The State of Affairs
From the fundamentals of Knowledge which have been
neglected by many Muslims is how and when an action becomes righteous and acceptable to
Allaah.
In fact, the matter has grown worse than that! We
live in an age in which many Muslims assume that whatever actions they undertake as
regards the Deen, then they must surely be acceptable to Allaah!
Such assumptions - arising from ignorance - have
played a destructive role in the collective affairs of this Ummah - may Allaahh
increase it in nobility - and may possibly being destructive to one's own salvation in
the Hereafter, as Allaah says:(1)
Say! Shall we tell you of those who lost most
with respect to their actions? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, whilst
they thought that they were aquiring good by their actions.(2) [al-Kahf 18:103-104]
So "the people are of three classes: The
righteous Scholar, the student of Knowledge being upon the path of salvation and the
confused rabble who follow everyone who calls out - bending along with every wind - they
are not enlightened by the light of Knowledge, nor do they lean upon a firm
support."(3)
Two Essential Conditions
It is a must that two great and important matters be
considered for actions to be acceptable:
Firstly: That the one undertaking the action
must intend only the pleasure of Allaah - the Mighty and Majestic.
Secondly: The action must be in agreement
with the Sunnah of His Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.
If any of these two conditions are not fulfilled,
then the action will neither be righteous, nor accepted by Allaah.The proof for this is in
His saying:
Whosoever expects to meet His Lord, then let him
work actions of righteousness and in the worship of his Lord associate no one as a partner(4)
[al-Kahf 18:110]
In this noble aayah Allaah commanded that the action
should be righteous - in agreement with the Shar'eeah - and it should be sincere -
associating none with him.(5)
Similar to this is the saying of the Prophet - sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam:
"Indeed Allaah does not look at your faces nor
your wealth. But he looks at your hearts and your actions."(6)
So, contrary to what many people think, sincerity
alone is not sufficient for worshipping Allaah - but along with that it must be in
conformity with the Sunnah.Thus the condition of the action must be such that it
confirms.
Righteous Actions
Personal tastes, desires and perceptions -
intellectual or otherwise(7) - are not the criteria for judging whether actions are
righteous or not.Allaah says:
"Who is more astray tan one who follows
his own desires without guidance from Allaah".[al-Qasas 28:50]
Rather, a righteous action is one "that is
commanded by Allah and his Messenger - and that is obedience."(8) And this obedience
must be upon the understanding of the companions - radiallaahu 'anhum. Since
they are for this Ummah - after its Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam - the
custodians of correct Knowledge ('Ilm), action ('Aml),, belief (I'tiqaad)
and methodology (Manhaj).As the Prophet 'alayhis-salaam said:
"My Companions are the custodians for my
Ummah, so when my companions go, that which has been promised to my Ummah will come to
it."(9)
And the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam
warned us about actions which have no basis from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His
Messenger, by saying:
"Whosoever does an action that we have not
commanded then it will be rejected."(10)
Sincerity - the Essence of Tawheed
Sincerity demands that one seeks to do actions which
Alaah is pleased with, in way in which He is pleased with. The root of this is Knowledge,
as one of the Imaams of the Taabi'een, az-Zuhree (d.124H) - rahimahullaah -
said: "The people will not trust the action of one who acts without knowledge; and
they will not be pleased with the saying of a Scholar who does not act."(11)
As regards sincerity, then it is "the stripping
of ones intentions from all impurities in order to draw close to Allaah, ensuring that the
intention behind all acts of worship and obedience are exlusively for his
pleasure."(12)As Allaah - the One free from all imperfections - says:
They have not been commanded except to worship
Allaah, being sincere and making the Deen for Him.[al-Bayyinah 98:5]
Correctness and Intention
