The gulf between words and deeds

Speaking true words is a facet of action referred to as the action of
the tongue. It is the first tangible deed that someone performs when
he announces his entry into Islam: "I bear witness that none has
theright to be worshipped except Allaah and that Muhammad is His
messenger." But what I mean here, more specifically, is the importance
of action as afundamental value in Islam, in terms of maintaining
one's religion and developing the world around us. The
indispensability of action, by itself, is a major principle that is
supported by hundreds of texts from the Quran and Sunnah )traditions
ofthe Prophet).
The success or failure of an individual, the strength or weakness of a
society, and the happiness of this world with salvation in the
nextlife all depend on action. Good deeds are the recognised valuables
upon which hinge propitious results in the short and long term.
These actions that are deeds of righteousness must fulfil two
important conditions:
1. A proper intention (sincerity)
2. Compliance with the Sunnah and the Sharee'ah (Islamic
legislation)-also referred to as correctness.
Both of these conditions are addressed in the verse (which
means):"[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of
you is best in deed..."[Quran 67:2]
So, goodness of action relies upon two issues: sincerity for Allaah
and abiding by the Sharee'ah.The commentary of Al-Fudhayl Ibn
'Iyaadhon this verse of chapter Al-Mulk (the Dominion) is well known.
He said concerning "best in deed": "The most sincere and the most
correct."
If a deed is done sincerely but is not correct, it is not
accepted.Similarly, if it is correct but not done sincerely, it is
also not accepted. It is only accepted when it is done sincerely and
correctly. I tried to enumerate the number of times that 'righteous
deeds' was mentioned in the Quran. These two words were mentioned
together about ninety times. The word action ordeed when juxtaposed
with another adjective other than righteous appears much more often
(approximately three hundred times). It is a clear indication of the
importance of actionsin life. Even in dying, the deed of making an
intention is required. This is why Allaah Almighty Says (what
means):"…So do not die exceptwhile you are Muslims."[Quran 2:132]
In western schools of thought generally, and inAmericamore
specifically, a new way of thinking, called 'Pragmatism', hassprung
into existence that focuses mainly on work and production. This
philosophy holds that real and palpable benefits are the yardstick of
knowledge, meaning that real knowledge is that which can be
practically applied and not merelytheoretical knowledge that is cut
off from everyday life.
The Divine praise for action implies disdain for two ways thatare not
on the path of truth: The first way is of the doer whose deed is not
based upon true guidance and who has no knowledge of the divine laws.
They are those whose deeds are described as being bad or evil. If the
deed is a worldly one, it will not bear the desired fruit because it
was not based on the proper vision or on true experience.
This meaning is from Allaah, Almighty, when He Says (what
means):"[Some] faces, that Day, will be humbled, Working [hard] and
exhausted. They will [enter to] burn in an intensely hot Fire. They
will be given drink from a boiling spring."[Quran 88:2-5]
And (what means):"Say [O Muhammad]: '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.'"[Quran 18:103-104]
Every group that is away from Allaah's path falls under this category.
Their worship of Allaah Almighty is mixed with ignoranceand falsehood.
Revolutionary schools of thought that do not formtheir ideas from
Divine guidance also fall into this category. They base their efforts
and actions on false premises. Their situation is as Allaah Almighty
describes it by Saying (what means): "Those before them had already
plotted, but Allaah came at [i.e., uprooted] their building from the
foundations, so the roof fell upon them from above them, and the
punishment came to them from where they did not perceive."[Quran
16:26]
The most illustrative example of this category in our times is
Communism and its philosophical, political and societal roots. Most of
its proponents never expected such disastrous results. All of their
efforts resulted in harm and they were preoccupied infinding ways to
support such a backward system.
The second way is of those who prefer inactivity and comfort. It is
the philosophy that is blind to Allaah's ways. In it, one wants all
desires to come true without effort or toil. The nature of man in
terms of being active and doing things makes the existence of such a
group to seem dubious at best. But the fundamental qualities of this
group become manifest in different ways, for example, those who
persist in following their lusts and desires, or who think that it is
sufficient for them to follow a particular sloganor be known by a
particular name.
On this way are also those who have no goal or aim that they strive
for. They are merely prisoners of their circumstances and their daily
routines. Their behaviour is not steered by an ideology and their work
is not linked to any important mission. They are drowned in work that
has no meaning. Oneof them goes to work to pay off the mortgage on his
house. He comes home to sleep, eat and drink only to be able to find
the energy to perform his tasks at work! A machine withouta spirit is
what he has become. The one who is in these circumstances does not
even realise the precarious situation that he is in.
Further down in the pit isthePhilosophicalSchoolthat gives no value to
theintellect. To them, what isconsidered by man to be existing is in
fact nonexistent. They disbelieve in values. Theiraim is to destroy
without offering an alternative way. Their goal is to destroy the
social structure without having any intention of replacing it with
another system.
Many are those who complain about the reality that they live in. They
strive to destroy thestructure of their society without caring for the
fact that the supplanting system will be chaos.