11 - The reformer says:

"When fiqh books were written, adhab (torture in Hell) and thawab (reward in Paradise) were reckoned essential for worship. Thus, Islam was deprived of being a social religion. If, instead of saying, 'He committed that sin,' or telling about the severity of the fire of Hell they had told about the usefulness of Islam on morals and society, and if, with no mention of torture and reward, they had tried to persuade the reason and intellect, they would not have deprived Islam of being a social religion. The human reason cannot entirely comprehend Allah's wisdom. We believe this. Yet, not all the commands and prohibitions are so [difficult to comprehend]. The causes of most of them can be comprehended through intellect. When scholars could not understand a point, they dismissed it by saying 'Allah knows'."

Islam is a heavenly religion. Like in other heavenly religions, Islamic knowledge is composed of two parts: religious knowledge and scientific knowledge. Scientific knowledge is also of Islamic knowledge. In order to be a scholar of Islam, contemporary scientific knowledge should also be learned as much as possible. Scientific knowledge changes and advances as time elapses. Religious knowledge never changes. This knowledge consists of beliefs, commands and prohibitions. They were declared by Allah. All these commands and prohibitions are called "Islam". Following Islam is called 'ibada (worship). Muslims worship because Allahu ta'ala commanded it to be their duty. The commands and prohibitions of Islam are much useful in many respects for men in this world and in the next world, but one should intend to worship because it is Allahu ta'ala's command and his duty as a human creature. Something done without thinking in this manner will not be worship. It will be an average action having no connection with the religion. For example, if a man performs salat without intending to carry out Allahu ta'ala's command and his human duty, but with the intention that salat is an exercise of physical training, his salat will not be sahih. He does not worship but he merely takes physical exercises.

Also, if one fasts with the thought of resting his stomach and for dieting, his fast is not sahih and maqbul. And a Muslim who fights and risks his life not for strengthening Allahu ta'ala's religion, for spreading Islam or for harming the enemies of Islam but for fame, honor, property or rank does not worship at all. He will not be rewarded for jihad. He does not die a martyr if he loses his life. A man who quits alcohol just because it is harmful to his body cannot escape the sin of drunkenness. Similarly, he who abstains from adultery and from going to brothels lest he might catch horrible diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis is not deemed chaste and pure in Islam.

Niyya (mental resolution, intention) for worship is very important in Islam. It determines whether each action done is compatible with Islam or not. If it were not a duty to escape Hell and go to Paradise as ordered by Allahu ta'ala, worship performed by merely thinking about Paradise and Hell would not be acceptable, either. The great men of tasawwuf, al-awliya' al-kiram, have not thought of them in worship; they have thought of only Allahu ta'ala's command and consent. Yet, it has been deemed enough for every Muslim to think of his advantages pertaining to the next world. Worship differs from customs in that it is necessary not to think of mundane advantages in worship. Actions performed for the sake of Allahu ta'ala for advantages pertaining to the next world, are of worship. Actions done for worldly advantages are deemed customs.

In Islam, intention is so important that if an action commanded by Islam is done for mundane advantages, it is not sahih and maqbul and becomes a worldly affair. When something worldly is done for advantages pertaining to the next worldly, it becomes worship. A Muslim gains thawab even for putting a morsel to his wife's mouth. If one takes this hadith into consideration, purifies his thought and corrects his intention, he does not miss the opportunity of gaining thawab in eating, drinking and in every worldly affair by thinking of heavenly advantages. Self-seeking and egoism will result if human beings get accustomed to seeking for worldly advantages and material profit in every affair and even in worship. Whereas, Islam demands the suppression of such evil desires of the nafs, self-sacrifice against materialism, abhorring egoism, and the purification and exaltation of morals and spirit.

It is a very evident fact for reasonable people that following Islam could not be based upon mundane advantages. In addition, the following ayats and hadiths show this fact: The twentieth ayat of the surat ash-Shura declares, "We increase the earnings of those who work for winning the next world. And to those who work for worldly advantage, we give what is of it. But they will not obtain anything in the next world." The eighteenth and nineteenth ayats of the surat al-Isra declare, "Among those who wish for this world, the favors and flavors of which last little and end soon, We give whom We want what We wish. The rewards for those who work for the favors of the next world are plentiful."

The sixteenth ayat of the surat Hud declares, "We abundantly give for the labor of those who want to live and amuse themselves in this world. We spare nothing. In the next world, they will be given the fire of Hell only. Their labor will come to nothing in the next world. For the work they do only for this world, there is no reward in the next world."

A hadith declares, "It will be said, 'The recompense of anything done for someone besides Allahu ta'ala should be asked from him.' "

Another hadith declares, "For the good actions done for the next world, Allahu ta'ala' gives reward in this world, too. But He never gives reward in the next world for the things done only for this world."

The hadith written firstly in the Sahih of al-Bukhari is very famous: "Every good deed will be evaluated according to the intention."

It is not forbidden to think of the worldly uses and the social advantages of the rules of Islam together with their uses in the next world. In fact, it is the duty of religious men to explain these uses through contemporary knowledge. But this is not the subject of fiqh or usul al-fiqh books contrary to the reformer's view. Fiqh teaches religious duties of people, and usul al-fiqh shows how these duties are derived from the four sources of Islam. The social aspects to be put forward about the rules of Islam, however, are to be prepared as a means of defense and competition against the enemies of Islam rather than against Muslims. Although it is very useful for Muslims to know the worldly usefulness of the rules of Islam, they shall only know it and not go as far as to establish their worship on the basis of worldly usefulness. Otherwise, worship is spoilt. However much worldly usefulness there is in the duties which Islam commands, one should do them only to carry out Allahu ta'ala's commands and escape punishment in the next world. When there is such an intention, it is not harmful to think of their worldly uses in addition.

To leave the advantages pertaining to the next world aside and seek for only social benefits in worship and to take this notion as essential is a sign of the disease of disbelieving the religion. When due attention is paid, the symptoms of that hidden disease will be seen in the speech and writings of religion reformers. Otherwise, anybody who has little religious knowledge or even who thinks only through his reason and intellect would certainly appreciate the importance of intention. Such implausible, illogical words of reformers make one think that they do not believe in the future life. Although worldly usefulness of the rules of Islam is very important and very obvious, those who believe in Paradise and Hell do not want even to remember their worldly advantages. In comparison with the immeasurable, infinite happiness and the much painful, endless disasters in the next world, the temporary pleasures and sorrows of this world are worth nothing. If the REFORMERS IN ISLAM, who pretended to undertake the trouble of telling Muslims about the importance of the future, believed in that most important future called "the next world", they would lay as much stress on the next world of Muslims at least as the religious scholars laid on this world of Muslims, and with their touching voice and tearful pens they would cry also a little for the happiness pertaining to the next world. If the rules of Islam were based upon social benefits, it would result in alterations and corruptions of these rules in the process of time.