“And if he decided to do it and actually did it, Allah records it with Him as ten good deeds up to seven hundred up to many times over.”
SubhanAllah, such is the mercy of Allah that when we actually do a good deed, He not only rewards us for that, but He increases our reward at least ten times! Allah tells us in the Qur’an:
“Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof”
(Surah al-Anaam:160)
How easy Allah makes it for us to make our scale of good deeds heavy on the Day of Judgement, all praises and glory be to Him. The Prophet, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, tells us in this part of the hadith, that some good deeds could actually receive up to seven hundred times the reward of the deed.
SubhanAllah, we should immediately ask ourselves, what is it that secures a reward as great as seven hundred times? One deed that is specifically multiplied seven hundred fold, is the act of giving wealth for the sake of Allah. Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, says in the Qur’an:
“The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is as that of a grain [of corn]. It grows seven ears and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. And Allah is all-sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing”
(Surah al-Baqarah:261)
There is also the following example from the hadith:
“On the authority of Abu Masood al-Ansaari, RadhiAllahu Anhu, who said: A man came with a camel and its reigns, saying,
“This is for the sake of Allah.”
The Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:
“For you, on the Day of Resurrection, will be seven hundred camels, all of them with their reigns.”
[Recorded in Muslim]
We also have hadith that tell us that a deed may be rewarded so many times over that the total amount is known only to Allah. The Messenger of Allah, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, said:
“Every good deed that a human performs is multiplied ten times up to seven hundred. And Allah has said, ‘Except for the fast for it is done for My sake and I shall reward it [even more]. The person leaves his desires and food for My sake…”
[Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Patience and perseverance is another deed that is rewarded by an amount that is known only to Allah. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full without measure.”
(Surah al-Zumar:10)
In fact, the same deed may be performed by two different people and the reward for each of them may be totally different. We can see from this, that the amount of multiple reward is based on a number of factors, including the excellence of one’s Islam, one’s sincerity and purity in action, the excellence of the deed itself and the need for the deed done. In this way even a small deed may secure a large reward with Allah.
“If he decided to do an evil deed but he did not do it, Allah records it with Him as one complete good deed.”
If a person considers doing an evil deed, but fears Allah and changes their mind, a full good deed is recorded for them. From this we can see that restraining oneself from evil for the sake of Allah, is a good deed and deserves to be rewarded as such.
If a person is able to make restraint for the sake of Allah a part of their character, Allah promises they be from among the inhabitants of Paradise:
“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts, verily, Paradise will be his abode,”
(Surah al-Naaziaat:40-41)
It may be the case that someone decides not to perform an evil deed, simply out of fear of what others may think of them. In this case some scholars say that the person may be held accountable for this intention, because they put the fear of men over fear of Allah, and Allah knows best. If a person decided to perform an evil deed and is prevented from doing so simply by circumstance, they will still be held accountable for this evil intention.
The question arises – if a person decides to do a good deed and it is counted as a good deed, shouldn’t the one who decides to do an evil deed have it counted as an evil deed? The answer is that this is part of the blessings and mercy of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. Allah records the evil deeds of people and them responsible for it as an act of justice on His part. And He forgives other deeds and disregards the decision to do evil as an act of His mercy.
We can see the wisdom behind this mercy when we consider that if a person knows they will be held accountable just for the evil thought, there is not much to stop them from actually committing the sin. But if that person restrains themselves, no evil deed will be recorded for them, in fact there is the incentive of achieving a good deed. Then, if they actually go forward and do the good deed, it will be multiplied for them many times. And Allah is the most Just, full of Mercy.
”If he decided to do it and he actually did it, Allah records it as one evil deed.”
Allah is not unjust to any of His creation. If a person commits an evil deed, it is recorded as one bad deed without any multiplication. Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, tells us in the Qur’an:
“Whoever brings an evil deed shall have only the recompense of the like thereof, and they will not be wronged.”
(Surah al-Anaam:160)
We remember from previous posts, that when a person intends to do a good deed, this is in itself considered a good deed, and if they then go on to perform the deed, the reward is multiplied a minimum of ten times. SubhanAllah the mercy of Allah to His slaves!
If a person intends to do an evil deed, but does not do it, a good deed is recorded for them. If they actually perform an evil deed, it is only counted as one evil deed with no multiplication. We should note though that evil deeds do differ in their weight and gravity. So whilst they are only counted as one evil deed, some of these deeds may be graver than others.
Very grave sins include destructive sins such as adultery, murder, shirk and so forth. The time at which the sin is committed may contribute to the gravity, such as wrongdoing committed during the Inviolable Months, being worse than that committed at other times. The sanctity of the place where the wrongdoing was committed also increases the gravity of the sin. Allah says of sins committed in the Inviolable Mosque:
“And whoever inclines to evil therein or to do wrong, him We shall cause to taste a painful torment”
(Surah al-Hajj:26)
The nobility of the person, or the fact that they are taken as an example can also make the sin graver. For example Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, threatened the Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him with a very great punishment, because of his position as we see in the following ayah:
“And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined towards them [the disbelievers] a little. In that case, We would have made you taste a double portion [of punishment] in this life and a double portion after death. And then you would have found non to help you against Us.”
(Surah al-Israa:74-75)
Allah also says:
“O wives of the Prophet! Whoever of you commits an open illegal sexual intercourse, the torment for her will be doubled. And that is easy for Allah.”
(Surah Al Ahzaab:30)
Many scholars have also noted that if a person shows pleasure at having committed a sin the enormity of the sin would be considered greater. The sin is also made greater by telling others about what you have done. The Prophet, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, said:
“All of my Nation are to be forgiven except those who publicise their sins. Publicising the sins includes a person doing something during the night and then in the morning, although Allah had kept that act concealed for him, he says, ‘O so and so, last night I did such and such’. He spent the whole night being concealed by his Lord and in the morning he uncovered what Allah had kept concealed for him.”
[Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The enormity of the sin is also greater when there is little excuse for the person to commit the sin. This means that the act was not committed by a person who was overcome by their desires. The Prophet, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, said:
“There are three [categories of people] to whom Allah will not speak [any pleasing words], for whom Allah will not cleanse of their sins and at whom Allah will not look and they shall have a grievous punishment. [They are] an old man who commits illegal sexual intercourse, a lying king and an arrogant impoverished person.”
[Recorded by Muslim]
If we consider how merciful Allah is with recompensing our deeds, we will see that the only ones who are destroyed are those who destroy themselves willingly. If a person restrains themselves and then does a good deed, they will find their reward multiplied by Allah. And Allah is the Most Just, the Most Kind.
ALLAH RECORDED THE GOOD DEEDS – (PART 2)
