. J Â .r ऀँ J Â .r (cont.)

Ibn Rajab points out that it could imply any of the following: (i) Allah is pleased with the deed, praises the one who performs it, tells the angels about the deed performed and so forth; (ii) the deed will be rewarded in the Hereafter; (iii) the person has performed his legal obligation of enacting such a deed; and (iv) if the deed is not performed properly, Allah will not reward it and the person has not fulfilled his obligation of performing that deed. 1 It seems that what is meant here by "Allah does not accept," is (i) and (ii): Allah is pleased with the deed and He will reward it in the Hereafter. Therefore, this no way implies that the person does not have to perform a particular obligatory deed if there is evidence that it will not be "accepted" by Allah. If he does not perform the deed in itself, he will receive a further punishment. This is the manner in which the hadith that contain phrases like, "Allah does not accept the prayers" or "Allah does not accept the deeds," are to be understood. For example, there is a hadith that states that the prayers of a person who consumed alcohol will not be "accepted" for forty days. The person must still perform those prayers. The obligation is still upon him. However, Allah is not pleased with the person, so He is not pleased with his deeds and Allah does not mention them to the angels. But the person still must perform them. Otherwise, he may also be punished for not performing the deeds.2 A verse in the Quran also states, while quoting the son of Adam, JI Ӓ ... II jƞa::; L..J1 ,,. U,,. ; "Allah accepts only from those who are God-fearing" (al-Maaidah 27). For this reason, the Sala/ used to fear that their deeds were not accepted by Allah. It is not enough to simply perform a deed for it to be accepted by Allah and for Allah to be pleased with it. Many other factors are also involved. One of the most important factors is that the person has a fear of Allah with respect to his deed-- that he may not be performing the deed in a way that is pleasing to Allah. Similarly, the person must make certain that all of his wealth and 1 lbn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 262. lbn Rajah only mentioned the first three types. The fourth type is mentioned by Sultan, p. 1 14. The proof for the fourth type is a hadith that states, "Allah does not accept the prayer of any of you after he invalidated [his ablution] until he makes ablution." (Recorded by Muslim.) 2 Cf., ibn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 262. Hadith #10: "Allah is pure and accepts only .. " prov1s1ons are, to the best of his ability, from pure and legal sources. Otherwise, his deeds may not be accepted by Allah. "Allah has commanded the believers to do that which he has commanded the Messengers." This hadith makes it very clear that one of the most damaging aspects for a person's deed is when he relies on or lives off of money that is not pure and legal. The food that he eats must be permissible. The money with which he buys his food must be permissible. This is one of the essential keys by which one's deeds will be accepted by Allah. This is an integral command that Allah has given to all of the messengers before and which Allah has also given to this Nation. This is how the Messengers must live their lives and this is how all true believers must live their lives. "'O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do right.'" The Prophet (peace be upon him) quoted this verse from the Quran, 4 1µ_, ,ҕ ,Җ.;$JIi IҒ җ;I k; "O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do right" (al-Muminoon 5 1). This verse shows the honorable position of the messengers in the sight of Allah. They purify themselves with respect to their body and their spirit. They purify their physical being by consuming only the pure, beneficial things that Allah has permitted them. They purify their spiritual being by performing good deeds. Hence, both physically and spiritually they are purified. 1 This verse was also a refutation of the disbelievers who objected to the fact that the messengers ate and walked in the marketplace like other humans. In essence, there is nothing shameful in eating and drinking. In fact, it is a necessity of physical life. However, the most important matter is what is being consumed. That is, the important point is that what is being consumed is pure, good, wholesome and lawful. In addition, what is being consumed must have been obtained through legal means. In such a case, no blame may be imputed to the person. This same noble command that was addressed to the messengers was also specifically addressed to the believers.