Causes of the Non-Acceptance of Good Deeds and Their Invalidation
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Question:
He says: In one of the Friday sermons, the preacher said: Some people, when they are reckoned on the Day of Resurrection, are given their record, and in it are all their good deeds: from prayer and zakah, and charity, and voluntary acts, and dhikr, and others. And in the other, it is said to him: All your deeds have been returned to you, and Allah has not accepted any of them. What are the causes of the non-acceptance of deeds, and what are the causes of the non-response in du'a', or the obstacles to response? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
This expression by this preacher is questionable; because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has made clear that the believer is given his book in his right hand, in which are his good deeds, and in which is the indication of his salvation, his happiness, and the preponderance of his scale. As for the disbeliever, he is given his book in his left hand, in which are his evil deeds, the causes of his destruction, and the lightness of his scale. So whoever is given his book in his right hand is happy, and whoever is given his book in his left hand is wretched. And no one is given his book in his right hand except that he is a monotheist and upright, and no one is given his book in his left hand except that he is one who associates partners with Allah, with invalidated deeds.
And that which invalidates deeds is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and riddah (apostasy) from Islam. A person may have good deeds: from prayer, fasting, and others, then he associates partners with Allah and apostatizes from Islam; so all his deeds become invalid, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Al-An'am: 88]. But the one whose deed is invalidated is not given his book in his right hand, but he is given his book in his left hand, and in it is the indication of the invalidity of his deeds which he corrupted with shirk and kufr (disbelief) of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
So the result is: that a person may have good deeds, then he corrupts them with shirk and riddah, so they are invalidated. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-An'am 6:88], He said (Glorified and Exalted is He): [Az-Zumar: 65-66], and He said the Exalted: [Al-Inshiqaq: 7-12].
So the intended meaning is: that the believing servant is given his book in his right hand, the believer, and the disbeliever is given his book in his left hand, and from behind his back. So the happy one is given his book in the right hand, and the wretched one is given his book in the left hand, or from behind the back. And the one whose deeds are invalidated due to his shirk and kufr is not given his book in his right hand, but rather he is given his book in his left hand, and it is made clear to him that his deeds were invalidated because of his shirk and kufr -we ask Allah for safety- and for this reason he is given his book in his left hand. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. He asks Your Eminence -if you would be generous- about the causes of the non-acceptance of deeds?
The Shaykh: The causes of the non-acceptance of deeds are varied. The greatest and most dangerous of them is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the types of kufr (disbelief) of Allah, for they invalidate all deeds. Their owner is one whose deed is invalidated, and his du'a' is not accepted; because of his kufr and shirk, we ask Allah for safety.
And among them is: that he supplicates with a heedless heart, not turning to Allah, not feeling the greatness of his Lord and his need for His supplication, and that He is the Hearer of supplication, near in response. And among them is: eating haram (forbidden things), that he engages in haram, haram earnings from riba (usury or interest), or thefts, or looting, or betrayals, all of which are among the causes of non-response.
And among them is: sins, his persistence in sins from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), and theft, and 'uquq (undutifulness to parents), and cutting off family ties, all of this is among the causes of non-response, we ask Allah for safety, yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
He says: In one of the Friday sermons, the preacher said: Some people, when they are reckoned on the Day of Resurrection, are given their record, and in it are all their good deeds: from prayer and zakah, and charity, and voluntary acts, and dhikr, and others. And in the other, it is said to him: All your deeds have been returned to you, and Allah has not accepted any of them. What are the causes of the non-acceptance of deeds, and what are the causes of the non-response in du'a', or the obstacles to response? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
This expression by this preacher is questionable; because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has made clear that the believer is given his book in his right hand, in which are his good deeds, and in which is the indication of his salvation, his happiness, and the preponderance of his scale. As for the disbeliever, he is given his book in his left hand, in which are his evil deeds, the causes of his destruction, and the lightness of his scale. So whoever is given his book in his right hand is happy, and whoever is given his book in his left hand is wretched. And no one is given his book in his right hand except that he is a monotheist and upright, and no one is given his book in his left hand except that he is one who associates partners with Allah, with invalidated deeds.
And that which invalidates deeds is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and riddah (apostasy) from Islam. A person may have good deeds: from prayer, fasting, and others, then he associates partners with Allah and apostatizes from Islam; so all his deeds become invalid, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said:
But if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَSo the result is: that a person may have good deeds, then he corrupts them with shirk and riddah, so they are invalidated. Allah the Exalted said:
But if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ(65) And it was already revealed to you and to those before you that if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be among the losers." (66) Rather, worship [only] Allah and be among the grateful.
وَلَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ بَلِ اللَّهَ فَاعْبُدْ وَكُنْ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ(7) Then as for he who is given his record in his right hand, (8) He will be judged with an easy account (9) And return to his people in happiness. (10) But as for he who is given his record behind his back, (11) He will cry out for destruction
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا وَيَصْلَى سَعِيرًاSo the intended meaning is: that the believing servant is given his book in his right hand, the believer, and the disbeliever is given his book in his left hand, and from behind his back. So the happy one is given his book in the right hand, and the wretched one is given his book in the left hand, or from behind the back. And the one whose deeds are invalidated due to his shirk and kufr is not given his book in his right hand, but rather he is given his book in his left hand, and it is made clear to him that his deeds were invalidated because of his shirk and kufr -we ask Allah for safety- and for this reason he is given his book in his left hand. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. He asks Your Eminence -if you would be generous- about the causes of the non-acceptance of deeds?
The Shaykh: The causes of the non-acceptance of deeds are varied. The greatest and most dangerous of them is shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the types of kufr (disbelief) of Allah, for they invalidate all deeds. Their owner is one whose deed is invalidated, and his du'a' is not accepted; because of his kufr and shirk, we ask Allah for safety.
And among them is: that he supplicates with a heedless heart, not turning to Allah, not feeling the greatness of his Lord and his need for His supplication, and that He is the Hearer of supplication, near in response. And among them is: eating haram (forbidden things), that he engages in haram, haram earnings from riba (usury or interest), or thefts, or looting, or betrayals, all of which are among the causes of non-response.
And among them is: sins, his persistence in sins from zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), and theft, and 'uquq (undutifulness to parents), and cutting off family ties, all of this is among the causes of non-response, we ask Allah for safety, yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.