Answer
Wa Alaykum Assalam Dear Brother,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
The language of your question is a bit contorted, but I think that the meaning is clear. You are asking is it best to help a person for their own sake or is it best to help a person for Allah’s sake.
As Muslims we try to do all things for Allah’s sake. That doesn’t mean we do it for Allah’s sake to get blessings for ourselves only. That would be a selfish reason. It simply means we do it for Allah’s sake because Allah blessed us with everything. He made it possible for us to help when someone needed help.
Often, when a person needs help immediately, it is hard to find someone willing to help. Many give the excuse of being busy at the moment. When you leave your important work to help someone else then you deserve reward; a great reward. This reward is from the Creator of the Heavens and Earth.
If we reach the state of being such good Muslims that we are indeed doing things for Allah’s sake alone, then He will reward us as He pleases. Accepting this reward is showing gratitude because who we think we are refusing the Creator’s gift?
Please ponder upon the following hadith. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
“If anyone relieves a Muslim believer from one of the hardships of this worldly life, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. If anyone makes it easy for the one who is indebted to him (while finding it difficult to repay), Allah will make it easy for him in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, and if anyone conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah helps His slave as long as he helps his brother.” (Related by Muslim).
How can someone refuse such great rewards? When we say we are not helping for the sake of Allah, we are indirectly telling Allah, we are not in need of His reward; may Allah forbid.
Also it is all related to our intention. If we intend to help someone to gain a worldly reward then we will not get Allah’s reward in the Hereafter. However, if we are doing it for the sake of Allah and, as you put it, to gain rewards from Allah and Allah alone then our intention is 100% correct.
This means I am helping purely for the sake of Allah. I am helping because it is a good act to help and I know that Allah will reward me for it, which gets me closer to Allah. I am not really sure how Allah will do so but I know it is a great reward because Allah is the Most-Generous.
There is a big difference of knowing the type of reward ahead of time before doing any good deed and not knowing what that reward is. As human beings we can relate to what is known more than what is unknown.
Allah’s reward remains unknown to us no matter how well it is described because what is in the Hereafter is beyond our imagination. There is a long hadith by Imam Muslim explaining this exact meaning about the Paradise. I am only quoting a small part of it:
“…[Paradise], which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human mind has perceived…”
I hope this helps answer your question.
Salam and please keep in touch.