Ethics of Islam

knowledge which is gained for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ increases
one’s sense of fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ. It causes one to see one’s own
defects and causes one to be protected against the deceits of the
devil. Religious men who use their knowledge as a vehicle to gain
worldly possessions or ranks are called wicked religious people
(’ulemâ-i-sû’). Their destination is Hell. Another example of
hypocrisy is to perform the acts of worship with thorough
attention to detail in the sunnats when there are people around
and to perform them in a manner quite heedless of the sunnats
while praying alone.
It is permissible to present the thawâb earned by way of
worship to someone else, regardless of whether that person is
dead or alive. In the Hanafî Madhhab, the thawâb earned on
account of acts of worship such as hajj, namâz, fasting, almsgiving,
(reading or reciting) the Qur’ân al-kerîm, (recitation of a certain
eulogy of Rasûlullah, which is called) mawlid, dhikr and various
invocations, can be given as a gift to other people. It is not jâiz
(permissible), however, to perform these acts of worship in return
for a fee or to bargain over these services. Nevertheless, one may
perform these worships only for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ and
accept the gift given. In the Mâlikî and Shâfi’î Madhhabs, thawâb
earned on account of deeds performed with one’s property, such
as almsgiving, zakât [1] and hajj, can be given as a gift to someone
else, although this thawâb-gifting is not jâiz when the deeds
performed are physical acts of worship. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu
’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person walking
(or driving or riding) by a graveyard recites the sûra (called)
ikhlâs eleven times and gifts the thawâb he has earned for the
recitation to (the souls of) the people lying in the graves, the
thawâb he will be given (by Allâhu ta’âlâ) will be multiplied by
the number of the dead people.” A person in the Hanafî
Madhhab should gift the thawâb, and one in the Mâlikî or Shâfi’î
Madhhab should invoke a blessing on the dead people and
entreat Allâhu ta’âlâ to forgive them their sins.
In order for worships to be acceptable (sahîh) their intention
has to be done for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Intention is made
with the heart. Intention made only with a labial utterance is not
acceptable. According to some scholars it is permissible to intend
[1] Zakât means obligatory almsgiving. For detailed information, please
see the first chapter of the fifth fascicle of Endless Bliss.
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