I wrote once in this column that our daily actions may be considered as acts of worship, depending on our intention that leads to a particular action. When we do our normal work through which we earn our living, intending to ensure that we earn it through lawful means, and aiming to protect ourselves and our families from trying to gain anything through means which are unacceptable to God and His messenger, then our work acquires a status akin to an act of worship. When we help a fellow human being facing a problem, whether it is related to his work, family or personal feelings, and have no interest in the matter other than providing help or reducing pain felt by another person, that work earns us a reward from God as though it is an act of worship.
Such actions may encompass all spheres of life, as my reader, Mr. M. I. Khan of Jeddah, writes. He goes on to say: “Doing business in a fair and just manner, dealing equitably and generously with everyone, looking after poor relatives, neighbors, friends and even strangers, doing all the good we can to human beings and other creatures, etc. all acquire a status of worship when it is done purely to earn God’s pleasure, and for no personal or material gain. This does not apply only to actions, but also to good thoughts, free of prejudice, malice, greed, exploitation and so on.”
I fully agree with Mr. Khan. Directing our thoughts, intentions and actions toward what pleases God and away from personal material gain makes them pure, dedicated and worthy of God’s reward, which is always rich and generous. However, people may say this is very difficult. Personal interest may be part of our aim behind most of what we do in our life. That is true, because self-interest and survival are instinctive to man. Yet when we try hard to have a good motive for what we are doing to ourselves, families and other human beings, and to steer ourselves away from what God has forbidden then we begin to make our actions pure. When the standard we apply to evaluate our actions before we take them is that which approves only what is permissible and beneficial, we set ourselves on the right track. There is no element of self-negation in Islam, but there is a keen motivation to bring our self-interest in line with what God has permitted and away from what He has forbidden. That is how we begin to make our daily actions akin to acts of worship.
