Is doing good deeds for the sake of rewards from Allah, selfish?

[AntiKarateKid]

What do you think? I was talking with a Christian/agnostic today and didnt quite know how to answer the question.

[aamirsaab]

What do you think? I was talking with a Christian/agnostic today and didnt quite know how to answer the question.

Oooh that's actually very interesting. You see, some critics of altruism would argue something similar in that doing good deeds to please someone else (or ourselves) is a selfish ideal.

I'll offer my take on your question however,
When we perform good deeds, it is not for the sake of reward from Allah, since good deeds are not enough to get into Paradise. However, we are encouraged to perform good deeds mainly for humanity sake (doing good deeds leads to cohesion, friendship, strengthening ties in society and so on and so forth).

Whilst inshallah the deeds will benefit us in the hereafter, they are not to sole factor in deducing who goes where (i.e paradise) - that is ultimately up to Allah.

Another view point however is that your intention really shouldn't matter to anyone else for doing your good deed. Think of it this way: say you save a person from being run over (your intention was ''I will be rewarded for doing this, inshallah). The fact that you saved someone's life is all that matters at that point - to you, to the person being saved and to everyone else.

Only God can measure intention, humans deduce and judge based on actions. That's not to say you should have bad intentions but, humans are generally more concerned with your actions FIRST.

On to your question: My viewpoint is therefore no, since we aren't performing good deeds for the sake of reward from God (neccessarily). Even if it is the sole factor for you doing a good deed, it is not selfish; you are at the end of the day performing a good deed ---> that is far better (for all) than not doing so!

[Yanal]

^ but praying is a good deed and it allows us to enter paradise.

[Tony]

no its not selfish in the least, Allah loves us so much he gives us this reward ,. I think similar when praising Allahs creation when looking in a mirror, could be considered conceit, but Allah has given us opportunity to gain in abundance from the simplest of deeds. The selfish thing would be to ignore Allahs wishes and do no good deeds and expect no reward. It is Allah making our Islam easy. Peace

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[Muezzin]

Is doing good deeds for the sake of rewards from Allah, selfish?

Does it really matter?

I know that's a silly, glib, copout response, but it's also my most honest.

If people are being peaceful and constructive, and not hurting others in so doing, and are not planning to hurt anyone or intending any other mischief, I'm one of those (probably willfully ignorant) people who doesn't tend to care either way why they're doing it.

We only say 'The ends don't justify the means' if the means are destructive.

[Yanal]

Plus we are doing deeds to please Allah so that he can accept us in his shadow in paradise,how is that selfish?

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

:sl:

Nope, not at all.

[iamdaguy]

How is doing good deeds selifsh that is what I am trying to understand when I read the question itself. First of all, you have to ellaborate what are good deeds because that itself, if you look at the explanation, it would contradict your question itself...?

There are many many things that we do that are considered good deeds in Islam: giving money to the poor, building a masjid, helping others, etc So I am trying to understand if all these are considered good deeds how can one be selfish by doing good deeds?

Unless otherwise the question asked is intended - one would just do good deeds to enter paradise but not for the sake of the creator the almighty Allah (SWT)?
In that case, Allah alone is a knowner of all the thoughts in the universe.

Personally, I would answer "No" to the question because when I look at this very own universe we live in and look at how amazingly it is made I just admire Allah's creation. It is complex for humans but so so simple for Allah and for that I am great full. One of the other reasons why I do good deeds, apart from the fear I have for the almighty, is to see heaven. It is beyond human imagination what it would be like in heaven - a place where there is no greive, sadness, poverty, wars etc.

[Michael_S]

I think the answer is yes.

However, Allah created us to be selfish, we always do things for our own benefit. This is 'hard wired' into our systems. So we don't have any choice but to try and seek our own benefit.

The differences in our actions only comes from what people perceive to be 'good' or 'beneficial'. Therefor, pagan Arabs who murdered their daughters thought they were doing something 'good'.

If we were not built this way, there would be no reason for allah to mention any reward for our good deeds and beliefs. However, He did. The Quran describes paradise in grweat detail, to help motivate us to do good.

[newBro]

Assalamualaikum,
If I can enter Jannah by pleasing Allah then whether my deed was selfish or not would be totally irrelevant because I would be enjoying an eternal life in Jannah. And if my not pleasing Allah and hence entering Jahannam was due to a non-selfish deed, then would I remember that in the midst of the Fire?

The most relevant important point in this issue could be that of Niyyah (intention). We must always remember to do everything for Allah, that He may be pleased, that He may avert Jahannam from us due to that deed, and that He may enter us into Jannah due to that deed.

May Allah forgive us all.

Wassalam

[saf1]

Assalamu Alaykum

Good question. First of all I would like to say that every action a human makes is to fulfill a need. This is because we are, and always will be in need of Allah. Every action a human makes is to gain pleasure or avoid pain. Our actions can be to gain pleasure in this life, or the hereafter (paradise). Our actions can also be to avoid pain in this life or the hereafter (hell).

Even when we do something because we love Allah, it is still becuase we value Allah. The Quran makes many examples of how this world is temporary and the hereafter is eternal and better. The quran also makes it clear that the most sincere deeds that a person does is for the hereafter:

And remember Our servants Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya‘qub, men of true strength and vision. We purified their sincerity through sincere remembrance of the Hereafter. They shall dwell with us among the righteous whom we have chosen. (Surah Sad: 45-47)

The good deeds that we do are considered worshipping god, and in the quran Allah SWT says that it is his sole reason for creating man and jinn. We are muslims, and our religion is about submitting ourselves to Allah. It doesn't matter if we obey Allah SWT by doing things that benefit us in this life and the next.

Only Allah is self sufficient, and can do things without needing from anyone. He is Alghanee (the rich,the self sufficient), everything else in the creation is in need of Allah. So whatever we do, we will constantly do it for ourselves, and we have the free will to choose if we do things for our own benefit in the hereafter or not.

[abu_musab461]

there is nothing wrog with doing good deeds to enter paradise beacase Allah swt constantly encourages us to do good deeds then reminds us about the rewards for doing so.

"The ones who have believed, emigrated and striven in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives are greater in rank in the sight of Allah . And it is those who are the attainers [of success].

Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and approval and of gardens for them wherein is enduring pleasure.

[They will be] abiding therein forever. Indeed, Allah has with Him a great reward." (Surah Taubah)

[cat eyes]

:sl:i think it shows that the person has imaan when he thinks about the rewards i know that when i will start teaching kids qur'an inshaAllah i will do the best i can to ensure they have a proper understanding of it

[abu_musab461]

There are some exteme sufis like Rabiya Basri who denied the concept of worshipping Allah (swt) seeking reward from Him and avoiding the prohibitions out of the fear of His Punishment- and she went on to make some statements of kufr like

"With the fire of Hell i will burn Paradise and with the Water of Paradise i will extinguish Hell, because these are mearly a distraction from the true worship of God"

If the messenger of Allah used to beg Allah (swt) to save him from the punihsment of the grave and Hellfire and said "If you ask, ask for Jannat -al- Firdous, the highest paradise"- so you see the clear kufr or rejecting the sunnah and also the fact that Hell repersents the Punishment of God while Paradise reperesnts His Mercy.

If even half the things said about Rabiya Basri are true then truely she is one of the shaytan that are worshiped as though they are awliya on this earth.

Allah Knows Best

[IbnAbdulHakim]

looool


if it is then i will be as selfish as i can possibly be

[sabr*]

سم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Bismillā hir Rahmā nir Rahīm
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

اشْهَدُ انْ لّآ اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ وَ اَشْهَدُ اَنَّ مُحَمَّدً اعَبْدُه وَ رسوله

Ašh hadu al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu, wa ašh hadu anna Muhammadun ‘abduhu wa rasūluhu
I bear witness that none is worthy of worship but Allah, the One alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger


As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم)

No Muslim should be ashamed for striving for excellence and good character. Making every effort to receive blessings isn't selfish. It's smart!

Allah does not promote his Vicegerent on earth to be average.

Surah Ali Imran 3:104

3:104 (Y. Ali) Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.
(Y. Ali translation)

Allah decrees rewards and punishments.

Surah Ma'ida 5:105

5:105 O ye who believe! Guard your own souls: If ye follow (right) guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray. the goal of you all is to Allah. it is He that will show you the truth of all that ye do.
(Y. Ali translation)

Good deeds are promoted by Allah and recorded.

Surah Infitar 82:10-12

82:10 But verily over you (are appointed angels) to protect you,-
82:11 Kind and honourable,- Writing down (your deeds):
82:12 They know (and understand) all that ye do.
(Y. Ali translation)

Surah Ra'd 13:11

13:11 For each (such person) there are (angels) in succession, before and behind him: They guard him by command of Allah. Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls). But when (once) Allah willeth a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, nor will they find, besides Him, any to protect.
(Y. Ali translation)

[Argamemnon]

What do you think? I was talking with a Christian/agnostic today and didnt quite know how to answer the question.

Doing good deeds for the sake of rewards is good because it shows that you have submitted yourself to the Creator, which is all that matters.

[Muslim Woman]

:sl:

What do you think? I was talking with a Christian/agnostic today and didnt quite know how to answer the question.

No , Of Course not. trying to please God Almighty is a kind of worship . Do something good , teach people to good - these are encouraged in Islam and not a sign of selfishness at all.

*{Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are [all] for Allah, the Cherisher of the worlds.”}* (Al-An`m 6:162).

Invite people to good for you will get as many rewards as earned by those people who listen to you and follow the advice without anything being deducted from their reward. (Bukhari & Muslim)

[Alpha Dude]

:sl:

Good deeds get us into paradise and keep us out of hell. Doing good deeds is therefore a necessity.

The question is just as silly as asking whether drinking water out of necessity is selfish.

[Uthman]

I've been wondering about this myself.

So just to clarify; is a good deed which is done for the sake of getting rewards in this world accepted by Allah as a good deed?

[Argamemnon]

Is doing good deeds for the sake of rewards from Allah, selfish?

This is a typical social darwinist (kafir) mindset. Given that doing good deeds benefits other people, why do they have a problem with this? Which of the two is benefitting people in need?


1) Doing good deeds

2) Not doing good deeds


The truth is, these evil social darwinists are simply looking for excuses for not doing any good deeds, and not helping fellow human beings in need.

Quite the contrary; they want to dominate and harm them...

Nowadays, this Satanic mindset is pretty common in the West where fanatical and immoral atheists are taking over these societies.

:wa:

['Abd-al Latif]

What do you think? I was talking with a Christian/agnostic today and didnt quite know how to answer the question.

Why else do you do good deeds?

[Uthman]

:salamext:

Why else do you do good deeds?

The primary reason should be in order to worship Allah because he is worthy of our worship. Other reasons are secondary.

See this video from 03:45:

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[AabiruSabeel]

:sl:

is a good deed which is done for the sake of getting rewards in this world accepted by Allah as a good deed?

There are two things to consider. One is mau'ood (promised) and the other is maqsood (target). The worldly benefits of doing good deeds are promised. Whether we do them for worldly benefit or not, we get the promised benefit in this world. So why waste our time for something which is already promised? (I am not saying the ruling here. I don't know whether it is haram, makrooh, mubah, mustahab, sunnah, wajib or fardh).
Seeking the pleasure of Allah with good deeds is the maqsood (target). If we focus on the target, we get the promised things by themselves. After all we don't want to be like those about whom Allah says:

"Ye received your good things in the life of the world, and ye took your pleasure out of them: but today shall ye be recompensed with a Penalty of humiliation: for that ye were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that ye (ever) transgressed." [46:20]

['Abd al-Baari]

:sl:

Reward lies in worshipping Allah, because he is the only diety worthy of worship. It all depends on the ikhlaas of the person. The highest level of ikhlass is that, as Uthmaan menthioned, to worship Allah solely because he is worthy of our worship. There is nothing wrong with hoping for rewards from Allah azza wa jal, but when deeds are carried out with this intention, the ikhlaas is of a lower level, but it is not wrong, because the person knows that it is only Allah that I am carrying out this action for, and from him is my reward. Same with doing good deeds with the intention of protection from the adhaab of Jahannam, there is Ikhlaas in this too, albeit less that when good deeds are done for Allah alone.

And Allah knows best!

['Abd-al Latif]

:wasalamex

How often has Allah mentioned good deeds alongside rewards, paradise, mercy and forgiveness in al-Qur'aan? Too many times to count, so is worship without reward? Certainly not.

:salamext:

The primary reason should be in order to worship Allah because he is worthy of our worship. Other reasons are secondary.

See this video from 03:45:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OKEef1_bV4

[Uthman]

:wasalamex

Is worship without reward?

How often has Allah mentioned good deeds alongside with rewards, paradise, forgiveness, mercy and elevation in rank in al-Qur'aan?

:salamext:

True. But I know that the conditions for an act of worship to be accepted are that:

1. It is done with the intention of pleasing Allah
2. It is in comformity with the Qur'an and Sunnah

If the conditions are met, then there will be reward. But I wasn't sure whether doing the deed for the sake of the reward itself was acceptable?

['Abd-al Latif]

Yes, it is just as al Fudayl ibn Iyaad said: "Verily, if an action was done sincerely for the sake of Allah but was not correct, it will not be accepted by Allah. And if the action was correct but not done sincerely it will not be accepted until the act is sincere and correct. For it to be sincere, it has to be done for the sake of Allah and, in order for it to be correct, it has to agree to the sunnah."

:salamext:

True. But I know that the conditions for an act of worship to be accepted are that:

1. It is done with the intention of pleasing Allah
2. It is in comformity with the Qur'an and Sunnah

If the conditions are met, then there will be reward. But I wasn't sure whether doing the deed for the sake of the reward itself was acceptable?

[Sampharo]

The prophet -s.a.a.w.- said "Deeds are by their intentions, and to every person whatever it is that he intended. So if someone makes Hijra (immigration) for God and his prophet, then his Hijra is for God and his prophet, and whomever makes Hijra for a worldly target or a woman to marry, then his Hijra is for that which he made it for."

The prophet -s.a.a.w.- also told of the three great people; A scholar, A mujahid warrior who died a martyr, and a rich philanthropist, who all went to Hellfire. When they were asked what they did in their lives and they counted the great actions, they were told they are LYING, and they did those things to BE CALLED great scholar, brave warrior, and generous charitable benefactor.

It is the established belief of Sunnah that good deeds has to be for Allah's sake, in order for us to receive a reward for it. Selfish reasons or hidden agendas nullify the reward, and worst of all is Riyaa', lower shirk, which is doing deeds to show others you are good.

Feeling good about a deed though is not a nullifier of good deeds for there is no evidence of that, and it goes naturally with every person whoever disciplined his soul and self to love and rejoice with goodness. Also evidence shows that having the intention of helping others or benefiting mankind or any of God's creatures or Islam, is also worthy of God's reward, like the man who felt sorry for the dog and gave it water when he saw it thirsty and therefore the prophet said his sins were forgiven.

However we must learn to ALWAYS have God in our hearts when we think of doing good deeds, or the intention of helping and benefiting others and Islam.

[Insecured soul]

As far as i know we can do good deeds seeking worldly pleasure or goods, seeking good things in this dunya is not a bad thing but as a muslim we should keep our objectives straight which is to strive for aakhirah, thats our greatest victory as allah azzawajal says in the quran.

but yet we dont know what is good for us in dunya, so we should always ask for afia... in eveything


salaam alaikum