“Pray, but do not pray on this spot,” and, “Sew this garment, but do not sew it in this house,” then if he prays there and sews there, he has undoubtedly not performed what was commanded in the manner required. But can it be said that he has performed part of what was commanded, or its essential act without its prescribed qualification—namely, prayer and sewing as such, without that qualification or accompanied by something prohibited—so that he is rewarded for that act even if it does not discharge the obligation or he is punished for the sin? This has already been discussed, and I have explained that this is indeed the case. It resembles the question of fasting on the day of Eid and similar cases in which Abū Hanīfa holds that the act is not invalidated.

I have also explained that discharge of the obligation and reward may coincide or occur separately. Discharge of the obligation means release from liability for fulfilling the command: freedom from the Lord’s blame or punishment. Reward is recompense for obedience. Unlike discharge of the obligation, reward is not entailed by mere compliance: a command entails that performing what is commanded discharges the obligation. Nevertheless, the two coincide under the revealed Law, since it is established therein that the obedient are rewarded and the disobedient punished.

They may, however, occur separately. An act may discharge the obligation yet carry no reward if it is accompanied by sin that offsets its reward, as has been said:

“Many a fasting person gains nothing from his fast but thirst, and many a person who stands in prayer at night gains nothing from his prayer but sleeplessness.”

Speaking falsehood and acting upon it while fasting incur sin that offsets the reward of fasting. The fast has combined compliance with what was commanded and engagement in what was prohibited. The obligation is therefore discharged through compliance, while the reward is forfeited through disobedience.

Conversely, an act may be rewarded without discharging the obligation if it is performed with deficiencies in its conditions and essential elements. A person is rewarded for what he has done, but the obligation is not discharged until he performs it in full.