Quality vs. Quantity

dust and gold walk into the masjid and the Imam goes “A. U.” come over here.
a ton of gold (au- get it? the atomic symbol? ok…I’m a nerd!) and a ton of dust….which weighs more?
they are the same of course, but if you were to break them down into which has the most particles, the dust would surely win. And as for value, the gold has it.

Allah does not count our deeds. He weighs them. This is why the concept of quality trumping quantity is so important in this deen.

When one action is done solely for the sake of God, then qualitatively, it is heavier than a million small actions done without ikhlaas or purity of intention. The stories from childhood about the prostitute who went down into a well to get water for a thirsty dog, or the woman who was a believer but treated her cat cruelly, set us up to understand this concept beautifully.

It’s not about who you think you are, or what you happen to call yourself. It’s about how heavy your deeds are on His scales- the only measurement that matters.

Allah weighs our deeds.

Pray our deeds are heavy and glorious like gold so that on that last day we won’t be from the people who say…”I wish I was dust.”