Ikhlas
ikh-LAAS
Sincerity stripped of all audience — the deed done when only Allah is watching.
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Root Analysis
The root kh–l–ṣ carries the vivid image of something being purified or extracted — khalasa means to be freed, to escape, to be extracted cleanly. Ikhlas is the verbal noun of Form IV (ikhlaṣa — to make something pure). The image embedded in the word is of removing everything impure from something until what remains is uncontaminated: pure gold, pure water, pure intention. Mukhlis (the one who has ikhlas) is someone whose worship has been extracted of all other motivation.
Quranic Occurrence
The root kh–l–ṣ appears approximately 31 times in the Quran in various forms. The most significant occurrence is Surah Al-Ikhlas itself, whose name encapsulates both the purity of Allah's oneness and the sincerity demanded of the worshipper.