"Grant not favor, seeking gain!"
Quran 74:6
This very brief passage, drawn from the 74th surah, al-Muddaththir, here rendered as "The Covered One," surely has equivalent verses in every religion. Nasr explains to us in the Study Quran: "Similar to 92:18-22, this verse indicates that charity should be given freely for the sake of God, not to curry favor or seek material gain. It can be seen as a general command for all believers or as a particular command for the Prophet." (p. 1439) I think I would argue that it also more generally speaks to the need for sincerity in all aspects of your faith. You should do thinks because of the rightness of doing them, and not because you're trying to impress anyone. Actually, I think you could also include God in that general admonition as well, and I'm not trying to be disrespectful. If you're doing something for fear of punishment from God or in hope of reward from God is your intention contaminated, although not as much as hoping to avoid punishment or curry favor from more human sources. Or, well, is it actually worse? Do we insult God when we turn Him/Her/It into nothing more than a vehicle for punishment/reward? However, if God is the inherent kindness and compassion at the heart of all things then kind, compassionate acts are not an attempt to inspire reward but rather acting in union with the point of everything.
Quran 74:6
This very brief passage, drawn from the 74th surah, al-Muddaththir, here rendered as "The Covered One," surely has equivalent verses in every religion. Nasr explains to us in the Study Quran: "Similar to 92:18-22, this verse indicates that charity should be given freely for the sake of God, not to curry favor or seek material gain. It can be seen as a general command for all believers or as a particular command for the Prophet." (p. 1439) I think I would argue that it also more generally speaks to the need for sincerity in all aspects of your faith. You should do thinks because of the rightness of doing them, and not because you're trying to impress anyone. Actually, I think you could also include God in that general admonition as well, and I'm not trying to be disrespectful. If you're doing something for fear of punishment from God or in hope of reward from God is your intention contaminated, although not as much as hoping to avoid punishment or curry favor from more human sources. Or, well, is it actually worse? Do we insult God when we turn Him/Her/It into nothing more than a vehicle for punishment/reward? However, if God is the inherent kindness and compassion at the heart of all things then kind, compassionate acts are not an attempt to inspire reward but rather acting in union with the point of everything.
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