When a disbeliever does a good deed, he is rewarded for it in this world. As to the believ…

Islam > Hadiths > The creed > When a disbeliever does a good deed, he is rewarded for it in this world. As to the believ…

Hadith narrated by Narrated by Muslim

Authentic hadith

Updated on 24 September 2026 at 12:34 AM

📖 2 min read

Hadith text: When a disbeliever does a good deed, he is rewarded for…

عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً: «إنَّ الكافر إذا عمل حسنة، أُطْعِمَ بها طُعْمَةً من الدنيا، وأما المؤمن فإِنَّ اللهَ تعالى يدخر له حسناته في الآخرة، ويُعْقِبُهُ رزقًا في الدنيا على طاعته».
وفي رواية: «إنَّ الله لا يظلم مؤمنا حسنة، يُعْطَى بها في الدنيا، ويُجْزَى بها في الآخرة، وأما الكافر فَيُطْعَمُ بحسنات ما عمل لله تعالى في الدنيا، حتى إذا أفضى إلى الآخرة، لم يكن له حسنة يُجْزَى بها».

Explanation of the hadith: When a disbeliever does a good deed, he is rewarded for…

If a disbeliever does an act of obedience, then Allah, the Almighty, will provide him with sustenance in this world in return for it. As for the believer, if he does an act of obedience, then Allah will save the reward to give it to him in the Hereafter as well as reward him for his obedience in this world.

Allah never misses rewarding the believer for his good deeds; He gives him reward in this world as well as the next. As to the disbeliever, he is only rewarded in this world for his good deeds, and when the Day of Judgment comes, he will have no good deeds to be rewarded for.

Scholars have agreed that if the disbeliever dies upon disbelief, then he will have no reward in the Hereafter, and he will not be rewarded for any of his good deeds performed in this world. This Hadīth clearly mentioned that the disbeliever will be fed and rewarded in this world for what he did of good deeds which do not require a sound intention to be accepted, such as maintaining ties of kinship, charity, freeing a slave, hosting guests, and similar deeds.

However, if the disbeliever does such good deeds then enters Islam, then he will be rewarded for them in the Hereafter, as indicated in the Hadīth: "You embraced Islam with all the previous good deeds you had performed.”

Categories : The Creed · Belief in the Last Day · The Hereafter Life

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إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا

God and His angels shower their blessings on the Prophet. O believers, you should also send your blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy greeting.

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