Back to search

What is the meaning of the non-acceptance of deeds or their not being raised to Allah, as mentioned in some Hadiths, and is this an excuse to abandon action?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

In Sharia, the meaning of an act not being accepted refers either to its invalidity or to the doer not being rewarded for it. It is not permissible to use the non-acceptance of an act as an excuse to abandon it, whether due to a flaw in the act itself or due to a sin committed by the doer. The hadiths that indicate the non-acceptance of a disobedient person's acts, such as "A severer of kin ties will not enter Paradise," are meant as a deterrent, a warning, and an urging towards repentance. If an act is obligatory, the accountable person's responsibility is not absolved except by performing it in the prescribed Sharia manner, regardless of its acceptance. If the act is supererogatory, abandoning it under this pretext is a deception from Satan and a disregard for divine commands, whereas the one who commits transgressions is most in need of righteous deeds.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy