All praise belongs to Allah, Sustainer of the worlds, and blessings
and peace be upon Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam], the Crown of all Prophets.
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 r 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 r. 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 r 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)
