ACTS OF POLYTHEISM: RIGHTEOUS DEEDS INTENDED FOR WORLDLY GAIN

 Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Whoever desires the life o f this world and its adornments. We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived – Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein, and worthless is what they used to do.”

 

(Qur’an: Hud: 15-16)

• Desire the life of this world and its adornments: To intend by ones deeds gaining a worldly reward. 

• For whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire: Because all their deeds are intended for obtaining worldly gain.

 • And lost is what they did therein: In the Hereafter, those people will have no reward for their deeds as they did not intend to gain the reward from Allah.

Allah, Exalted be He, enunciates that he who is attached to the worldly life as his ultimate purpose, and intends it in all his deeds, paying no heed to the Hereafter, will be repaid by Allah for his deeds in this life, if He wills. Allah, Exalted be He says:

“Whoever should desire the immediate, We hasten for him from it what We will to whom We intend…”

(Qur’an: Al-Isra: 18) 

Thus, in the Hereafter, such a person will have no good deeds to be rewarded for.

These verses state the ruling on those who seek after worldly gain through deeds of righteousness, and shows the dire consequences of such deeds both in this life and in the Hereafter. 

 

Lessons Drawn from the Two Verses :

❖ Polytheism renders one’s good deeds void, and similarly one’s deeds are rendered void if they are intended for worldly gain.

 ❖ In this life, Allah may reward the unbelievers and the seekers after worldly gain for their good deeds, but in the Hereafter, they will have no good deed to be rewarded for. 

❖ Muslims are warned not to seek after any worldly gain by deeds supposedly intended for the sake of Allah. 

❖ Muslims are urged to intend by their deeds the reward of Allah in the Hereafter.

1. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

“Let the slave of dinar, dirham, and Khamisah (a striped garment made of silk or wool) and velvet perish. He is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and relapse, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him. Tubd (Paradise) is for him who holds the reins o f his horse to strive for the Cause of Allah, with his hair unkempt and feet covered with dust: if he is appointed in the vanguard, he is perfectly satisfied with his post of guarding and if he is appointed in the rearward, he accepts his post with satisfaction; (he is so simple and unambiguous that) if he asks for permission he is not permitted, and if he intercedes, his intercession is not accepted.”

(Related by Al-Bukhari)

. Tuba: A name for Paradise or a tree therein.

 • For the Cause of Allah: For fighting the polytheists.

• His hair unkempt: Fighting in the cause of Allah makes him so busy that he has no time to use hair oil or comb his hair. 

• Feet covered with dust: This image of the fighter in the cause of Allah contrasts that of the person who leads a life of luxury in this life. 

• Asks for permission: To meet a leader, a prince, etc. 

• Is not permitted: Due to his humble character in the eyes of those in authority.

In this hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) portrays the states of two men; the first seeks only mundane benefits while the other seeks the reward of Allah in the Hereafter. Therefore, the former is like a slave of this life, as he is pleased when he gets its pleasures and displeased when deprived of them. The Prophet (PBUH) invokes Allah not to save such a slave of pleasures when he is in distress so that he neither gets what he desires nor protects himself against what he fears. This person is enslaved to his lusts, and is thus not a true servant of Allah. Thus, he does not deserve divine salvation. On the contrary, the Prophet (PBUH) illustrates the characteristics of the true servant of Allah, who seeks to please his God and keeps away from whatever conduces to His Wrath. Such a Muslim patiently endures hardships in this life and does not devote himself to seeking luxury and satisfying his mundane desires. In addition, such a devout person does not perform any act of worship ostentatiously to attract people’s admiration or gain prestige among them. As a reward for his sincerity to Allah, he will be admitted into Paradise or granted a special tree therein.

While the hadith censures seeking after worldly gain through acts supposedly intended for Allah, it praises the acts intended for gaining a reward from Allah in the Hereafter.

While the hadith censures any deeds intended only for worldly gain, it commends those intended for gaining a reward from Allah in the Hereafter. 

❖ The hadith also highlights the virtue of being modest. 

❖ It also emphasizes the virtue of striving in the Cause of Allah. 

❖ While leading a life of luxury is dispraised, manly characteristics like vigor and sturdiness are highly praised, for such qualities help a Muslim to strive in the Cause of Allah.

 Al-Bukhari (2887).

REFERENCE:

“CONCISE COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK OF TAWHID”

 BY SHAYKH DR. SALIH AL FAWZAN Hafizullah.