I. SINCERITY OF INTENT
1.'Umar bin Khattab reports the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam to have said,
"Deeds depend solely on intent and man will have only that he intended. (For
example) the person who migrated seeking only the pleasure of Allah and His
Prophet, who shall be deemed to have made genuine migration. But he who migrates
with worldly ends in view, or marrying a woman, his migration shall be regarded
(centred on) these lowly ends." - Unanimous
Exposition: This is a very important tradition from the point of view of
self-introspection. What the Prophet intended to convey was that all good deeds
to be fruitful rest on man's own intent. If he is sincere in his performance, he
can expect due reward from Allah for it. A deed however good and sound in
appearance shall be deemed worthy of reward and if it has been performed solely
for the pleasure of Allah. In case of petty benefits or considerations other
than the divine pleasure it will be rejected as a counterfeit coin in the market
of the next world. This fact he has made explicitly by means of an example.
Migration from one‘s land of birth and home and hearth is apparently a great
sacrifice. However, one undertaking even this onerous task, having also some
baser ends at the back of his mind, shall not only find himself deprived of its
reward, but shall also make himself liable for charges of deceit and hypocrisy.
2. Abu Hurairah reports the Prophet to have said, "Allah shall not look to your faces and your substance, but to your hearts and your deeds."
3. Abu Hurairah reports the Prophet to have said, "On the Day of Reckoning the first
person to be judged would be a martyr. He would be produced before the Divine court
of justice. Allah would remind him of all His bounties and he would remember them.
He would then be questioned about them and also his reaction to this bestowal. He
would submit in reply that he fought (against the enemies of the Divine Faith) for
His pleasure alone and laid down his life in this struggle. Allah would falsify
this statement of He had fought (and valiantly too) to become known as a valiant
fighter and he was rewarded in the world with that reputation. And under Divine
edict this "martyr", would be dragged, face down, towards hell and hurled into the
abysmal pit.
Next would be produced before Allah, a person learned in the religious lore, a teacher
and well-versed in the teachings of the Quran. Allah would remind him of all His
Benevolence and Blessings and he would remember them all. Then he would be asked
about his reaction to the bounties conferred on him. And he would state that he
acquired knowledge of the Faith seeking His countenance and imparted it to others
for His pleasure and recited the Quran for His sake alone. Allah would reject his
statement as totally false, saying that he had acquired knowledge of the Faith so
that he might be called an erudite and attained expertise in the recitation of the
Quran to be reputed as a Qari (an expert reciter with proper intonation). And that
reputation was ample reward for him in his worldly life. And Allah would order that
he should be dragged on his face and thrown into the Hell.
And the third person to be judged would be one who had been endowed with bounties
plentifully. When produced before the Divine court, he would be reminded of ail
the blessings and he would also call them to mind. Then he would be asked by his
Lord and Cherisher as to his conduct after receiving those bounties. And answering
he would submit that he had spent all that substance of his on all the items of
expenditure liked by Him. Allah would falsify him and say that he had spent his
substance to become well known for his generosity and he was rewarded with that
reputation in his worldly career. And he also would be dragged face downward and
cast into Hell under Divine command. - Muslim
Exposition: All the three cases cited above very explicitly bring out the fact that
there will be no rewards of deeds in the life Hereafter, on their face-value, Only
such deeds as were performed for the pleasure of Allah in real earnest would be
deemed worthy of reward. The greatest deeds of charity, if they were performed to
please others or just to project his own image would be worthless in the sight of
Allah. They can fetch no price in the market of the Hereafter, being counterfeit
coins according to the divine standards. Neither a half-hearted belief shall be
acceptable there, nor showy acts of charity and beneficence, however grand by worldly
norms.
When such is the fact-and undeniable at that-we will have to be very much on our
guard against the devastating eagerness for empty show, and a never ending desire
for self- aggrandisement failing which the labour of a life-time and our only asset
in the life of Hereafter, may come to a very unhappy end. And there we may find
ourselves ruined at the most critical juncture when there will be nothing to make
good this heavy loss and no one to plead our case or intercede on our behalf.