Surah Muhammad (47) — Ayah 33

(Ayah 33){ يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَطِيْعُوا اللّٰهَ وَ اَطِيْعُوا الرَّسُوْلَ … :} That is, the condition for the acceptance of deeds is that a person remains bound to the obedience of Allah and His Messenger. If someone leaves obedience and turns to opposition and starts colluding with the enemies, then all his deeds are nullified, no matter how good he thinks his actions are, just as the hypocrites, who after believing, chose disbelief and after pledging obedience, chose the path of opposition. Here, this is the meaning of the verse, because before and after this, the mention is of the hypocrites. Thus, the meaning of the verse is: "O you who have believed! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and do not nullify your deeds like those whose deeds Allah destroyed because of their disbelief, hindering from the way of Allah, and opposing the Messenger." The meaning of the verse is not that if a person commits any disobedience or major sin, then all his previous deeds are nullified, because this is against this verse: «اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ اَنْ يُّشْرَكَ بِهٖ وَ يَغْفِرُ مَا دُوْنَ ذٰلِكَ لِمَنْ يَّشَآءُ وَ مَنْ يُّشْرِكْ بِاللّٰهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرٰۤى اِثْمًا عَظِيْمًا » [النساء:۴۸] "Indeed, Allah does not forgive that a partner be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And whoever associates partners with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin." Yes, the verse can certainly mean that any deed in which there is no obedience to Allah and His Messenger, and it is not according to their prescribed way, is null and void, because for the acceptance of deeds, sincerity and following the Sunnah are conditions, as Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ ] [ مسلم، الأقضیۃ، باب نقض الأحکام الباطلۃ و رد محدثات الأمور : ۱۸ /۱۷۱۸ ] "Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our practice, it is rejected." Some people have deduced from this verse that any voluntary act, whether prayer or fasting or anything else, if started, it becomes obligatory to complete it, because if he leaves it before completion, he has nullified the deed, but this is not correct, nor does it have any connection with the verse. A voluntary act remains voluntary before and after. That which is not obligatory to start is not obligatory to complete. See details in the major sourcebooks.

33. 1. That is, do not destroy your deeds by adopting apostasy and hypocrisy like the hypocrites and apostates. This is, in effect, a command to remain steadfast upon Islam. Some have also considered the committing of major sins and immoralities as a cause for the nullification of deeds. That is why, among the qualities of the believers, one quality mentioned is that they avoid major sins and immoralities (an-Najm). In this regard, there is an emphasis here on avoiding major sins and immoralities. From this verse, it is also understood that no matter how good a deed may appear, if it is outside the bounds of obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, then it is wasted and nullified.

O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger [37], and do not let your deeds be in vain.

[37]
Deeds That Nullify Good Actions:

That is, whatever action you do should be done with the intention of obeying Allah and His Messenger, and according to the method prescribed by Him. For example, the real objective of jihad is to seek the pleasure of Allah and to elevate His word. If a person undertakes jihad for any other motive, such as for fame and recognition, or due to tribal prejudice, or for the acquisition of spoils of war, then even such a good deed will not be accepted. Furthermore, one should also safeguard one's good deeds and avoid doing anything that might endanger their acceptance. For example, apostasy, shirk, boasting about one's deeds, or reminding others of favors after giving charity—these are actions that nullify good deeds.