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1 Intention is the Key to Eternal Living in Paradise or Hell-Fire Some people ask: Why is it that the unbelievers are punished in hell forever while they were not disobedient to Allah forever? Similarly, why will the believers be rewarded with heaven forever while they were obedient to Allah for only a short time in this life? The answer is that the unbelievers had the intention to disobey Allah forever while the believers had the intention to obey Allah forever. Thereby, they are rewarded according to their intentions. As al-Qaari pointed out, entrance into Paradise is due to faith, the levels in Paradise are due to the deeds performed and remaining therein forever is due to the intention that the person had to obey Allah as long as he could have lived. Similarly, entrance into Hell is due to disbelief, its levels are due to the evil deeds that the person performed and its eternity is due to the intention the unbeliever had to forever disobey Allah. 2 The disbelievers may do some deeds that seem to be good because they bring positive results for others, such as humanitarian acts. However, that does not mean that such acts are good for the person himself. lbn Rajah stated, Ordering good is a type of charity. Bringing about reconciliation and peace between two is a good deed, even if it is not done for the sake of Allah, due to the benefit that it brings for others. The people receive goodness and good. However, as for the one who brought it about, ifhe did that for the sake of Allah and seeking His pleasure, then it is good for 1 Shams al-Din ibn al-Qayyim, Badaai al-Fawaaid, vol. 3, p. 230. 2 Ali al-Qaari, Mirqat al-Mafateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masabeeh (Multan, Pakistan: Maktaba Haqqaaniya, n.d.), vol. 1, p. 43. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi him and he shall be rewarded. If that was not his intent, it is actually not good for him nor shall he be rewarded for it. 1 The problem with the deeds of all the disbelieversin generalis that none of them, no matter how utilitarian or humanitarian they seem, are for the sake of Allah. They perform deeds for the sake of the false, claimed gods, such as Jesus. Or they perform deeds to make their own egos feel good. Sometimesmany timesthey do acts to impress others. Hence, their deeds are never really for the sake of Allah and, therefore, they are not deserving of reward from Allah in the Hereafter. They claim to be doing good while at the same time they are refusing to submit to Allah. Hence, there can truly be no good in them. They are as those described in the Quran, ,,, J ;;;; ;;;iJ ,,,. ,,,. .,,,.,, J. o Ȍொ:_q · ' '.: .. l ;.:.. : .lll ৲ ௌi : ; য '';JL . ('! tS Ğ;\l\j   I  \ী1;  I  01হ µ .. l;;:j 56\ ĩ;jlj ğĠ ੹ !j ifu\ ;Gl .. ;: ; ; ; oY,ি aգ-? µ :.+ J d :; I ি - _:;;j .&\ uW ঻ ;T /\ Ĉ ƈ Ɖr B ,,. y / \ ,,,, ,,,. ,,. ,,. ,.. / ,,. • "' ,J ম / JJ ;;i ,,. J JJ ,,. ġlj ঺ Jtlj 10f2 tJ 0স ষ ৯i ெ8 Jtlj 4!ৰi ; ; " ু0P ূৃ "O believers! Do not render in vain your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His likeness is the likeness of a smooth rock on which is a little dust. On it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. And the likeness of those who spend their wealth seeking Allah's pleasure, while they in their own selves are sure and certain that Allah will reward them, is the likeness of a garden on a height. Heavy rain falls on it and it doubles its yield of harvest. And if it does not receive heavy rain, light rain suffices it. And Allah is All-Seer of what you do" (al-Baqarah 264-265). In this portion of the hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, "Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger" It should be noted that, in general, the shart (conditional portion) of a statement must differ from its jaza (result or Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi consequence). However, in this case, they are exactly the same. This makes the statement something of a tautology. The scholars have discussed the exact meaning and implication of this statement.