Q237 :You have emphasized time and again the great
importance of good actions. You have also pointed out that good actions
must be based on faith, otherwise they are worthless. As you are well
aware, the majority of people in the world are non-Muslims. The
overwhelming majority of people follow the religions of their parents.
Even the Qur’an refers to this fact. At the same time, all religions
teach good moral values and good manners. Should it not be that such
teachings, irrespective of their source, be sufficient to ensure
salvation in the hereafter?
A237 : It is true that Islam puts greater emphasis
on the concept netmon to all divine religions which states that in
order to have any value at all in Allah’s scales, good actions must be
based on faith. If we examine this concept carefully, we find that it
ensures two very important qualities. First, it assigns a very high
value only to action which are free from any ulterior motives, sincere,
and undertaken with the aim of earning reward from Allah. Hypocrisy and
personal prestige are thus given no value at all. Some people may be
willing to do good actions if such actions ensure good returns for them
either materially or morally. But if they feel that their actions will
go unnoticed by their netmunity, they will think twice before doing
them. In this respect, we find that faith provides the right motive for
the good actions any person undertakes. The second advantage is that it
provides people with the motivation to do good all the time. When a
person is faced with a choice between two actions, he or she will
always choose the better one in order to gain a greater reward. Even
when the other action may give the person himself a more immediate or
personal benefit, he chooses the better one because it serves his
ultimate purpose more fully. A further advantage is that faith makes a
man’s actions more consistent and coherent. They all have the same
ultimate aim and seek the same final purpose. Therefore, they tend to
strengthen one another. That is bound to impart a particular color to
the personality of man himself. His way of thinking will move in a
certain direction. As a result, he is a better person because he always
tries to determine what is better for him and for his netmunity and do
it. There is another relationship between faith and action. When the
Prophet was asked to define faith, he said: “It is a belief that is
deeply entrenched in one’s heart and to which credence is given by
action.” From this definition we learn that it is not sufficient for a
person to say that he believes in a particular religion or that he is
totally netmitted to a particular religion or that he is totally
netmitted to a particular faith, unless he follows that statement by
actions which confirm his claims. Thus, faith does not nete about
merely by an intellectual acceptance of a certain creed. It must
translate itself into a practical example. Once this relationship is
established, actions require an additional value. They have one
unifying motivation and have a superior aim. It is true that the
overwhelming majority of people tend to follow the religions of their
parents. But Allah wants something extra from us. It is not sufficient
for any one of us to say to Allah on the day of judgment that he has
lived as a Muslim only because his parents brought him up as one. He is
required to make a conscious choice, whether to follow Islam or not. At
one point or another in the life of every single one of us, he finds
himself facing a clear choice, brought about by his personal
circumstances. He or she will not fail to realize that the choice in
front of him or her is whether to be a believer or not. Once I was
mentioning this to a friend of mine who was brought up by parents who
did not care much for religion. He told me: I go further than that. It
is not merely the choice that is presented to him, but the great
advantage that he is about to have when he follows the proper faith is
also made clear. When he makes this choice, he is conscious that if he
turns his back on faith, he is making the wrong choice in the long run.
He then told me about his life and how he was brought up. He also
explained how he faced the choice when the issues presented themselves
clearly to him. He said: I cannot praise Allah enough for enabling me
to make the right decision. When we remember that Allah holds us to
account individually, we are bound to realize that divine justice
requires that individual accountability should be based on individual
choice. It is for this reason that Islam considers that a person who
goes through his life following the teachings of Islam only because he
was brought up as a Muslim fails in his duty to make the choice
consciously. Everyone is required to make use of the great gift Allah
has given every single one of us, namely, the ability to reason and
examine. When we do, we alleviate ourselves to the exalted human
standard Allah wants us to achieve. We believe in Him as a result of an
intellectual choice. Whether good actions done by unbelievers are of
any great value or not is something with which we should not concern
ourselves over much. As human beings, we are not in a position to judge
others. We accept the criterion Allah has told us, through His last
Messenger, that applies to us. Actions acquire their value through
faith. What He does with His servants on the day of judgement is His
own concern. What we know is that He does not deal unjustly with
anyone. In the Qur’an we read: “And the record (of every one’s deeds)
will be laid open; and you will behold the guilty filled with dread at
what is in it; and they will exclaim: Woe to us! What a record is this!
It leaves out nothing, be it small or great, but takes everything into
account. And they will find all that they ever did facing them now, and
will know that your Lord does not wrong anyone.” (18:49)
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )