WHAT SPOILS GOOD DEEDS?
And We will approach [i.e., regard] what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed. Sura Al-Furqan 25:23
Muslims make great efforts to accumulate good deeds that they hope will weigh heavily on the scale on the Day of Judgment. However, there are certain deeds according to the Qur’an and Sunnah that make our deeds null and void. This is the reality and unfortunately this topic is seldom discussed in halaqa’s and jumu’a khutbah’s. No one would like to see their deeds disappear into thin air when the time of meeting with the Creator finally comes, and we must be extremely careful to protect our deeds and stay away from those deeds that nullify our good deeds as much as possible.
SHIRK
All the deeds of a person who commits shirk is lost according to the Qur’an and Sunnah.
It has already been revealed to you—and to those ˹prophets˺ before you—that if you associate others with Allah, your deeds will certainly be void and you will truly be one of the losers. Sura Az Zumar 39:65
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah Almighty said: Verily, I am free of the idolatry of any partners. Whoever performs a deed in which he associates another with Me, I will abandon him to his partner.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2985
The day they see the angels – no good tidings will there be that day for the criminals, and [the angels] will say, “Prevented and inaccessible.”
And We will approach [i.e., regard] what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed. Sura Al-Furqan 25:23
BANKRUPT (MUFLES)
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said:
“Do you know who the bankrupt is?” They said: “O Messenger of Allah SAW! The bankrupt among us is the one who has no Dirham nor property.” The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: “The bankrupt in my Ummah is the one who comes with Salat and fasting and Zakat on the Day of Judgement, but he comes having abused this one, falsely accusing that one, wrongfully consuming the wealth of this one, spilling the blood of that one, and beating this one. So he is seated, and this one is requited from his rewards. If his rewards are exhausted before the sins that he committed are requited, then some of their sins will be taken and cast upon him, then he will be cast into the Fire.”
[Abu ‘Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Grade: Sahih (Darussalam) Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2418KUFR, DISBELIEF IN ALLAH AND IN HIS MESSENGER (PBUH)
Good deeds are not accepted if they are accompanied by kufr, and that nothing cancels out all good deeds except kufr.
Say, “Spend willingly or unwillingly; never will it be accepted from you. Indeed, you have been a defiantly disobedient people.”
And what prevents their expenditures from being accepted from them but that they have disbelieved in Allāh and in His Messenger and that they come not to prayer except while they are lazy and that they do not spend except while they are unwilling. Sura At-Tawbah 9:53-54
Say, [O Muḥammad], “Shall we [believers] inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds?
[They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work.”Those are the ones who disbelieve in the verses of their Lord and in [their] meeting Him, so their deeds have become worthless; and We will not assign to them on the Day of Resurrection any weight [i.e., importance].Sura Al-Kahf 18:105
That is because they detest what Allah has revealed, so He has rendered their deeds void. Sura Muhammad 47:9
GIVING REMINDERS OF CHARITY NULLIFIES CHARITY
O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders [of it] or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allāh and the Last Day. His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of what they have earned. And Allāh does not guide the disbelieving people. Sura Al-Baqarah 2:264
TRANSGRESSING THE LIMITS
Ibn Maajah (4245) narrated from Thawbaan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I certainly know people of my ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihaamah, but Allaah will make them like scattered dust.” Thawbaan said: O Messenger of Allaah, describe them to us and tell us more, so that we will not become of them unknowingly. He said: “They are your brothers and from your race, worshipping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of Allah.”
RAISING VOICE OVER THE VOICE OF THE PROPHET (PBUH) : SURA AL-HUJURAT
O believers! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another,1 or your deeds will become void while you are unaware. Sura Al Hujurat 49:2
INTENTION OTHER THAN TO PLEASE ALLAH (SWT)
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “The first to be judged on the Day of Judgment is a man who was martyred. He will be brought and Allah will remind him of His favor [upon him], which he will recognize. Allah will say: ‘What did you do as a token of gratitude for that favor?’ He will say: ‘I fought for Your sake until I was martyred.’ Allah will say: ‘You have lied. You fought so it would be said that you were brave, and it was said.’ It will be commanded that he be dragged on his face until he is thrown in the Fire. A man who acquired knowledge, taught it, and recited the Qur’an. He will be brought and Allah will remind him of His favor [upon him], which he will recognize. Allah will say: ‘What did you do as a token of gratitude for that favor?’ He will say: ‘I acquired knowledge and taught it, and I recited the Qur’an for Your sake.’ Allah will say: ‘You have lied. You learned so it would be said that you were a scholar, and you recited the Qur’an so it would be said that you were a reciter, and that was said.’ It will be commanded that he be dragged on his face until he is thrown in the Fire. A man for whom Allah expanded his resources and gave him from all types of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will remind him of His favor [upon him], which he will recognize. Allah will say: ‘What did you do as a token of gratitude for that favor?’ He will say: ‘I left no path wherein You love to spend except that I spent therein for Your sake.’ Allah will say: ‘You have lied. You did that so it would be said that you were generous, and that was said.’ It will be commanded that he be dragged on his face until he is thrown in the Fire.” Sahih/Authentic. – [Muslim]
THOSE WHO ONLY DESIRE THE WORLDLY LIFE AND ITS LUXURIES
Whoever desires only this worldly life and its luxuries, We will pay them in full for their deeds in this life—nothing will be left out.
It is they who will have nothing in the Hereafter except the Fire. Their efforts in this life will be fruitless and their deeds will be useless. Sura Hud 11:15-16
BACKBITING
Ibn al-Jawzi reported: Sa’id ibn al-Jubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “A servant will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and presented with his record. He will not see his prayers, nor his fasting, nor his good deeds. He will say: O Lord, this is the record of someone else, for I had good deeds not in this record. It will be said to him: Verily, your Lord does not overlook or forget. Your deeds have vanished because you were backbiting people.” Source: Baḥr al-Dumū’ 1/133
BAD CHARACTER
Ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Verily, bad character spoils deeds just as vinegar spoils honey.” Source: Musnad ‘Abd ibn Ḥumayd 799. Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani
We ask Allah (SWT) to protect us from all these bad deeds so that our deeds are not gone in vain. We ask Allah (SWT) to accept all our good deeds.
And Allah knows best.
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