Are there any obstacles to the acceptance of a deed if it is complete, such that one asks Allah to accept it from him?
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The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you. People, including scholars, continue to say when they perform a righteous deed: "We ask Allah for acceptance," even if they believe in their own hearts that they have fulfilled the conditions for its acceptance. So what are the obstacles to acceptance, given that this is the case?
The Shaykh : If a person performs a righteous deed and asks Allah for acceptance, that is part of its perfection.
Do you not know that Ibrahim and Isma'il were building the Ka'bah and saying:[Al-Baqarah 2:127] And we know that their work was a righteous deed based on a sincere intention, and yet they asked Allah for acceptance.
The questioner : I mean, Shaykh! Some people reach a level where they fear that it will not be accepted from them. Are there any obstacles?The Shaykh : Yes, they fear that it will not be accepted from them, because Allah says:[Al-Ma'idah 5:27] And one does not know about oneself whether he is righteous or not.
A person may have a slight amount of showing off (riya') in his heart that invalidates the deed. The important point is that there is no harm in a person, when he performs a righteous deed, asking Allah for acceptance.
The Shaykh : If a person performs a righteous deed and asks Allah for acceptance, that is part of its perfection.
Do you not know that Ibrahim and Isma'il were building the Ka'bah and saying:
"Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُThe questioner : I mean, Shaykh! Some people reach a level where they fear that it will not be accepted from them. Are there any obstacles?The Shaykh : Yes, they fear that it will not be accepted from them, because Allah says:
Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].
إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَA person may have a slight amount of showing off (riya') in his heart that invalidates the deed. The important point is that there is no harm in a person, when he performs a righteous deed, asking Allah for acceptance.