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Explanation of Hadeeth Numer 37
The explainers of this hadeeth have said: This is a noble and great hadeeth in which the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has explained the measure of the grace of Allaah, 'azza wa jall, upon His creation, as He has made the intention to do a good deed, without actually performing it, equal to the reward of a good deed. And He has made the intention to do an evil deed, which one then does not perform, as equal to a complete good deed [also], and if one were to act upon it then it is deemed as a single evil deed. And if one performs a good deed then Allaah writes it down as ten, and this is an immense grace, as He has multiplied for the slaves their good deeds, but has not multiplied their evil deeds against them.
And He has made the intention to perform a good deed like a [complete] good deed because the intention to do good is an action of the heart, due to the resolve of the heart upon that. And if it is then said: "This statement then requires that the one who intends to perform an evil deed, and does not do it, must also have an evil deed written for him, as the [evil] intention is also an action from amongst the actions of the heart", then the answer to this would be that this is not the case, as the one who stops short from performing an evil, then he has nullified his resolve to do evil, and has changed it for another resolve to do good, and has thus disobeyed his evil desires, and so he is rewarded for this with the reward of a good deed. And it has been related in another hadeeth that "Verily he has left it [the evil deed] because of Me", that is "for My sake", and this is similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Upon every Muslim is the giving of charity", so some people asked "What if they do not do so?", so he replied "Then let them withhold from evil, and that will be their charity". This was mentioned by al-Bukhaaree in his Book of Manners. However, if he leaves an evil deed unwillingly, or because he is unable to perform it, then a good deed is not written for him, and this does not enter into the meaning of this hadeeth.
Imaam at-Tabaree, the famous mufassir, said that in this hadeeth is evidence for the statement that the two recording angels, [assigned to each person to write down the good and bad deeds of that person], write down not just the actions but also what the person intends to do of good or evil, and they know what he resolves to do in his heart. And thus, this hadeeth is a refutation of those who wrongly think that the two angels only write down that which is apparent from the outward actions of the person, or from what they hear him say. And so this all means that the two angels know all that which a person intends in his heart, and it is conceivable that Allaah ta'aalaa has granted for them a means to attain this knowledge [which is from the knowledge of the ghayb or unseen], just as He has granted a means to many of the Prophets to attain knowledge of many things from the unseen. And Allaah has said regarding 'Eesaa (alayhi as-salaam) that he said to the Banee Israa'eel "And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses" [Soorah Aal 'Imraan, 49]. And our Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was informed of many things from the matters of the unseen, and hence all this shows that it is possible that Allaah has granted to the recording angels a means to attain the knowledge of what is in the hearts of mankind, from good or evil, and so they write down whatever he resolves to do. And it has been said that this is through a smell or fragrance that they are able to detect emanating from the heart. And hence the Salaf [i.e. the early righteous scholars] have differed over which form of dhikr [remembrance of Allaah] is better: the dhikr of the heart or the dhikr made out loud.
And all of this [that has been narrated from Imaam at-Tabaree] is the statement of Ibn Khalf, who is better known as Ibn Buttaal. And the author of al-Ifsaah, Yahyaa bin Muhammad al-Hanbalee [d. 560 H], said in some of his writings: When this Ummah had its life spans reduced [as compared to the people of the previous nations who had much longer life spans], it was compensated for this reduction with a multiplication of the reward of its actions. [i.e. Since the life span of our Ummah is shorter, we have less time to do good deeds; so Allaah multiplied the reward for our good deeds to compensate for this.] So whoever intends to perform a good action, it will be counted for him as a complete good deed. And Allaah has declared it as being a 'complete' deed so that none may think that since it is only an intention [and not a complete action] it is somehow deficient. And thus, Allaah has raised the intention to the level of being included amongst the complete actions. So He wrote down the intention as a complete good deed and then multiplied that according to the degree of sincerity of the performer, and according to the appropriateness of the action to the time and place.
Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said after that "or many times over". This is mentioned, in the Arabic, in the indefinite form which is more comprehensive than the definite, and this implies that the multiplication may be counted up to the most that is possible. Then, it is possible that this generous promise includes that one says that when a man spends in charity a single grain of wheat, then it will be counted for him, from the grace of Allaah ta'aalaa, as though he sowed that grain in the most pure and fertile land, and attended to it and protected it and watered it, according to its needs, until it ripened, so he harvested it; and then he threshed that harvest in that pure fertile land, so the grains were sown again in it, and were looked after in the same manner as has preceded; and then the same as this in the second year, and then the third and fourth years, and the years that followed that; and this continues until the Day of Resurrection, and so that single grain of wheat or mustard or couscous will come that day like a mountain. And if the charity was a tiny action from amongst the actions of eemaan [i.e. a good deed] then one may compare it to the profit that may be attained through the purchase of a commodity during that time. And so it is possible that if he sold a commodity in the best market of the greatest nation, and that commodity were the most profitable for trade, then that profit were multiplied [through successive trades] until it returns to him on the Day of Resurrection such that its magnitude is like that of the entire world. And similarly all the actions of righteousness will be treated by Allaah 'azza wa jall in a similar manner, as long as they are performed with a pure and clean intention.
And from this also is that the grace of Allaah multiplies with the transfer of charity from one person to another. So, for example, consider if a person gives a dirham in charity to a poor man, and then that poor man in turn passes the dirham on to another poor man who is in greater poverty than he, and then this third person passes it onto a fourth, and the fourth to a fifth, and this goes on to a great extent. Then, Allaah ta'aalaa will count for the first person, who originally gave the dirham, ten times the reward. But when this dirham is transferred by the second person to the third, then the second person gains ten and the first person's reward is multiplied to ten thousand. Then, when the third transfers it to the fourth, the second person gets one thousand, and the first gets a million. And so this continues until they attain rewards that may only be counted by Allaah ta'aalaa.
And from this also is that when Allaah - subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa - accounts His Muslim slave on the Day of Resurrection, and his good deeds are of varying and disparate levels, some of them of a high level and others not so, then He - subhaanahu - from His immense generosity and grace may count all of his good deeds by the measure of the best and highest amongst them; for verily His generosity - jalla jalaalahu - is far greater than that He should dispute with his slave, who is pleased with Him, about the disparity in the measure of his good deeds. And no doubt Allaah jalla jalaalahu has said: "We shall certainly pay them a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do" [Soorah an-Nahl, 97].
And similarly, the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has informed us that if a Muslim declares aloud in a market from amongst the markets of the Muslims: "laa ilaaha illaa Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd, yuhyee wa yumeet, wa huwa 'alaa kulli shayin qadeer [There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allaah, alone without any partner; for Him is the dominion and for Him is all praise; He gives life and He gives death; and He is all-powerful over all things]" then Allaah will write for him due to that a million rewards, and will wipe away from him a million evil deeds, and will build for him a house in Paradise [narrated by at-Tirmidhee].
And all this that we have mentioned is according to only that which we have knowledge of, and not according to the true level of the grace of Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa. For verily He is far greater than what anyone may deny for Him, or what any of the creation may try to estimate of Him.
And Allaah knows best.
Summary
1. That whatever is classed as a good deed, or an evil deed, has already been written down as such by Allaah, i.e.. good and evil deeds are what He has specified them to be.
2. Therefore, what Allaah has given us in the Qur'aan and Sunnah is from His knowledge of what is good and what is evil, as defined and accepted by Him.
3. That whatever we are going to do is known by Him.
4. That if we intend to perform a good deed [as defined by the Sunnah], but do not actually perform it, then we are still rewarded for one full good deed.
5. That if we intend to perform a good deed, and actually perform it, then Allaah will record it as though it were done ten to seven hundred times over, or more than that.
6. The actual merit of a good deed is determined by Allaah according to our sincerity.
7. That not doing a bad deed which one intended to do, obtains for one a reward equal to a complete good deed.
8. That if one actually performs a bad deed that one intended to do, then it is written down only as its worth, i.e. a single bad deed.
9. That if one ends up in the fire then he only gets that which he deserves, as he was indeed a very bad person.
10. That good actions are not all of equal merit, nor are bad actions. Hence, it is not possible to calculate how much good or bad one has accumulated each day.
11. That one must not forget that it is still possible to destroy all the good deeds we have been doing.
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Background
This hadith is considered as a Hadith Qudsi even though the text of the hadith does not show that clearly or explicitly. The hadith with this text is a clarification from the part of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, about the way of recording deeds. There are other versions of this hadith that have been recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in the same form of Hadith Qudsi and in a very clear manner. One of these is the following version that has been commented upon by Ibn Rajab: Allah has said: "If My servant considers doing a sin, do not record it against him. If he acts upon it, record it as one sin. If he considers doing a good deed and does not do it, record it as one good deed, and if he actually does it, record it as 10 good deeds." [Recorded by Imam Muslim]
One may ask how this is considered a Hadith Qudsi where its text does not explicitly show so. The multiplication of good deeds and that the one who commits one sin is recorded as only one sin, is a well-known principle in Islam that has been emphasized in both the Qur'an and sunnah - Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 245 and 261; Surah an-Nisa', Ayah 40; and in Surah al-'An'am, Ayah 160. Allah says: Whoever shall come before Allah with a good deed will gain 10 times the like thereof, but whoever shall come with an evil deed will be requited with no more than the like thereof.
Lessons
What has been mentioned above is a general rule. However, there are some exceptions because the sin is sometimes considered greater due to certain reasons. One of these reasons is the honor of time or place such as the four months (al-'ashhor al-hurum). This is the view of Ibn Abbas (the narrator of the hadith) and Qutadeh. For the month of Ramadhan there are two claimed hadiths but which are considered not authentic according to Ibn Rajab who states that sins are considered greater during Ramadhan and during the Hajj (pilgrimage). This is stated in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 197.
In terms of place, for example Makkah, Allah says in Surah al-Hajj, Ayah 25: And whoever is inclined to evil action therein (in Makkah) or to do wrong, him we shall cause to taste from a painful turmoil.
Because of this, a few of the companions of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, used to avoid doing certain actions in Makkah.
Another criterion for considering sins as great is the nobility of the person who commits the sin. This is because, as Ibn Rajab says, since he is a person of knowledge of Allah and His attributes, his closeness to Allah should prevent him from committing sins. If he commits sins, his sins will be considered greater than normal people.
The hadith mentioned four types of deeds:
1. Doing good deeds - the result will be a multiplication of rewards.
2. Doing evil acts - this will be recorded as one sin for one sin.
3. The intention of doing good deeds - this will be recorded even if it is not done as one deed. 'Intention' here means that we have a great eagerness and a very strong determination to do a certain deed - and not merely thoughts of doing it.
Some examples of this type, as mentioned by Ibn Rajab, are:
1. If someone has intended to wake up in the middle of the night to perform the night prayer but he did not do so because he overslept.
2. If someone intended to pray or fast.
3. If someone intended to do jihad or umra.
4. If someone intended to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage).
So if any Muslim intended to do any of the above and had a strong determination to do them, it will be recorded as if he has done them. But this does not compensate the obligation of doing them when there is an opportunity to do so.
4. The intention of doing a bad deed or committing a sin without actually doing it. This means that one has made the decision to do it, as Ustaz Jamaludin Zarabozo puts it. Other Muslim scholars relate it to the intention (niyyah). And there is an overlap between intention and decision because when we decide, we have the intention.
Wherever we have an issue or principle where there are many versions of the hadith, scholars compare the text of the hadith. In another version that is narrated by Abu Hurairah, Allah says: "He gave up committing the sin for the cause and sake of Allah." Ibn Rajab says this implies that the interpretation of this portion of hadith is that the one who has the intention to do the evil act and is able to do it, refrained from doing so for the sake and fear of Allah. Ibn Rajab says this person will be rewarded for that. It will be considered a hasanah (a good deed) because refraining from doing that evil act with this good intention is really a good deed by itself.
Consequently, Ibn Rajab mentions other different situations:
1. The one who decides or just has the intention to do the evil act but then he refrains from doing it because of his fear of the people or does not like to be blamed by them. Ibn Rajab says that some scholars say this person will be punished.
2. The person decides to do the evil act but was not able to perform it because of external factors (qadar). For example, a person decides to break into a house to steal, but he does not succeed and runs away because a police car is driving around the area. Some scholars say that he will be punished though he did not steal.
3. Someone who decides and has the intention to do the evil act, makes the effort but is not able to perform it because of his lack of strength or capabilities. Scholars say this person will be punished. For instance, if two Muslims fight each other with the intention of killing each other, as stated in the well-known hadith, both the killer and the one who has been killed will be in the hellfire. The Companions asked: "O Messenger of Allah, this is the killer - what about the poor person who has been killed?" The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said he had the intention to kill his friend or brother but was not able to because he was killed himself.
4. Someone has the intention to do an evil act and talks to others about it but does not do it. Some scholars say that he will be punished just because of his bad intention. Other scholars say he will not be punished unless the sin itself is the impermissible kind of speech like slander, backbiting or lying.
5. Someone who has the intention to do an evil act but later on changes his mind because his eagerness to do the evil act has weakened and decreased.
One may ask whether this person is subject to punishment or not. Ibn Rajab says this situation can be classified into two categories:
A. The intention to commit the sin was just a thought - it has not been placed or committed in the person's heart - and he dislikes or regrets the thought straightaway. Ibn Rajab says this person will be excused. For instance, if a person sees cool water during the hot month of Ramadhan and he simply has a thought of drinking but then refrains himself. This person will be forgiven because the place of the sin is not in his heart.
B. The evil thought has been placed in the heart and the person keeps thinking about it. Scholars say that this can be classified into two categories:
1. The action of the heart involves doubts about Allah's oneness, the Prophethood or the Day of Resurrection. Scholars say this person will be punished. Ibn Rajab also says that there are other sins which are related to the heart such as loving what Allah hates or hating what Allah loves, arrogance, envy, and suspicions for no valid reason. All these are punishable.
2. The actions of the limbs such as adultery, stealing, drinking wine, killing etc. Ibn Rajab says in this category, if the person persists on doing such an act and has the eagerness and willingness, he will be punished. There is another view that says he will be excused because he has not actually done it. The third view is the same as the second view in that he is excused, but with one exception and that is if it is done in the al-Haram Mosque in Makkah.
6. Someone committed a sin once and then has the intention of repeating it whenever possible. That is this person is persisting on disobedience and is subject to punishment because of his bad intention even if he does it years later.
In one version of the hadith, Allah says that for the one who commits a sin, Allah might record it merely as one sin, or He might omit the sin because of repentance by the sinner, or because of the sinner performing good deeds - as mentioned in Hadith 18: "Fear Allah wherever you may be; follow up an evil deed with a good one which will wipe (the former) out, and behave good-naturedly towards people."
Conclusion
In one of the versions of this hadith it says that the one who fails to be saved is of great loss. This means that the one whose bad deeds outweigh the good deeds is a failure. Why? After all this mercy and grace from Allah where Allah multiplies good deeds up to 700 times, after all the chances and opportunities that Allah gives us, if a person still persists on disobedience and commits evil acts and in the end his bad deeds outweighs his good ones, then he is truly a big sinner and transgressor. He has no intention of doing good deeds. He has no one to blame but himself.
There is a saying for Ibn Mas'oud: "Woe to the one whose sins outweigh his good deeds". The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said to his Companions: "Whom do you consider as a bankrupt?" They said: "The one who does not have a dinar or dirham (money)." The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said: "The real bankrupt is the one who comes with mountains of good deeds but he also comes with many bad deeds that are related to attacking and harming the people." In this case, the bad deeds are not easily omitted because they are related to the rights of human beings. This person may wrong others by slander, backbiting, killing, etc. As a result, his good deeds will be taken from him in the hereafter as a matter of just. In addition to that, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says part of the bad deeds of the people whom he has wronged will be added to his record and the result would be that he will be thrown into the hellfire.
We need to imagine just how horrible the situation is. We need to reflect on this hadith and not to wrong, belittle or fail other Muslims or non-Muslims in the same way. We should also be kind to animals as the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said that a woman will enter hellfire because of her mistreatment of a cat. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, also mentions about a woman who is very pious and did good deeds but she annoyed and bothered her neighbors - she too is in the hellfire.
Muslims need to be careful when it comes to dealing with other people. Unless we receive forgiveness from others, we will be held responsible for wrongdoings towards others. This has to do with our akhlaq and values as Muslims. We need to be concerned about this if we want to achieve any success in this life or the hereafter.
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