Approaching the West — Page 109
A pproaching the West—109 kid (Lev. 4:3, 22, 27). That means that even in Judaism an unintentional wrongdoing was regarded a sin as it offended the holiness of God, and was considered as an encroachment upon His rights! In the Isl ā mic A ḥā d ī th literature, the Book of Bukh ā r ī holds an eminent position. It is a collection of the oral traditions of the teachings and personal conduct of the Prophet Mu ḥ ammad (peace and blessings of God be on him), transmitted down through generations. The Ḥ ad ī th that Im ā m Bukh ā r ī selected to place at the very beginning of his collection reads, “All deeds are determined by intentions alone; a person receives (as a consequence of) what he really intends. ” This means that the spiritual reward or punishment does not depend on the apparent nature of an act; if the intention is evil, regardless how good an action may appear it would still be in the category of sins. God sees what is in the hearts. In the Holy Qur’ ā n, it is repeatedly stated that God knows what men reveal and what they conceal. He is well aware of what is in the depths of their hearts (11:6). He who desires the reward for the deeds of this world, God grants him thereof; and he who desires the reward of the Hereafter, God will certainly grant him thereof (3:146). The Qur’ ā n narrates the story of Moses that a man was killed at his hands, this was without any intent of harm or murder; and the Muslims therefore do not believe that this constituted a sin on the part of Moses. If there is no intention to break the Law of God, but a wrongful act takes place accidentally, it is considered an error, but no sin at all. At times, a person may not be able to follow a commandment of God to the letter, and feels compelled under particular