عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، ابْنُ جُدْعَانَ كَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ يَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَيُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ، فَهَلْ ذَاكَ نَافِعُهُ؟ قَالَ: "لَا يَنْفَعُهُ، إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَقُلْ يَوْمًا: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي خَطِيئَتِي يَوْمَ الدِّينِ".
[صحيح] - [رواه مسلم]
المزيــد ...

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, Ibn Jud‘ān used to uphold kinship ties and feed the poor during the Jāhiliyyah (pre-Islamic era of ignorance). Will this benefit him?" He said: "It will not benefit him, for he did not ever say: My Lord, forgive my sins on the Day of Judgment."
Sahih/Authentic. - [Muslim]

Explanation

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) that ‘Abdullāh ibn Jud‘ān at-Taymi used to do good deeds during the Jāhiliyyah, upholding kinship ties and feeding the poor, and asked whether these things would save him from the punishment of Allah which disbelievers deserve. He replied in the negative and explained that these would not benefit him because he was a follower of the religion of the Quraysh polytheists and did not believe in the Resurrection, which made him a disbeliever and rendered his good deeds worthless. That is because he did not believe or express his belief with phrases like: My Lord, forgive my sins on the Day of Judgment.

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Benefits from the Hadith

  1. The Hadīth points out the merit of belief and that it is the main requirement for accepting people's good deeds.
  2. It shows the evil impact of disbelief and that it renders good deeds worthless.
  3. The good deeds of the disbelievers will not avail them in the Hereafter and they will not be rewarded for them by enjoying any bliss or having their punishment alleviated. However, their punishment will be of varying degrees in accordance with their crimes, as indicated by the Qur’an and the Sunnah and unanimously agreed by the Muslim scholars.
  4. The good deeds of a disbeliever will be recorded for him if he embraces Islam, and he will be rewarded for them, out of Allah's bounty, due to his good practicing of Islam.