{Quick Reflections 8} The Inner Why

Want to, Have to or Used to?!

Putting aside all bad deeds and focusing only on the good deeds I used to look around for people doing good deeds. I was eager to learn from them as ALLAAH (SWT) says, "wafee zalik falyatanafas al-mutanafisoon". As usual after knowing what they are doing and how came the why, the inner why?
So anyone doing any good deed must be doing it for one of 3 main reasons;
1. To please people and to gain their praise which is a form of shirk (ryaa'). It could even be for the sake of feeling fulfilled and to satisfy one's ego ("ujb). This is the most common and prevelant intention amongst all people of the world of all religions and beliefs that drives people to do good deeds. That intention leads its owner to be the first dweller of hell.
2. To fool people and make them think he is a Muslim while actually he hates Islaam which is hypocrasy (nifaaq). That intentions leads its owner to the lowest part of hell.
3. To obey ALLAAH which is the only truthful and sincere intention.
May we all be of those who do good deeds for the pure sake of ALLAAH.

Now those doing the good deeds for the sake of ALLAAH (which includes gaining His contentment, aspiring for heaven and fear from hell) will be doing it for one of 3 main reasons;
1. Out of habit, so one is used to doing that good deed. It is a passive process in which one has been doing a certain deed for some time and has become used to doing it and does not perform it with much attention and effort.
2. Out of self-discipline, so one has to do that good deed as one is forcing himself to start or even continue doing a certain good deed. It is an active process and it certainly needs a lot of attention and effort and thus it is of a much greater caliber than the previous one. It is usually difficult and involves a struggle.
3. Out of pure love and passion to ALLAAH, so one wants to do that good deed. This is a very active process that involves a lot of attention and effort but at the same time is so sweet and desirable. Now this is the best reason one can have behind a good deed one is doing.

Now have we evaluated oursleves and made sure that our motive and the why behind our good deeds, every single one of them, is just for the sake of ALLAAH and not because i want to satisfy my ego or gain people's praise? And after doing so have we categorized ourselves and defined the exact catergory we belong to? Did i ask myself before and after doing any good deed, why did i do it? Did i do it because I am used to, have to or want to do it?

May we all be amongst those who want to do good deeds for the pure sake of ALLAAH out of pure love and passion for Him (AWJ).