Is it a condition for receiving the reward for an action that a person must be aware of the reward that Allah has promised for performing that action? For example, a person goes to
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The questioner : This questioner did not mention his name in this message. He says: O honorable Shaykh, is it a condition for receiving the reward for an action that a person must be aware of the reward that Allah has promised for performing that action? For example, a person goes to the mosque and attends the congregational prayer, but he does not know that every step is a degree and that a good deed is recorded for him and a sin is expiated for him, as in the authentic hadith. So, does he receive the reward mentioned in the hadith? I hope the honorable Shaykh will answer.
The Shaykh : It is not a condition for receiving the reward that a person must be aware of it. Rather, it is obtained by whoever performs this action, whether he intended that specific reward or not. However, there is no doubt that if he calculates the reward from Allah based on what Allah has ordained for this act of worship, it is better and more excellent. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 38 And there is no doubt that if a person calculates the righteous deed, meaning he calculates the reward ordained for it, he is certainly stronger in faith and more eager than one who is heedless of it and does not calculate it. But the apparent meaning of the texts is that the reward ordained for an action is obtained even if that specific reward is not on the person's mind or if he is not aware of it at all, just as the forbidden act for which a punishment is ordained.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The punishment is incurred even if the person did not know about it. An example of this is if a man commits unlawful sexual intercourse, may Allah protect us from that, with a woman, and he is a thayyib, meaning he has married and had intercourse with his wife in a valid marriage, and he knows that unlawful sexual intercourse is forbidden, but he does not know that the punishment of stoning is upon him. In this case, he is stoned even if he did not know that stoning was upon him, provided that the conditions are met.
Perhaps he might say to us, "If I had known that my punishment was stoning, I would not have committed unlawful sexual intercourse." We say: It is not a condition that you know.
Similarly, if a man has intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan in a state where fasting is obligatory upon him, and then he comes to ask, saying, "Is there an expiation upon me?" We say: Yes, there is an expiation upon you. If he says, "I did not know that there was an expiation upon me, and if I had known there was an expiation upon me, I would not have had intercourse," we say: This is not a condition. As long as you knew that it was forbidden and you violated the sanctity, the expiation is upon you.
The evidence for this is the story of the man who had intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I am ruined." He said, "What has ruined you?" He said, "I had intercourse with my wife in Ramadan while I was fasting." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered him to perform the expiation, even though the man did not know what was upon him. This indicates that the one who commits a forbidden act is held accountable for it, even if he does not know what is ordained for it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : It is not a condition for receiving the reward that a person must be aware of it. Rather, it is obtained by whoever performs this action, whether he intended that specific reward or not. However, there is no doubt that if he calculates the reward from Allah based on what Allah has ordained for this act of worship, it is better and more excellent. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.
من صام رمضان إيمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما تقدّم من ذنبهThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The punishment is incurred even if the person did not know about it. An example of this is if a man commits unlawful sexual intercourse, may Allah protect us from that, with a woman, and he is a thayyib, meaning he has married and had intercourse with his wife in a valid marriage, and he knows that unlawful sexual intercourse is forbidden, but he does not know that the punishment of stoning is upon him. In this case, he is stoned even if he did not know that stoning was upon him, provided that the conditions are met.
Perhaps he might say to us, "If I had known that my punishment was stoning, I would not have committed unlawful sexual intercourse." We say: It is not a condition that you know.
Similarly, if a man has intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan in a state where fasting is obligatory upon him, and then he comes to ask, saying, "Is there an expiation upon me?" We say: Yes, there is an expiation upon you. If he says, "I did not know that there was an expiation upon me, and if I had known there was an expiation upon me, I would not have had intercourse," we say: This is not a condition. As long as you knew that it was forbidden and you violated the sanctity, the expiation is upon you.
The evidence for this is the story of the man who had intercourse with his wife during the day in Ramadan, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I am ruined." He said, "What has ruined you?" He said, "I had intercourse with my wife in Ramadan while I was fasting." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered him to perform the expiation, even though the man did not know what was upon him. This indicates that the one who commits a forbidden act is held accountable for it, even if he does not know what is ordained for it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.