284- TO ALLAH BELONGS ALL THERE IS IN THE HEAVENS AND ALL THERE IS IN THE EARTH, AND WHETHER YOU REVEAL WHAT IS INSIDE YOU OR HIDE IT, ALLAH WILL BRING YOU TO ACCOUNT FOR IT, THEN HE SHALL FORGIVE WHOM HE WILLS, AND PUNISHES WHOM HE WILLS, FOR ALLAH HAS POWER TO DO ALL THINGS.

Abu Huraira reported: “When the Ayah ‘TO ALLAH BELONGS ALL THERE IS IN THE HEAVENS AND ALL THERE IS IN THE EARTH ………………’ was sent down, it distressed Allah’s messenger’s companions. They went to see him and went down on their knees and said: ‘Allah’s messenger, we have been commanded to do what we can bear of the good work, but this Ayah sent down to you, we can not bear what it tells us’.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: ‘do you want to say what the people of the two books before you said: we heard and disobey? But say: We heard and we obey, our Lord forgives us for to You is our destiny.  We said: We heard and we obey, our Lord forgives us, for to You is our destiny.  When we submitted and our tongues said it, Allah sent down the Ayah: “THE MESSENGER BELIEVED IN WHAT WAS SENT DOWN TO HIM SO DID THE BELIEVERS………………” When we submitted, Allah the highest abrogated it.  Then Allah the Exalted in power and the Majestic sent down “ALLAH DOES NOT PRESCRIBE FOR A SOUL MORE THAN IT CAN BEAR” (M: Eman; 199-200)

Abrogation of an Ayah means that its command or rule has been cancelled to be replaced by a new command in another Ayah.  The rule that people will be held to account for their private thoughts even if they do not speak of them or act upon them has been cancelled by Ayahs 285 & 286.  This is clear from the following Hadith in which Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Allah the Exalted in Power the Majestic has pardoned my nation what they thought, as long as they do or speak of it” (M:Eman;202 & B:Eman;15 & D:Talaq;15 & T:Talaq;8 & N:Talaq;22 & Ma:Talaq;14,16 & A:2;398)

Allah the Highest still takes our thoughts into account, but in terms of reward not punishment, as Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “But your deeds depend on your intentions, and each one will be recompensed according to his intention” 

Therefore, if a person’s thoughts are righteous, while his deeds do not appear to be, it is the thought and intention that is to be taken into account.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “A man said: I shall give charity.  He went out with his charity and put it in the hand of a thief.  People talked about him giving charity to a thief, but he said: thanks to Allah for the thief, and I shall give another charity, and he put his charity in the hand of a woman adulterer.  People talked bout him giving charity to a woman adulterer, but he said: Thanks to Allah for the woman adulterer, and I shall give another charity, and he put his charity in the hand of a rich man.  People talked about him giving charity to a rich man, but he said: Thanks to Allah for the woman adulterer, the thief and the rich man.  He was called and told: Your charity has been accepted, for the woman adulterer as it was intended to help her stop committing adultery, and to the thief as it was intended to help him stop stealing, and for the rich man as it was intended to give him a good example to spend out of what Allah has given him” (N:Zakah;47)

It is out of Allah’s generosity that we are rewarded for our good intentions even if we could not turn them into good deeds.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “He who intends to do a good deed and does not do it, Allah will write it down for him as one good deed.  If he intends to do it and does it, Allah will write id down for him as ten to seven hundred and many more.  If he intends to do wrong and does not, Allah will write it down for him as a complete good deed, and if he intends to do it and does it, Allah will write it down for him as one bad deed”.  (M: Eman; 207)

There is more; our sins which were not found out and which we did not speak of to others, Allah the Highest forgive them for us on the Day of Judgment. Also Allah the Highest does not punish a person for a sin in the Hereafter if he had his punishment in this life.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “He who does wrong in this life and is punished for it, Allah is more just than to punish his slave twice.  He who does wrong in this life and Allah covers up and pardoned him, Allah is more generous than to punish what he pardoned” (T:Eman;11 & Ma:Hodoud;33 & A:1:99,159)

Also Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Allah the Exalted in Power, the Majestic will draw the believer near Him (on the day of judgment) and will cover him with by His shelter, and make him testify to his sins, until He finishes and the believer thinks that he is about to perish, then Allah says: “I covered it up for you in the Lower Life and I forgive it for you today.  As for the disbelievers and the hypocrites, the witness of their judgment will say: those are the people who denied the presence of the Lord, verily Allah’s curse is on the disbelievers”. (B: Adab: 60 & M: Towbah; 52 & Ma: Moqademah; 13 & A: 2; 74) 

Allah the Highest is most generous to the believers if their intentions are good and they do good deeds or even if they commit sin but do not speak of it.  It is very serious to be proud of sins and tell people about them.  Covering up our sins is a sign that we know that what we do is wrong and we feel guilty about it.  This is the first step to repentance. 

B: Bukhari   M: Muslim    Mal: Malek   A: Ahmed   D: Abu Dawood     

Da: Daremy   Ma: Ibn Magah                   N: Nesae      T: Termezi