. J; 1," (cont.)

.... r ; ,,.. ,,.. ,,.. .... ... ,,.. .... ., c.. ., ,,.. (.. ., ,,. (r-hI d\ J 1J) pl d\ i) ई) 4-); (r-(a1\ d1 0lbj C1) ::) ସ1; Ʈ 1:_୏c 1?.t (r-·aj\ j Ǔ;; \/' J. "'. _/ '..) .) "Not equal are those who sit [at home], except for those who are disabled, and those who strive hard in the way of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred in grades those who strive with their wealth and lives over those who sit. Unto each, Allah has promised good, but Allah has preferred those who strive over those who sit by a great reward. Degrees of [higher] ranks from Him and forgiveness and mercy. And Allah is ever Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful" (al-Nisaa 95-96). It is narrated from ibn Abbaas and others that those who strive are preferred to those who were not able to strive by one rank. And those who strove are preferred to those who did not strive, although they had no physical or material excuse, by many ranks. 1 Hence, there is a difference between those who would have striven if they had the ability to do so and those who actually did strive for the sake of Allah. Perhaps this is due to the real suffering and hardship that those who actually performed the act had to encounter. They are thereby deserving of grace or bounty in addition to those who would have performed the same deed if they had the ability to do so. Other than that one grace, they are equal in reward. That is the bounty of Allah that He bestows upon whom He wills.2 "And if he decided to do it and actually did it, Allah records it with Him as ten good deeds up to seven hundred times up to many times over." Such is the mercy of Allah that when a person actually does perform a good deed, Allah does not record it for him as simply one good deed. Instead, Allah multiplies it a minimum of ten times. This is also confirmed by the Quranic verse, "Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof' (al-Anaam 160). 1 Quoted in ibn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 321. 2 Cf., al-Tabari, vol. 4, p . 23 1 . 1 1 1 7 . Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi But the deed could also be multiplied seven hundred times. One deed that is specifically multiplied seven hundred fold is the act of giving wealth for the sake of Allah. Allah says in the Quran, '1.c ः ,: ::*r;t ি 1:: _r.- U)ு . ...!ீ ... ,,. ... ,,. \· . ,.. ୱ-- '" , , 1 Some people argue that the seven-hundred fold reward is only for the act of giving for the sake of Allah. No other deed shall be multiplied to such an extent. Ibn Hajr [Fath (Maktabah al­ Tijaariyyah, vol. 13, p. 124) presents the argument for that view. It seems, though, that there is no strong reason to restrict that merciful reward from Allah just to that act. Allah knows best. 1 1 18 Hadith #37: "Allah recorded the Good Deeds . . . " "Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full without measure" (al-Zumar 10).1 The same deed may be performed by two different people and the manifold reward for each of them may be different. Tun Rajah states that the amount of the multiple of the reward is based on a number of factors. It is determined by the excellence of one's Islam, the excellence of one's sincerity and purity in the action, the excellence of the deed itself and the need for the deed done.2 "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 changes his mind and decides not to do an evil deed, a complete good deed is recorded for him, without any shortcoming in the nature of that good deed. Restraining oneself from committing an evil deed is, in itself, a good deed. Hence, the person deserves to have that act on his part counted among his good deeds. Based on other narrations, it is clear that this recording of a good deed is conditional upon the person leaving that good deed out of fear of Allah or for the sake of Allah. The narration from Abu Huraira in Sahih Muslim explicitly states this condition: "He left it only due to Me."3 The act of changing one's mind and deciding not to do an evil deed due to fear of Allah is definitely a good deed and, as such, it will be recorded as a good deed. 4 Indeed, if a person makes this a common characteristic of his behavior, he, Allah willing, will be from among the inhabitants of Paradise.