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Fatwa CenterThe new Muslim being rewarded for his good deeds before Islam
Question
Assalamo Alaykum, If a Kaafir embraces Islaam, then what happens to his good deeds done before Islaam? Will those good deeds be counted as hasanaat even if at that time he did not do it only for sake of Allah? Jazaak Allah!
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
In principle, the deeds done by a non-Muslim before embracing Islam are not accepted from him and he is not rewarded for them; we have already clarified this in Fatwa 90698. However, after he embraces Islam, Allaah may bestow His Grace on him and reward him for those actions. Hakeem Ibn Hizaam 
asked the Prophet saying: “What about the acts of worship that I used to do in the pre-Islamic era of ignorance [i.e. before I became a Muslim], will I be rewarded for it?” So, the Prophet told him: “You accepted Islam with all good that you did in the past."
However, a group of scholars 
interpreted the Hadeeth literally. An-Nawawi 
said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim: “Ibn Battaal and other scholars of Hadeeth are of the view that the Hadeeth should be interpreted literally in the sense that if a non-Muslim embraces Islam and dies as a Muslim, he will be rewarded for the good deeds that he did before Islam; their evidence is the Hadeeth narrated by Abi Sa’eed Al-Khudri that the Prophet said: “If a disbeliever embraces Islam and becomes a good Muslim, every good deed that he did before embracing Islam will be written for him and every bad deed that he did while he was a disbeliever will be lifted from him, and his good deed will be counted as ten good deeds, up to seven hundred times, and the evil deed will be counted as one single evil deed unless Allaah The Almighty forgives it." Ad-Daraqutni narrated this Hadeeth among the strange Ahaadeeth of Maalik, through nine routes, all of which indicate that if a disbeliever embraces Islam and becomes a good Muslim, every good deed that he did while he was a disbeliever will be written for him.” After mentioning the Hadeeth, Ibn Battaal said: “Allaah may bestow His favour upon His slaves with whatever He wills and no one can object to Him. He said: “This is like the statement of the Prophet to Hakeem Ibn Hizaam : “You accepted Islam with all the good that you did in the past.”
As regards the statement of the jurists : “An act of worship is not accepted from a disbeliever, and if he becomes a Muslim, it will not be counted for him” then the meaning is that it will not be counted for him in regard to the rulings of this worldly life, and it does not refer to the reward of the Hereafter. So, whoever says that if someone becomes a Muslim, he will not be rewarded for his deeds (before Islam) in the Hereafter, then his statement is refuted by this authentic Sunnah.”
However, An-Nawawi also mentioned the statements of those who interpreted the Hadeeth to be in conformity with the principle that was stated at the beginning of this Fatwa.
Allaah Knows best.
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