Firstly, it is important not to excessively concern ourselves with the issue of reward because Allah, the Most High, does not wrong anyone. He is the One who gives out of His bounty, not based on strict justice alone. As Allah says in the Quran, “Say, ‘Do you inform Allah of your religion?'” (Al-Hujurat, 49:16). Allah does not require notification or reminders; rather, He rewards according to His wisdom. He may reward those who perform good deeds and also reward those who are unable to do so due to a valid excuse.
Ad-Darimi narrated: (Al-Hakam ibn Al-Mubarak informed us, who informed us that Amr ibn Yahya said: “I heard my father talking about his father, who said: ‘We used to sit by the door of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud before the Fajr prayer. When he came out, we would walk with him to the mosque. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari came to us and said, ‘Has Abu Abdur-Rahman come out?’ We replied, ‘No.’ So he sat with us until he came out. When he came out, we all went to him, and Abu Musa said to him, ‘O Abu Abdur-Rahman, I saw something in the mosque earlier that I disapproved of, but I did not see anything except good.’ Abdullah ibn Mas’ud asked, ‘What is it?’ Abu Musa replied, ‘If you live, you will see it.’ Abdullah said, ‘I saw in the mosque a group of people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In each circle, there was a man holding small stones in his hand and saying, “Say Allahu Akbar a hundred times,” and they would say Allahu Akbar a hundred times. Then he would say, “Say La ilaha illallah a hundred times,” and they would say La ilaha illallah a hundred times. After that, he would say, “Say Subhanallah a hundred times,” and they would say Subhanallah a hundred times.’ Abdullah asked, ‘What did you say to them?’ Abu Musa replied, ‘I did not say anything to them, waiting for your opinion or your command.’ Abdullah said, ‘Shouldn’t you have ordered them to count their sins and assured them that their good deeds would not be lost?’ Then he left, and we followed him until he reached one of those circles, stood among them, and asked, ‘What is this that I see you doing?’ They replied, ‘O Abu Abdur-Rahman, these are pebbles with which we count the takbeer, tahleel, and tasbeeh.’ He said: “Count your sins, for I guarantee that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe unto you, O Ummah of Muhammad, how quickly your destruction will come! These are the companions of your Prophet (peace be upon him), present among you, and his garments have not worn out, and his utensils have not broken. By the One in whose hand is my soul, you are upon a way that is more guided than the way of Muhammad or the opening of a gate of misguidance.” They said, “By Allah, O Abu Abdur-Rahman, we only intended good.” He said, “How many are there who intend good but do not achieve it? Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) informed us that there are people who recite the Quran, but it does not go beyond their throats. By Allah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are among you.” Then he turned away from them. Amr ibn Salamah said, “We saw most of those circles opposing us on the Day of Nahrawan along with the Khawarij.”
Secondly, the principle regarding actions is that those who perform the deed are superior and closer to attaining rewards than those who do not. Allah, the Most High, says: “Not equal are those of the believers who sit at home, except those who are disabled, and those who strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred in grades those who strive hard and fight with their wealth and their lives over those who sit at home. Unto each, Allah has promised good (Paradise), but Allah has preferred those who strive hard and fight, above those who sit (at home) by a huge reward.” [An-Nisa’4:95]
So, for example, a blind person is excused from participating in jihad according to the explicit statement of the verse. However, they will not attain the reward of a martyr who went out and fought. Similarly, a destitute person who is unable to give in charity is not obligated to do so, but they will not attain the reward of the one who gives charity. Otherwise, there would be injustice upon the one who gives charity.
Similarly, because the excused person is not questioned about their omission due to their excuse, while the capable person is questioned about their omission, it is just that the excused person is not rewarded for their omission, and the capable person is rewarded for their action.
Thirdly, for those in such a situation, they should seek other avenues of goodness. Our master Ibn Umm Maktum, for example, was blind but he used to call the adhan for the Prophet (peace be upon him), and he died as a martyr, raising the banner of the Muslims in the Battle of Qadisiyyah. Amr ibn Al-Jamuh was lame, yet he participated in the Battle of Uhud and attained martyrdom, and so on.
And Allah knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr