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The term
Aamaal-e-Saliha appears quite frequently in the Quran. This
has been described as the main credential of the believers and
when combined with true belief, it entails the best of this
life and the hereafter, according to the Quran. The term is
usually translated as “righteous deeds” or “good deeds” and
seems quite vague in the first read. This article looks a
little deeper into the meanings of this term.
Aamaal
It is the
plural of ‘Amal. ‘Amal may be rendered as ‘work’, ‘labour’,
‘service’, ‘a deed’ or ‘an action’. According to Er-Raghib,
‘it is a deed or action that proceeds from an animate being by
his intentions’. ‘Amal differs from fi’l in that ‘Amal is a
fi’l or deed with a sort of difficulty. ‘Amal may refer to an
action of the body as well as a mental activity. Arabs used
the word “ya’aamalun” to describe a camel that was excellent,
strong, light and swift in respect of work or labour. Some
more meanings of the word are given below:
-Doing
-Acting
-Action
-Activity
-Work
-Labour
-Course of
action
-Way of acting
-Practice
-Achievement
-Production
-Manufacturing
-Fabrication
-Execution
-Practical work
-Operation
-Feat
-Job
-Deed
-Occupation
-Business, etc.
Saalihun
The word is from
the root S-L-H which leads to the following meanings:
-Good
-Incorrupt
-Right
-Just
-Proper
-Righteous
-Virtuous
-Honest
-In proper,
right or sound order or state
-Thriving
-Suitable, fit,
meet, appropriate, apt
-Befitting,
Benefiting, beneficial, advantageous or beneficent
-Conducive
-Efficacious,
efficient, useful, etc.
Saalihun is the
opposite of Faasidun.
According to the
meanings given above, a possible definition of
Aamaal-e-Saliha, in the light of Quranic teachings,
can be given as follows:
"Actions or deeds, done with good intention, which are
right and just (according to the Quran), befitting and efficacious
(for the intended purpose) and beneficial for the self and
the society"
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