Fatwa ID: 06359

 

Answered by: Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain

 

Question:

 

I did good deeds from a young age, gaining me immense appraisals. I was carried away by these appraisals and started fasting in the month of Ramadan for more appraisals. In the end, I realize that this was Shirk. Now, I repented by doing the Salaat-ut-Tawbah. But after, my repentance, will my good deeds, from pre-Shirk-committing remain, or will they be gone?

 

 

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

Shirk

 

Shirk is to associate partners with Allāh Ta’ālā, either in His being or through His attributes. To do an act of shirk is a testament to one going out of the fold of Islām, nullifying our good deeds.

 

“Allāh has promised those of you who believe and do good deeds that He will certainly make them (His) vicegerents in the land, as He made those before them, and will certainly establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and will certainly give them peace in place of fear in which they were before; (provided that) they worship Me, ascribing no partner to Me. And those who turn infidel after that are the transgressors.” [Sūrah an-Nūr; 24:55] [1]

 

 

Taubah

 

Only through sincere repentance and Taubah can one truly atone for their sins. Sincere Taubah wipes away our sins making us free from them.

 

There are three conditions for repenting;

 

• Stop committing the sin;
• Feel remorse for the sin which has been committed;
• Make a sincere vow to never return back to sin.

 

This is the method of doing Taubah. Taubah does not require any action to be attributed to it, like the performing of 2 Rak’at Salah. It is a spiritual connection between the servant and his Lord where we are able to convey our remorse and vow to never return back to sin.

 

 

Riyā’ (Showing Off)

 

Doing actions to show off to others and to receive praise nullifies the rewards of our good actions. The Prophet ﷺ has prohibited this.

 

It was narrated from ‘Amr bin Shu’aib, from his father, that his grandfather said: “Eat, give charity and clothe yourselves, without being extravagant, and without showing off.” [Sunan an-Nasā’ī: Hadith 2559] [2]

 

We worship Allāh Ta’ālā to attain His pleasure. This should be our sole purpose in worshipping Him. Whenever we start any form of worship, we should renew our intentions as to why we are doing said action and what is our overall goal. If one does this, then In Shā Allāh he should be able to prevent himself from doing actions for the wrong reasons.

 

From what you have stated, it does not appear that your actions have taken you out of Islām. They were wrong and nullified the rewards of those actions. But, as you did not associate any partners with Allāh Ta’ālā, you have not done anything to take you out of the fold of Islām.

 

 

Dua

 

Umm Ma’bad said she heard Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ say: “O Allāh, purify my heart from hypocrisy, my actions from vain show, my tongue from falsehood and my eyes from wrongful glances, for You know the surreptitious looks of the eyes and what is concealed in the hearts.” [Sunan Baihaqi: Kitāb ad-Da’awat al-kabir 2:19] [3]

 

اللَّهُمَّ طَهِّرْ قَلْبِي مِنَ النِّفَاقِ وَعَمَلِي مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ وَلِسَانِي مِنَ الْكَذِبِ وَعَيْنِي مِنَ الْخِيَانَةِ فَإِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ» . رَوَاهُمَا الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي الدَّعَوَاتِ الْكَبِيرِ

 

 

 

Only Allāh Ta’ālā knows best.

Written by Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

 

 

}[1]وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَیُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِینَهُمُ ٱلَّذِی ٱرۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنࣰاۚ یَعۡبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشۡرِكُونَ بِی شَیۡـࣰٔاۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَ ⁠لِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ {

 

 

[2]أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ كُلُوا وَتَصَدَّقُوا وَالْبَسُوا فِي غَيْرِ إِسْرَافٍ وَلاَ مَخِيلَةٍ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

 

 

[3]وَعَن أُمِّ مَعْبدٍ قَالَتْ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «اللَّهُمَّ طَهِّرْ قَلْبِي مِنَ النِّفَاقِ وَعَمَلِي مِنَ الرِّيَاءِ وَلِسَانِي مِنَ الْكَذِبِ وَعَيْنِي مِنَ الْخِيَانَةِ فَإِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ» . رَوَاهُمَا الْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي الدَّعَوَاتِ الْكَبِيرِ