Allah says in the Qur’an
that‘Whosoever
obeys Allah and His Rasul (Messenger) has indeed attained a great success’. (33:71)
In other words,
real success of man in this life and the Aakhirah (Hereafter) lies only in the
obedience to the orders of Allah and in practically emulating the Sunnah of
Nabi Muhammad (Pbuh) in every aspect of life.
Every Muslim
knows this, but the urge to practise our Deen will come within us only when we
have developed proper yaqeen (conviction) in the promises of Allah and His
Rasul (Pbuh).
As Muslims, our
first priority should therefore be to individually and collectively make every
effort to increase our yaqeen to the required level.
The following
are some of the virtuous deeds which would, according to authentic Ahaadeeth of
Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam], wipe out our sins and earn for us
tremendous rewards in this world and the Aakhirah. May Allah, the
Living, the Eternal, besides whom there is none worthy of worship accept our
deeds. For verily He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
TAUBAH
(Repentance): Whoever makes taubah
(repents to Allah) before the rising of the sun from the west, Allah will
accept his repentance. (Sahih Muslim)
Surely Allah, the Mighty
and the High accepts the repentance of His slave until he gurgles (when he is
in the throes of death).
GOING OUT IN
SEARCH OF DEENI KNOWLEDGE: Whoever sets out in search of (Deeni) knowledge, Allah will make easy
for him the Way to Jannah. (Sahih Muslim)
ZIKR
(Remembrance) OF ALLAH: Should I not inform you
about the best of your deeds, and the purest in the sight of Your Master (i.e.
Allah), and that which will elevate you to the highest of ranks, and that which
is better for you than the spending of gold and silver in charity, and that
which is better for you than if you were to meet your enemies and strike their
necks and they strike yours? (The Sahaabah y replied, ‘Yes, indeed’.
Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said,) The Zikr of Allah.(Tirmizi)
DOING OF GOOD
DEEDS AND LEADING OTHERS TOWARDS RIGHTEOUSNESS:
Every good deed is sadaqah
(an act of charity). (Bukhaari and Muslim)
And whoever guides others
towards good is equal to the doer of good. (Tirmizi)
INVITING TOWARDS
ALLAH: Whoever invites towards
(the path of) guidance shall receive a reward equal to the rewards of those who
follow him without this decreasing anything from their rewards. (Sahih
Muslim)
ENJOINING GOOD
AND FORBIDDING EVIL: Whoever from amongst you
sees an evil act (being committed) should prevent it with his hands. If he is
unable to do so, he should (prevent it) with his tongue. Then if he is unable
to do so, he should do so (i.e. prevent it) with his heart. And this is the
lowest form of Imaan (faith). (Sahih Muslim)
RECITATION OF THE
QUR’AAN: Recite the Qur’aan for indeed it will appear on
the Day of Qiyaamah as an Intercessor for its companions (reciters). (Sahih
Muslim)
LEARNING AND
TEACHING OF THE QUR’AAN:The best amongst you is the
one who learns the Qur’aan and teaches it to (others). (Sahih Bukhaari)
GREETING
(Salaam): You will not enter Jannah
until you have Imaan (firm faith) and you will not attain (complete) Imaan
until you love one another. Shall I not show you something by doing which there
will be love between you? Make salaam common amongst yourselves. (Sahih
Muslim)
LOVE FOR THE
PLEASURE OF ALLAH:Allah will certainly declare on the Day of
Qiyaamah, ‘Where are those people that loved each other for the sake of My
grandeur? Today I shall shelter them under My shade on the Day wherein there is
no shade besides My shade.’(Sahih Muslim)
VISITING THE
SICK:The Muslim who visits his sick Muslim brother in
the morning, seventy thousand angels pray for his forgiveness until the
evening, and if he visits him in the evening, then seventy thousand angels pray
for his forgiveness until the morning. And he will be granted a mansion (for
it) in Jannah. (Tirmizi)
HELPING THOSE IN
DEBT: Whoever provides ease for someone who is
burdened with debt, Allah will provide ease for him in this world and the
Aakhirah. (Sahih Muslim)
CONCEALING THE
FAULTS OF OTHERS: The Muslim who conceals
the faults of another Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of
Qiyaamah. (Sahih Muslim)
MAINTAINING
FAMILY TIES:Family ties are suspended from the Arsh (Throne
of Allah). It proclaims: Whoever upholds me, may Allah keep good relations with
him and whoever severs me, may Allah sever His relation (of mercy) from him. (Bukhaari
and Muslim)
GOOD CHARACTER: Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] was
asked about the deeds which lead most of the people into Jannah. He replied, ‘The
fear of Allah and good manners.’(Tirmizi)
TRUTHFULNESS: I enjoin upon you truthfulness for indeed
truthfulness guides towards virtue, and virtue certainly leads to Jannah.
(Bukhaari and Muslim)
SUPPRESSING OF
ANGER:He who suppresses his anger despite being able
to express it, Allah will call him in front of the whole of mankind on the Day
of Qiyaamah and allow him to choose whichever Hoor he desires. (Tirmizi)
PATIENCE: No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor
sadness nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick from a thorn
but that Allah wipes out (some of) his sins for that. (Sahih Bukhaari)
KINDNESS TO
PARENTS:(May he be disgraced! May he be disgraced! May
he be disgraced!) ‘Who, O Messenger of Allah?’ asked the Sahaabah
[radhiallaahu anhum]. Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] replied, ‘The
person who finds one or both of his parents in old age, yet fails to enter
Jannah (by not serving them).’(Sahih Muslim)
TO FULFILL THE
NEEDS OF WIDOWS AND THE POOR: He who fulfills the needs of widows and the poor is like one who
strives in the path of Allah, like one who continuously spends the night in
Ibaadah (worship) and like one who fasts without breaking it. (Sahih
Bukhaari)
TAKING CARE OF
ORPHANS:‘I and the person who
supports an orphan shall be as close in Jannah as these (index and middle)
fingers are to each other’. (Sahih Bukhaari)
WUDHU: Whoever performs wudhu properly, his sins fall
off from his body, even from beneath his fingernails. (Sahih Muslim)
DUA AFTER WUDHU:Whoever performs wudhu properly and then says (the following words), all
the eight doors of Jannah are opened for him and he is allowed to enter from
whichever one he desires: (Sahih Muslim)
DU’A AFTER AZAAN:Whoever listens to the Azaan and says (the following words), my
intercession will become compulsory for him on the Day of Qiyaamah:
O Allah! Lord
of this Perfect Call and of the regular salaah (prayer) which is going to be
established! Kindly give Muhammad (Pbuh) the right of intercession and
superiority and send him (on the Day of Judgement) to the best and highest
place (in Jannah) which You have promised him.*Verily You do not go back on
Your promise.*(Baihaqi)
(Sahih Bukhaari, Baihaqi)
BUILDING A MUSJID
(MOSQUE): Whoever builds a musjid
for the pleasure of Allah, Allah will build for him (a house) like it in
Jannah. (Sahih Bukhaari)
THE MISWAAK
(tooth stick):If I had not found it hard for my Ummah
(followers), I would have ordered them to clean their teeth with miswaak for
every salaah. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
GOING TO THE
MUSJID (Mosque): The person going to the musjid during the day
or night, Allah prepares for him a special form of hospitality (in Jannah) for
each time he goes to the musjid during the day or night. (Bukhaari and
Muslim)
FIVE TIMES SALAAH
DAILY: Whenever it is time for
the Fard salaah, and any Muslim carefully performs wudhu (ablution) for it and
discharges it with proper concentration and a proper ruku’, then this becomes
an atonement for his past sins as long as he does not commit any major sins.
And this is for all the times (of salaah). (Sahih Bukhaari)
FAJR AND ASR
SALAAH:Whoever performs the two cool salaahs (Fajr and
Asr) shall enter Jannah. (Sahih Bukhaari)
THE JUMU’AH
(Friday) SALAAH: Whoever (after) performing
wudhu properly proceeds for Jumu’ah salaah and listens attentively and silently
(to the khutbah), will be forgiven for his sins committed between this Jumu’ah
and the next, and for three additional days. (Sahih Muslim)
THE MOMENT OF
ACCEPTANCE OF DU’A ON A FRIDAY: (On the day of Jumu’ah) there is a moment which, if a Muslim servant of
Allah finds it while standing in salaah and begging something from Allah, He
will surely grant it to him. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
THE SUNNAH SALAAH
AFTER THE FARD SALAAH: Besides the Fard salaah, whoever performs twelve optional raka’aat
daily for the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, Allah will build a home for him in
Jannah. (Sahih Muslim)
TWO RAKA’AAT
SALAATUT TAUBAH AFTER COMMITTING SIN:Whichever Muslim, after
committing a sin, performs wudhu properly and thereafter stands up to perform
two raka’aat of Salaatut Taubah and then seeks Allah’s forgiveness, Allah
certainly forgives him. (Abu Daawood)
TAHAJJUD SALAAH:The most virtuous salaah after the Fard salaah is the Night salaah
(Tahajjud). (Sahih Muslim)
DHUHAA (Chaasht)
SALAAH: When anyone of you awakens
in the morning, you must give sadaqah (charity) for every joint (of your body).
So, every tasbih is sadaqah and every tahmeed is sadaqah and and every tahleel
is sadaqah and every takbeer is sadaqah and to enjoin a good action is sadaqah
and forbidding an evil action is sadaqah. And equal to all of this collectively
is (the reward) a person gains from performing two raka’aat at the time of
Dhuhaa (Chaasht). (Sahih Muslim)
VIRTUE OF
SALAWAAT ‘ALAN NABI (Durood
Shareef): Whoever sends salutations to me once, Allah will send upon him
ten mercies. (Sahih Muslim)
FASTING (SAUM): Whoever keeps fast for one day while out in the path of Allah, Allah
will (certainly) keep him from the fire of Jahannam a distance of seventy years
in place of that one day. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
FASTING FOR THREE
DAYS IN EVERY MONTH:Fasting for three days in
every month is (like) fasting the whole year. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
THE FAST OF
RAMADAAN:Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadaan out
of Imaan (sincere faith) and hoping to attain reward (from Allah), all his past
sins will be forgiven. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
THE SIX (6) FASTS
OF SHAWWAAL: Whoever fasts in Ramadaan
and then follows it with six fasts of Shawwaal is as if he has fasted the whole
year. (Sahih Muslim)
FASTING ON THE
DAY OF ARAFAH (9th Zul Hijjah):Fasting on the Day of
Arafah wipes out the sins of the past and remaining year. (Sahih Muslim)
THE FAST OF THE
DAY OF AASHURA (10th Muharram): And the fast of the Day of Aashura, I have sincere hope in Allah that
it will atone for the previous year’s sins. (Sahih Muslim)
FEEDING A FASTING
PERSON: Whoever feeds a fasting person (at Iftaar)
earns the reward equal to his, without the reward of the fasting one
diminishing in the least. (Tirmizi)
STAYING AWAKE IN
IBAADAH ON LAYLATUL QADR(The Night of Power):
Whoever stays awake on Laylatul Qadr out of sincere faith and seeking reward
(from Allah) will be forgiven of his past sins. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
SADAQAH
(Charity): Sadaqah (the giving of
charity) wipes out sin just as water extinguishes fire. (Tirmizi)
HAJ AND UMRAH: One Umrah after another expiates the sins
committed between the two (Umrahs) and a mabroor (righteous) Haj has no reward
except Jannah. (Sahih Muslim)
GOOD DEEDS DURING
THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF ZUL HIJJAH:On no days are good deeds
more beloved by Allah than these (i.e. the 1st ten days of Zul Hijjah). The
Sahaabah [radhiallaahu anhu] asked, ‘And not even Jihaad (striving) in the
Path of Allah?’ Rasulullah r replied, ‘And not even Jihaad in the Path
of Allah except (in the case of) a man who sets out (in Allah’s Path) with his
life and wealth but does not return with any of these. (Bukhaari and
Muslim)
STRIVING IN THE
PATH OF ALLAH:To stay on guard for one day in the path of
Allah is better than this world and whatever is upon it, and a place in Jannah
as small as that occupied by the whip of one of you is better than this world
and whatever is upon it, and a morning’s or an evening’s journey which a person
travels in the path of Allah is better than the world and whatever is upon it. (Sahih
Bukhaari)
SPENDING IN THE
PATH OF ALLAH: Whoever prepares a Ghaazi
(person striving in Allah’s path) gains a reward equal to that of the Ghaazi
and whoever takes proper care of the family of a Ghaazi gains a reward similar
to that of the Ghaazi. (Bukhaari and Muslim)
TO PERFORM THE
JANAAZAH SALAAH AND ACCOMPANY THE FUNERAL PROCESSION: He who attends a funeral and performs the Janaazah salaah (funeral
prayers) will receive one Qeeraat, and he who goes to a funeral and remains
until the burial will receive two Qeeraat. The Sahaabah [radhiallaahu anhum]
asked, ‘And what are two Qeeraat?’ Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]
replied, ‘(Reward equal to) two huge mountains.’(Bukhaari and Muslim)
SAFEGUARDING THE
TONGUE AND PRIVATE PARTS:Whoever guarantees me the
protection of the part between his two jaws (i.e. tongue) and that which is
between his thighs (i.e. private parts), I guarantee for him Jannah. (Bukhaari
and Muslim)
ATONEMENT FOR
SINS IN A GATHERING: Whoever sits in a
gathering wherein there is much idle talk and before rising from his place
recites (the following dua), then he is forgiven of all that had taken place in
that gathering: (Tirmizi)
May Allah Ta’ala instil the
love of good deeds and the dislike of sin in the heart of every Muslim and
bless us with His pleasure. Aameen