Hiding one's good deeds is more closely associated with sincerity
1-6-2014 | IslamWeb
Question:
Salaam Alaikum, I am mobile developer and I am thinking of developing Islamic App, but I want to make sure that there is no problem in doing this kind of programs. The main idea of the app is to calculate the daily score for the good things people do every day for example: Praying Fard prayer = 100 point Praying Sunna prayer = 50 point Reading 1 page of Quran = 90 point Giving 1 dollar to poor people as Sadaqa = 75 point and so on.... So if the person for example pray 5 prayers and read 2 pages of Quran, his daily score will be: 5*100 + 2*90 = 680 The user also can share his score with friends to make it more competitive and motivate the friends to do more good things the next day :) is this idea conflicts with the basics of our religion? THanks
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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
As regards your statement, “to calculate the daily score for the good things people do every day”; if you mean good deeds or rewards, then we are not aware that there is any Sharee'ah text that determines the reward for performing an obligatory act of worship by a certain number of good deeds, like 100 good deeds or degrees. So, we cannot say such a thing without a Sharee'ah text, and we have not found text in relation to this.
Since there is no Sharee'ah-text to this effect, then it is not permissible to assign a certain number of good deeds or rewards which is not determined by Sharee'ah to an obligatory act of worship. Allaah says (what means): {...Do you say about Allaah that which you do not know?} [Quran 10:68] Allaah also says (what means): {And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned.} [Quran 17:36]
On the other hand, if you do not mean to count good deeds or rewards but just the acts (of worship) and show their abundance or scarcity, then this is considered as counting good deeds which is not mentioned by any fixed number in the Sharee'ah, and we have not come across any statement of the scholars in this particular issue, but we believe that there is nothing wrong with doing it. It was reported that some of the Companions and the righteous predecessors used to count some good deeds like Tasbeeh (saying Subhaanallaah, i.e. glory to Allaah). Ibn Rajab said in Jaami’ Al-‘Uloom wal-Hikam "Abu Hurayrah had a piece of thread with 1,000 knots and he would not go to sleep until he had said Subhaanallaah (Glory to Allaah) according to the number of all these knots. Also, Khaalid ibn Ma’daan used to say Subhaanallaah 40,000 times in addition to what he would recite from the Quran. When he died, he was put on his bed to be washed, and he started pointing with his finger moving it and saying the Tasbeeh. ‘Umayr ibn Haani' was asked: “You do not stop mentioning Allaah, how many times do you say the Tasbeeh per day?” He replied: “100,000 Tasbeeh, unless I make a mistake with my fingers"; meaning that he was counting with his fingers.”
On the contrary, Ibn Mas’ood 
was reported to have said to people who were counting Tasbeeh, Tahleel (saying Laa Ilaaha Illa Allaah, there is none worthy of worship except Allaah), and the Takbeer (saying Allaahu Akbar – 'Allaah is the Greatest'): “Count your sins, I guarantee that nothing is lost from your good deeds.” This was reported by Ad-Daarimi with an authentic chain of narrators.
It might be understood that he disapproved of them doing so because they believed that it was obligatory for them to count.
It could also be understood that the Companions and the Taabi’is (the generation who followed them), who were reported to count, did so in order to motivate themselves.
Finally, we do not recommend making this counter in the program to be seen by other viewers as it may be a way of showing off, as the devil may incite someone to achieve more points so that they can be seen by others. Indeed, sincerity is a very serious and critical matter and being keen on hiding good deeds is more appropriate than showing them unless there is a benefit. The more possible it is to hide deeds and not let others find about them, the better, as this is more sincere and removed from showing off.
Allaah Knows best.