Do converts keep their good deeds from before Islam?

Yes. Based on the hadith of Hakim ibn Hizzam, the Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good deeds that you have done." A convert receives a double blessing: (1) all prior sins are wiped clean, and (2) good deeds done before Islam are preserved as reward. Some scholars disagree, citing that the deeds of disbelievers are not accepted, but Yasir Qadhi responds that this applies to those who die in disbelief — a convert has now accepted Allah, so as a gift, their prior good deeds are rewarded.

Are a revert's past good deeds rewarded?

Yes. Based on the hadith of Hakim ibn Hizzam, the Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good deeds that you have done." A convert receives a double blessing: (1) all prior sins are wiped clean, and (2) good deeds done before Islam are preserved as reward. Some scholars disagree, citing that the deeds of disbelievers are not accepted, but Yasir Qadhi responds that this applies to those who die in disbelief — a convert has now accepted Allah, so as a gift, their prior good deeds are rewarded.

Does Islam erase previous sins when you convert?

Yes. Based on the hadith of Hakim ibn Hizzam, the Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good deeds that you have done." A convert receives a double blessing: (1) all prior sins are wiped clean, and (2) good deeds done before Islam are preserved as reward. Some scholars disagree, citing that the deeds of disbelievers are not accepted, but Yasir Qadhi responds that this applies to those who die in disbelief — a convert has now accepted Allah, so as a gift, their prior good deeds are rewarded.

What happens to good deeds done before accepting Islam?

Yes. Based on the hadith of Hakim ibn Hizzam, the Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good deeds that you have done." A convert receives a double blessing: (1) all prior sins are wiped clean, and (2) good deeds done before Islam are preserved as reward. Some scholars disagree, citing that the deeds of disbelievers are not accepted, but Yasir Qadhi responds that this applies to those who die in disbelief — a convert has now accepted Allah, so as a gift, their prior good deeds are rewarded.

Are charitable acts before conversion counted in Islam?

Yes. Based on the hadith of Hakim ibn Hizzam, the Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good deeds that you have done." A convert receives a double blessing: (1) all prior sins are wiped clean, and (2) good deeds done before Islam are preserved as reward. Some scholars disagree, citing that the deeds of disbelievers are not accepted, but Yasir Qadhi responds that this applies to those who die in disbelief — a convert has now accepted Allah, so as a gift, their prior good deeds are rewarded.

Are a convert's good deeds from before Islam rewarded?

Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)

The Question: A Christian Friend Considering Islam — 5:08

Brother Adam from Kenya, masha'Allah, emails and says that he has a Christian friend who insha'Allah will be converting to Islam soon — he is hopeful for that. He is asking: will his good deeds that he did as a Christian also be rewarded? So the question is: will a convert still get reward for their good deeds from the past, or not?

Encouragement for the Brother — 5:33

This question is a very good one. First and foremost, I encourage Brother Adam to welcome this convert, to help him out, and to facilitate him. I am assuming that he has also played a role in this conversion, so this is alhamdulillah something we are all happy about. As our Prophet (SAW) said, if Allah uses you to guide another person, it is better for you than basically a million dollars — than a whole herd of camels, meaning a lot of money. It is better for you that you guide one person. So this is good that you are working on this, brother. Insha'Allah, when he converts, welcome him, help him, and facilitate his conversion to Islam.

The Hadith of Hakim ibn Hizzam — 6:17

Also inform him of the good news that Hakim ibn Hizzam, one of the Sahaba, embraced Islam at the time of the Prophet (SAW) after the Conquest of Makkah. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, I want to ask you about the good deeds that I used to do in the days of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islam). I used to give charity, I used to free slaves, and I used to be good to my family. Will I be rewarded for those good deeds?"

And our Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good deeds that you have done — they are with you."

The Double Blessing of Conversion — 6:56

From this hadith, a number of scholars derived that the convert has a double blessing. The first blessing is that his sins are all wiped off clean — he has no sin remaining with him when he converts. And the second blessing is that the good deeds that he has done — because every human does good deeds, every human gives charity insha'Allah, helps people out — so anybody who did a deed that was good for the sake of his Lord, even if he was a non-Muslim, there is going to be some reward in this world even as a non-Muslim. We believe this because the Quran tells us this. Of course, in the Hereafter, that reward is only for those who believe in the Hereafter and in Allah and in Heaven and Hell.

But in this world, any good deed is going to be rewarded. Now, if the person converts to Islam, in this case, this hadith tells us that insha'Allah they shall get the rewards of their good deeds.

The Dissenting Opinion and Yasir Qadhi's Response — 7:49

Now, of course, as you can understand, there is always going to be a dissenting voice. Some scholars interpret this hadith in other ways because they say that the one who rejects Allah — none of his good deeds are going to be accepted.

And the response is: you are correct, the one who rejects Allah and dies in that state — Allah will not accept his deeds in the Hereafter. But this is a person who has accepted Allah, and he has good deeds pre-acceptance. So as a gift to him, as the Prophet (SAW) said: "You have accepted Islam along with all of the good that you have done." The good only — because the evil has been wiped away.

Therefore, you may tell this Christian friend of yours that he should not delay in embracing Islam, and give him the glad tidings that not only are his sins forgiven, but also that all of the good deeds that he has done have been rewarded.