format_quote Originally Posted by
Eric H
Greetings and peace be with you Umit;
Thanks for your reply, and you have answered in the same way I would answer.
I think you have answered that yourself already. You said it is better to put your differences aside to help save lives. The two surgeons are in their job because they want to save lives and also because the hospital is paying them to do the job.
Supposing these same Muslim and Christian surgeons, did voluntary work together in a homeless shelter. They are not saving lives, they are not paid to do it, but hopefully they are helping make vulnerable people's lives better. Can it be possible to put our differences aside to make our community a kinder and more caring place to live in? Or would it be better that the Christian worked in a Christian shelter and the Muslim worked in a Muslim shelter?
This is how I come to believe in interfaith cooperation, there are many projects in our towns that are too big for any single group to do, sometimes they can work far better when we cooperate with others to make for a kinder and more caring society.
Blessings
Eric
From Islamic point of view, good deeds are only good with correct intentions.
What is the intention of every disbeliever when they do "supposed" good deeds? Is it to please the true creator who is absolute one and have no partners? If it is to please anyone else like Jesus PBUH then on the day of Judgement these good deeds will carry no weight.
There are several verses in Quran on this topic, for example:
Say, [O Muhammad], “Shall we [believers] inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? [They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work.” Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in [their] meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any importance. [Quran 18:103-105]
These verses are very clear in explaining the fate of those who used to think in the life of this world that they are doing very well. They are very hard workers, as far as worship; going to the places of worship on a regular basis. But, they are worshipping other than Allah. Either they are worshipping human beings, animals, idols, pictures or images. It does not matter. As long as they do not worship Allah (Glory be to Him) alone, Allah, the Almighty says:
I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.[Sahih Muslim]
So, setting partners to Allah in worship will make the person not eligible for Allah’s Mercy whatsoever.
In Surah Al-Nisa’, Allah (Glory be to Him) repeated this twice in two different verses, in verse number 48 and another verse afterward, it says:
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. [Quran 4:48]
Prophet Muhammad PBUH has further clarified this in a famous hadith quoted below:
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When a disbeliever does a good deed, he is rewarded for it in this world. As to the believer, Allah, the Almighty, saves his good deeds to reward him in the Hereafter and provides him with sustenance in this life as a reward for his obedience." Another narration reads: "Allah does not deal unjustly with a believer regarding a single good deed. He is given blessings for it in this world and will be rewarded for it in the Hereafter. As to the disbeliever, he is given sustenance as a reward for his good deeds in this world, so when he comes to the Hereafter, there are no more good deeds for him for which he can be rewarded. [Sahih Muslim]
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