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The Acceptance of Good
Deeds Shaykh Husayn al-Awaaishah Before a Muslim moves another
step forward or performs any act or deed, he is obliged to acquire knowledge in
the path that will lead him to the best end, that is, having his good deeds
accepted by Allah, Allah willing. It is important to note that what counts is
not the number of good deeds or acts of worship performed, for there may be a
person wh performs many good deeds, yet, all what he gains is tiredness in this
life and hardships in the Last Life. The Messenger said, what translated means,
"There may be a Sa'im (fasting person) who only gains hunger from his
Siyam (fast), and there may be a Qa'im (who stands up in prayer at night) who
only gains Sahar (staying up late) from his Qiyam!" [Ibn Majah]. Rather,
what truly counts is knowing and implementing the conditions that will ensure
Allah's acceptance of the performed good deeds and various acts of worship. There are two essential
conditions that must both be present in every performed good act or deed, so as
to ensure their acceptance by Allah. First, a Muslim must seek Allah alone in
the good deeds that he performs. Second, this good deed must be in total
accordance with what Allah has legislated in His Book and what His Messenger
has commanded in his Sunnah. Whenever one of those two
conditions is absent from any righteous act or deed, then this good deed or act
is neither good nor accepted, for Allah said, what translated means, "So
whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and
associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord." [18:110] In this Ayah, Allah has decreed
that any good act or deed must be righteous, that is, being in accordance with
His Religion, and that He alone is sought by this good act or deed. In his Tafsir (explanation) of
the Quran, ibn Kathir said, "these are the two conditions that ensure the
acceptance of any righteous act: it must be performed for the sake of Allah
alone and according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah." http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=309 |
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