I Pay the Electricity Bill of a Mosque. What Is the Reward?
Answered by Shaykh Sulayman Van Ael
Question: Assalam alaykum,
Is there any hadith regarding the reward for providing lightning for a mosque? Is it valid to make intention to pay the electricity bill for the mosque as a mean to provide lighting for the believers so that Allah may put light in my grave?
Answer: Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
Dear questioner about light on the day of resurrection,
No direct proof
There is no direct proof that states that Allah will provide he who provides light for the mosque, with light.
Indirect proof
It is known that Muhammad – peace and blessings be upon him – said: “Actions will be rewarded in harmony with the intention behind them.” And – peace and blessings be upon him – said: “The water of Zamzam will result in that what it was drunk for.” (This is a sound hadith, declared authentic by as-Suyuti, Ibn Hajar, Ibn Khuzayman, Ibn Hummam, ad-Daylami, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and others)
The early muslims and their understanding of these indirect proofs
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi drunk from Zam-Zam with three intentions. Ibn Khuzayma was asked where he got his knowledge from. He said: because of the du’a he made while drinking from zam-zam. Others drunk from zam-zam with the intention not to experience any form of thirst on the day of the resurrection.
Be sincere
If you are sincere in what you want, then Allah will give you what you ask for. In the time of the Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – a man wanted to die in a certain way. And it did take place exactly as he said. Muhammad – peace and blessing be upon him – said: “He was sincere with Allah so Allah gave him what he was longing for.”
Conclusion
If you do this with the intention that Allah will give you light on the day of resurrection, then I believe that all these general proofs and many others that I did not mention show us that you will get what you long for as long as you are sincere.
Better vs. best
I still think that the best thing is to leave things up to Allah. He knows best what we need most. Maybe it is not light in your grave that you need most, but something else.
Worship is for Allah alone
The best thing is to do good because it pleases Allah, and not to think about the reward. That Allah chose you to be that element in this universe through which He wants to be worshipped is the biggest reward and most generous Divine present.
I ask Allah to take us by the hand to everything that pleases Him, amin.
Wassalam
[Shaykh] Sulayman Van Ael
Shaykh Sulayman Van Ael received ijazah from various luminaries in the ten Qur’anic readings, in Ihya Ulum al-Din, in the major books of hadith, in different texts in Guelph classical Islamic sciences–including grammar, tafsir, fiqh, and usul.
