What Is the Meaning of Deed? Is There any Difference in the Meaning of Deed and Act from the Perspective of Humanology?

In this lesson, we will discuss the concept and meaning of deed as one of the most widely-used words in daily life, and we will go a little deeper into what we have heard and said about this word so far. Before dealing with the essence and meaning of deed, it is important to note that sometimes people mistakenly use similar words interchangeably, and this results in an incomplete and incorrect understanding of a concept. We will postpone discussing the specific words that could be mistakenly used instead of “deed” because of their similarity, and at this stage, we are going to explain the meaning of deed.

I do not know how strange and interesting you find the world of words. Just like living beings, words seem to strive to open a new window of perception and understanding in the minds of humans with the meaning or intention they carry; however, as humans, we also need to bring this effort to fruition, or in other words, pay attention to the correct meaning and usage of words and phrases. From a lexical point of view, a deed is defined as doing something or taking action to do something, but when it comes to philosophical subjects, the meaning of deed and its position are very different.

Usually, similar words such as “act” are often used alongside the word deed. At first glance, it seems like there is not much difference between them, and the word act is often mistakenly used instead of deed, while these two words are very different in meaning. In philosophical discussions, the term “act” means to do something with or without awareness, choice, and will. It is also used when we do something for a short time and without continuing it. As the definition suggests, this kind of doing something is specific to inanimate objects, animals, and plants. On the other hand, a deed refers to a task that is performed with prior intention, continuity, and persistence, and is based on knowledge, will, foresight, and effort. In this way, it is quite clear that a deed is a characteristic of beings with wisdom and intellect. Considering this, to what extent do our deeds affect our journey of life and destiny, and what role do they play in this journey?

What Impact Do Deeds Have on Our Existential Dimensions and Our Fall or Growth?

In the previous section, we explained the meaning of deed and its difference from act. We mentioned that everything that humans do through will, knowledge, and persistence falls under the category of deeds. If we want to have a broader perspective on the meaning of deed, we can divide it into two types: outward and inward. An outward deed is a task performed with the help of bodily organs, such as speaking, running, looking, etc. On the other hand, an inward deed is performed through our non-physical dimension, such as feelings of disgust, love, belief in something, and the like.

Also, from the perspective of Islamic humanology, the human being has multiple existential dimensions, and as long as what he does is based on knowledge, will, and continuity, it undoubtedly has an impact on his existential dimensions and take the form of deeds. In other words, the rational outputs, both outward and inward, which are done of our own free will, are placed within the scope of our deeds. Let us pause for a moment and think about this concept: What truth lies behind the fact that our outputs are considered deeds?

We stated that since a deed is carried out based on knowledge and out of free will and is continued, it has an impact on our existential dimensions. For this reason, our deeds possess the power to provide the grounds for our spiritual fall or growth. It is worth mentioning the principle that our thoughts, relationships, decisions, and behaviors, or in general our deeds, build our spiritual structure and ultimately our destiny. A good deed that begins with a pure and good intention and solves a problem or brings joy to someone’s heart undoubtedly demonstrates its positive effect on our existential levels and dimensions. Similarly, having bad intentions or thoughts and doing bad deeds will have their negative effect on our heart and soul.

Regarding good and bad deeds, the fact that they wipe out each other, compensating for wrong deeds and its effect in life, there are many interesting points, which we will address in future lessons.

In this lesson, we explained the meaning of deed and the differences between deed and act. We classified a deed into outward and inward types. We also discussed the scope of deeds and their effect on our existential dimensions. We also stated that our deeds are powerful enough to determine our destiny or the path of our fall or growth.

If there is anything else you would like to add or if you have any questions in mind, feel free to share them with us in the comments section.