A
friend of mine asked an honest question out of curiosity:
“Is it wrong
for me to practice my religion WITHOUT the aspect of Paradise and
Hellfire? Not that I don’t believe in them, it’s just that I intend to
practice purely out of faith of the religion, knowing that what it
prescribed for me is good for me, and what it prohibited for me is bad
for me – not necessarily out of seeking ‘pahala’ (rewards) from Allah? Is that wrong? Does that make my faith deficient in any way?”
Didn’t give him a good answer back then, but having time to think back, perhaps this would have been a better response :
Negating the aspect of “rewards”, Paradise and Hellfire will in fact remove a principal aspect of motivation: the drive for us to exert our utmost effort to excel. Without living our lives with the conscious knowledge of something great forward to, or something terrible to fend off from, it’s quite possible we will be complacent and quite content with being “mediocre” as a Muslim – and we have no guarantee of success either. What will drive us the extra mile to refine our character? To ditch that bad habit? To keep calm and patient while stuck in traffic? To make that extra bit of zikir? To give that extra dollar of charity? To advise our friends and family? If we had nothing to look forward to?
Allah Created us with the Knowledge of what motivates us – and in His Final Revelation the Qur’an, Paradise and Hellfire are repeated many times, in many different chapters, in varying descriptions and perspectives. Why, does so many times, when talking about what He Reserved for us in the Hereafter, Allah continuously Praise His rewards – Ajrun Azheem (great reward), Ajrun Kareem (generous reward), Ajrun Kabeer (BIG reward)?
Why would He repeat it, unless it was important to us? After all, He Revealed the Qur’an for our guidance – not for Him.
It’s important to remember that, as we pray a minimum of 5 times a day, in those prayers, lies one verse in Al-Fatihah which we recite at least 17 times daily : “maliki yawm id-deen” (King of the Day of Recompense) – a constant reminder to us that there will be a day of complete and absolute accountability of every single one of our deeds – good/bad, big/small, open/secret.
And wouldn’t I love to see the fruits of my labor? Wouldn’t I love that for every second of effort I did for His Sake, He will reward it with something much greater? Wouldn’t I love that when I walk out of the masjid after Fajr prayers, I have firm and optimistic hopes to a reward that is so great that “if we knew what it was, we would come even if we had to crawl”?
Likewise, on the remembrance absolute accountability, wouldn’t I be fearful of my bad actions, even if they are small or in secret? Wouldn’t I fear that every word of insult I utter in someone’s absence can be a cause for my ruin, or at the very least, ‘withdrawal’ from my account of good deeds and a serious threat to my investment?
It is when we have this constant reminder of Recompense, reward, paradise, and hellfire will life have a much deeper meaning beyond what meets the eyes, and from it will we have the enthusiasm and motivation to excel.
As Imam Bukhari stated, it is an established consensus amongst the scholars that the definition of “iman” is belief in the heart, utterance on the tongue, and action of the limbs – so if we had true iman in the Last Day (a pillar of faith), that belief would be manifest and reflected in our actions.
Live with the End in Mind - “Remembrance of Death puts Life into Perspective”
Didn’t give him a good answer back then, but having time to think back, perhaps this would have been a better response :
Negating the aspect of “rewards”, Paradise and Hellfire will in fact remove a principal aspect of motivation: the drive for us to exert our utmost effort to excel. Without living our lives with the conscious knowledge of something great forward to, or something terrible to fend off from, it’s quite possible we will be complacent and quite content with being “mediocre” as a Muslim – and we have no guarantee of success either. What will drive us the extra mile to refine our character? To ditch that bad habit? To keep calm and patient while stuck in traffic? To make that extra bit of zikir? To give that extra dollar of charity? To advise our friends and family? If we had nothing to look forward to?
Allah Created us with the Knowledge of what motivates us – and in His Final Revelation the Qur’an, Paradise and Hellfire are repeated many times, in many different chapters, in varying descriptions and perspectives. Why, does so many times, when talking about what He Reserved for us in the Hereafter, Allah continuously Praise His rewards – Ajrun Azheem (great reward), Ajrun Kareem (generous reward), Ajrun Kabeer (BIG reward)?
Why would He repeat it, unless it was important to us? After all, He Revealed the Qur’an for our guidance – not for Him.
It’s important to remember that, as we pray a minimum of 5 times a day, in those prayers, lies one verse in Al-Fatihah which we recite at least 17 times daily : “maliki yawm id-deen” (King of the Day of Recompense) – a constant reminder to us that there will be a day of complete and absolute accountability of every single one of our deeds – good/bad, big/small, open/secret.
And wouldn’t I love to see the fruits of my labor? Wouldn’t I love that for every second of effort I did for His Sake, He will reward it with something much greater? Wouldn’t I love that when I walk out of the masjid after Fajr prayers, I have firm and optimistic hopes to a reward that is so great that “if we knew what it was, we would come even if we had to crawl”?
Likewise, on the remembrance absolute accountability, wouldn’t I be fearful of my bad actions, even if they are small or in secret? Wouldn’t I fear that every word of insult I utter in someone’s absence can be a cause for my ruin, or at the very least, ‘withdrawal’ from my account of good deeds and a serious threat to my investment?
It is when we have this constant reminder of Recompense, reward, paradise, and hellfire will life have a much deeper meaning beyond what meets the eyes, and from it will we have the enthusiasm and motivation to excel.
As Imam Bukhari stated, it is an established consensus amongst the scholars that the definition of “iman” is belief in the heart, utterance on the tongue, and action of the limbs – so if we had true iman in the Last Day (a pillar of faith), that belief would be manifest and reflected in our actions.
Live with the End in Mind - “Remembrance of Death puts Life into Perspective”
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