The Causes and Effects of Remembering Allāh When Doing an Action | Ibn al Qayyim's Elucidation

Bitesize Inspiration

When the remembrance/consciousness of Allāh, The Most High, is removed/deficient from any action you undertake, whether it be in working towards ending the oppression in Palestine/elsewhere, taking steps to become a billionaire or any other task, there is a level of deadness in that action in proportion to how much Allāh's remembrance or consciousness of Him is removed from your heart and mind.

This translates into the potential consequence of reaping temporary short-term rewards in this world with no reward in the Hereafter. 

Moreover, you may well be slowed down in your progress to achieving the desired goal by that action undertaken, due to a loss of barakah (blessings) from Allāh, in the form of not being as productive and efficient as you were when you remembered Allāh or were conscious of Him (i.e. did the action for His sake alone, in accordance with His Revelation).

Furthermore, Allāh says: 

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

'And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth...' [1]

Ibn al Qayyim elucidates on this verse in his tafsīr (exegesis), particularly on the word 'barakah' by saying:

فَلا مُبارِكَ إلّا هو وحْدَهُ، ولا مُبارَكَ إلّا ما نُسِبَ إلَيْهِ، أعْنِي إلى أُلُوهِيَّتِهِ ومَحَبَّتِهِ ورِضاهُ، وإلّا فالكَوْنُ كُلُّهُ مَنسُوبٌ إلى رُبُوبِيَّتِهِ وخَلْقِهِ، وكُلُّ ما باعَدَهُ مِن نَفْسِهِ مِنَ الأعْيانِ والأقْوالِ والأعْمالِ فَلا بَرَكَةَ فِيهِ، ولا خَيْرَ فِيهِ، وكُلُّ ما كانَ مِنهُ قَرِيبًا مِن ذَلِكَ فَفِيهِ مِنَ البَرَكَةِ عَلى حَسَبِ قُرْبِهِ مِنهُ

"...so there is none who is the bestower of barakah except Him (Allāh) alone, and no one is blessed (/attains barakah), except if they have a link that goes back to Him, meaning to devote the action they do (whether internal/external) for Him Alone and not for anyone else, out of love for Him and seeking His approval. As a matter of fact, the entire Universe, (it's existence) is linked back to Him in terms of His Lordship and Creation of it. All that which is distanced far away (/isolated) from Him (Allāh), including notables (such as celebrities), sayings and actions, would not have barakah nor any goodness therein. And all that which was brought close to Him (Allāh), [whether it be notables, sayings or actions] then that will have within it barakah in proportion to how close it is to Him (i.e. in accordance to the degree with which the actions (whether internal/external) of that person were devoted to Him Alone, out of love for Him and seeking His approval (whilst being in line with the revelation of course))..." [2]

Footnotes

[1] Al-Qur'ān, Al-A'rāf (7):96

[2] Tafsīr Ibn al-Qayyim, Al-A'rāf (7):96