The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said that Allaah - the Blessed, the Most High - said: "I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having partners. Thus, whoever does an action for someone elses sake as well as Mine, will have that action rejected by Me to him who he associated with Me."(13)

Thus, if a person does an action, then even if he performs it according to the Sunnah, but he does it so that people may speak well about him, his action thereby becomes null and void. If the deed just became void then the following hadeeth would apply in such a case:

"How many fasting people obtain nothing from their fast except hunger and thirst and how many people stay up at night (praying) obtain nothing from their fast except sleeplessness and tiredness."(14)

However, this is not the case. For this person's action has turned into a sin, since he acted without intendenging to seek only the face of Allaah, thus associating partners Shirk along with Allaah in his action.(15)

Success for the Muslims - individuals and groups - will not be attained except when actions are carried out with Sincerity, following the Sunnah, upon the Path (Sabeel) of the Pious Predecessors (as-Salaf us-Saaliheen) as Ubayy ibn Ka'b (d.22H) - radiallaahu 'anhu - said:

"Adhere to the Sabeel and Sunnah - who remembers the Most-Merciful and his eyes swell up with tears due to the fear of Allaah - except that he will never be touched by the fire. Indeed moderation in the Sabeel and Sunnah is better than exertion in opposition to it."(16)

And our final supplication is that all praise belongs to Allaah - Lord of the Worlds.

Notes:

(1)All quotes are translations of the meanings of the Qur'aan.

(2)Ibn Katheer - rahimahullaah - says in his Tafseer Qur'aan ul-'Adheem (3/112):

It (the aayah) is general regarding everyone who worships Allaah in an unacceotable way, thinking that he is correct in it and his action is correct in it and that his action is acceptable, wheras he is in error and his action his rejected."

(3)Part of a lengthy piece of advice by 'Alee(d.40H) radiallaahuanhu to Kumail ibn Ziyaad - as is reported by Abu Nu'aym al-Asbahaanee in Hilyatul-Awliyaa (1/79-80) From the principles of correction and reformation - O noble reader - as mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim in ighaathatul-Luhfaan(p.397), is that:"The foundation of all good as knowledge and Justice and the foundation of all evil is ignorance and Oppression."Thus the one involved in Da'wah and reformation must have adequate Sharee'ah Knowledge, or else more harm will occur than good - as the saying of old goes: Sa'd brought the camels leading them. O Sa'd - that is not he way to bring in camels!

(4)Ibn Katheerr says in his Tafseer (3/114): "So - for an action to be acceptable it has to fulfil two conditions. Firstly: It must be sincere for Allaah alone. Secondly: It must be correct in accordance with the Sharee'ah.So if the action is sincere , but not correct, it will not be acceptable."

(5)al-Laalikaa`ee relates in his Sharh usool I'tiqaad Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah(18) that Sa'eed ibn Jubayr(d.95H) - rahimahullaah - said: "No word is acceptable except with action and no action is acceptable except with words and no word nor action are acceptable except with intention and no word, action or intention is acceptable except when it confirms to the Sunnah."

(6)Saheeh - related by Muslim (2564), Ibn Maajah (4143) and Ahmad (2/285) - from Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu 'anhu..The wording with Muslim is: " ... your bodies nor your faces ... "

(7)Imaam al-Barbahaaree (d.329H)- the Imaam of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah of his time - says in his Kitaab Sharh us-Sunnah(3): "And know - may Allaah have mercy upon you - that the Deen came from Allaah - the Blessed and Most High - and was not left to the intellect and opinions of men - and knowledge of it is with Allaah and His Messenger. So do not follow anything based upon your desires and so deviate from the Deen ... Since Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alahi wa sallam explained the Sunnah to his Ummah and made it clear to his Companions that they are the Jama'ah and the Great Majority (as-Sawaad ul-A'dham); and the Great Majority is the Truth and its People."

(8)al-Hisbah fil-Islaam(p.82) of Ibn Taymiyyah.