1/55. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 123a — Previous Good Deeds Honored in Islam
Clarifying the ruling of the action of an unbeliever if he accepts Islam after it
Hadith About Good Deeds Before Islam and the Mercy of Faith
Sahih Muslim : 123a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 123a
حَدَّثَنِي حَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ حَكِيمَ بْنَ حِزَامٍ، أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، قَالَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَرَأَيْتَ أُمُورًا كُنْتُ أَتَحَنَّثُ بِهَا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ هَلْ لِي فِيهَا مِنْ شَىْءٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَسْلَمْتَ عَلَى مَا أَسْلَفْتَ مِنْ خَيْرٍ " . وَالتَّحَنُّثُ التَّعَبُّدُ .
Hakim bin Hizam Narrated from:
Hakim b. Hizam reported to 'Urwa b. Zubair that he said to the Messenger of Allah: Do you think that there is any thing for me (of he reward with the Lord) for the deed of religious purification that I did in the state of ignorance? Upon this he (the Messenger of Allah) said to him: You accepted Islam with all the previous virtues that you practised.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 123aIn-book reference : Book 1, Hadith 230USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 1, Hadith 222
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 123a
Hakim b. Hizam asked the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم about acts of religious purification he had done before Islam. The answer was full of mercy: he accepted Islam with the previous virtues he had practised. This hadith about good deeds before Islam gives a hopeful lesson. A person’s past is not only a place of mistakes; it can also contain acts of devotion, charity, and goodness. The main point is simple. Islam did not erase the good Hakim had done. It gave him a clear path forward. The phrase about previous virtues also reminds readers that good deeds, when joined with faith, should lead a person to even more obedience and thankful living.
What we learn from this hadith
- Good actions done before accepting Islam are mentioned with respect in this narration.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم answered Hakim with hope and did not dismiss his earlier acts of worship.
- Entering Islam opened a new life while keeping the good he had already done.
- Acts of devotion should continue and become stronger after faith.
