{"_id":"6916389e6bb79ccbbc29a925","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Why does Islam quantify rewards for good deeds, and how should we understand motivation by reward, fear, or pure devotion?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What is the benefit of quantifying good deeds? Shouldn’t we do good simply because Allah commanded it, rather than for fear of punishment or hope of reward?\\n\\nA convert also raised a related question: if we should act solely for the sake of Allah, why are we told that certain prayers have multiplied rewards or that certain deeds bring specific blessings? Is wanting Jannah or fearing the Fire considered a lower level of obedience? And if the highest level is to worship Allah purely out of love, like the saying of Rabiʿah al-ʿAdawiyyah, is it still acceptable for most people to be motivated by reward and punishment?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"We should do good deeds first and foremost because Allah has commanded them. That is the essence of submission (Islam). Reward and punishment are secondary considerations.\\n\\nReflect on this: if Allah had simply commanded us to do certain things and abstain from others, without mentioning any reward or consequence, what would we do? Do we submit because He is our Creator and we are His creation, or do we ask, “What’s in it for us? What do we get in return, and what happens if we disobey?” Would a true servant speak this way to his Master?\\n\\nIf we obey Allah merely out of fear of punishment or desire for reward, then have we truly understood submission? Those who have attained spiritual maturity recognize what it means to be true servants of Allah. They do not view their obedience as transactional, but as the only rational and worthy response to His Lordship.\\n\\nAs the spiritually elite Rābiʿah al-ʿAdawiyyah said:\\n\\n“O Allah, if I worship You out of fear of Your Fire, then burn me in it; and if I worship You out of desire for Your Paradise, then deprive me of it; but if I worship You for Your noble Contenance, then do not withhold from me Your Vision.”\\n\\nOut of His infinite mercy, Allah speaks to every soul according to its state. We’re all at different levels: some of us are moved by love, some by fear, and some by the hope of reward. Allah knows what reaches each heart, so He calls every person from where they are.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668da0320b76658b4c2330a7","tag":"Worship: Tazkiyyah","count":87}],"createdOn":"2025-11-13T19:59:26.217Z"}