, and they have done so.’ Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell.”

Muawiya (May Allah be pleased with him)- “ Scholars and martyrs can fall short of sincerity!”

Shuffaya says, “I then returned to Damascus and met Amir Muawiya (May Allah be pleased with him) and told him about my experience.Upon hearing the Hadith, Muawiya (May Allah be pleased with him) exclaimed, “ Scholars and martyrs can fall short of sincerity!” He himself started weeping and fainted. This was because he himself was a scholar, warrior and a generous man and he feared whether his intentions would be accepted or not. Upon gaining consciousness, he recited the verse from Qur’an:

Those who desire the life of the Present and its glitter to them We shall pay (the price of) their deeds therein without diminution. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire: vain are the designs they frame therein and of no effect are the deeds that they do!

(Surah Hud verse 15)

These three kinds of the people would be used as fuel in the hell fire.What an insult it would be for those three kinds of people, whose deeds might have benefited many others, but they themselves were deprived of their rewards just because they lacked sincerity. They pursued fame and got it in the world but were deprived of the reward from Allah despite that they were Muslims and highly skilled in their field. Therefore, every Deed should be done sincerely for Allah only and that is how Islam builds Akhlaq (character) of an excellent class.