عَنْ حَكِيمِ بْنِ حِزَامٍ رضي الله عنه، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَرَأَيْتَ أَشْيَاءَ كُنْتُ أَتَحَنَّثُ بِهَا فِي الجَاهِلِيَّةِ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ عَتَاقَةٍ، وَصِلَةِ رَحِمٍ، فَهَلْ فِيهَا مِنْ أَجْرٍ؟ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: «أَسْلَمْتَ عَلَى مَا سَلَفَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ»
Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām narrated, saying:
1. I said: ‘Messenger of God, do you think that the good deeds I used to do in my pre-Islamic days in the way of worship, such as charitable donations, freeing slaves and maintaining ties of kinship will earn me reward?’
2. The Prophet answered: ‘When you become a Muslim you keep the good actions you have already done’.
1. Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām asked the Prophet what would happen to the good deeds he used to do prior to becoming a Muslim. He had done them as a form of worship. These included charitable donations, freeing slaves and kindness to relatives, etc. He was a man of noble and very generous character. He freed one hundred slaves in pre-Islamic days and gifted one hundred camels as charity. He did the same after becoming a Muslim. He said: ‘By God, whatever I did before Islam, I shall do the same in Islam’. [1]
2. The Prophet answered him saying that as a Muslim, he retained his past good deeds. This means that God will reward him for the good deeds he did prior to Islam, but will not punish him for the bad deeds he committed during that time.
1. Ḥakīm was not too shy to ask the Prophet about what he did prior to embracing Islam. A Muslim should not be deterred from asking about religious matters, either by shyness or pride.
2. Ḥakīm was keen to have every good he did credited to him, so that his reward would be multiplied and his grade improved. Every Muslim should ensure that his good deeds are done purely for God’s sake, without blemish.
3. A Muslim should not prevent an unbeliever or a transgressor from doing any good action. When such a person becomes a Muslim, God is certain to reward him for his good actions.
4. God’s grace is abounding. He loves His servants and rewards them for their good deeds before they turn to Him and accept the divine faith. He does not punish them for the bad deeds they committed before that.
