The Ruling on Doing Good for a Worldly Purpose
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Following this, a message was received by the program from one of the listening brothers, who preferred not to mention his name. The message contained a collection of questions, one of which reads: If a person does good and avoids evil for a worldly purpose, such as, for example, fear of Allah’s punishment in this world regarding his health, his wealth, or his child, or the unleashing of someone who does not know Allah upon him, will the person be rewarded for this deed in the Hereafter?
Answer:
No, the deed must be for the sake of Allah, for the Face of Allah and the Hereafter, and for the reward from Him, the Exalted, which He has promised His servants in this world and the Hereafter.
As for if his deed is for the world only, he has no share with Allah. We ask Allah for well-being. The act of worship, whether he prays, fasts, or gives charity, must not have as its intention only the world and the immediate gain; this has no good in the Hereafter. As He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Shura: 20], and He, the Exalted, says: [Surat al-Isra: 18]. We ask Allah for well-being.
The point is that if he does a righteous deed intending Allah and the Hereafter, and among Allah’s reward for him is that this deed benefits him in this world, that is from Allah’s reward. But he does not intend the world only; he intends the reward with Allah, which includes that Allah blesses him in his wealth and that Allah protects him from the harm of calamities. This is from Allah’s reward. But he does not intend this only; he intends what Allah has promised the doers of good and the obedient, which benefits him in this world and the Hereafter.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Following this, a message was received by the program from one of the listening brothers, who preferred not to mention his name. The message contained a collection of questions, one of which reads: If a person does good and avoids evil for a worldly purpose, such as, for example, fear of Allah’s punishment in this world regarding his health, his wealth, or his child, or the unleashing of someone who does not know Allah upon him, will the person be rewarded for this deed in the Hereafter?
Answer:
No, the deed must be for the sake of Allah, for the Face of Allah and the Hereafter, and for the reward from Him, the Exalted, which He has promised His servants in this world and the Hereafter.
As for if his deed is for the world only, he has no share with Allah. We ask Allah for well-being. The act of worship, whether he prays, fasts, or gives charity, must not have as its intention only the world and the immediate gain; this has no good in the Hereafter. As He, the Exalted, said:
Whoever desires the harvest of the Hereafter - We increase for him in his harvest. And whoever desires the harvest of this world - We give him thereof, but there is not for him in the Hereafter any share.
مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ نَصِيبٍWhoever should desire the immediate - We hasten for him from it what We will to whom We intend. Then We have made for him Hell, which he will [enter to] burn, censured and banished.
مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَنْ نُرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَدْحُورًاThe point is that if he does a righteous deed intending Allah and the Hereafter, and among Allah’s reward for him is that this deed benefits him in this world, that is from Allah’s reward. But he does not intend the world only; he intends the reward with Allah, which includes that Allah blesses him in his wealth and that Allah protects him from the harm of calamities. This is from Allah’s reward. But he does not intend this only; he intends what Allah has promised the doers of good and the obedient, which benefits him in this world and the Hereafter.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.