Hasten Towards Good Deeds
Allah is Ash Shakur - The Multiplier of Rewards, and whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit or more.
Salamun alaykum wa rahmatullah,
Yes, it’s Daud’ from Let’s Reflect. It’s been a while right? Indeed, it is and I can go on with all the reasons like life happened or I got busy. However, the truth about life is that no one is always busy. It’s all about priorities and you’ll always find time for what you feel is important. Thanks to a lecture I listened to this week – the tafsir of Suratul Ali Imran verse 104, I realized that this is important and I’ve decided to always find time for it. So, here we are – back to the keyboard, set and ready to go.
Earlier this week, I was reflecting on a question our Ustadh asked during Halqoh. He was discussing the Mercy of Allah - how forgiving He is, how our good deeds are rewarded in multiples while the bad deeds are recorded as they are, and how we get rewarded for intending to do good even if we don’t get to perform the act eventually while this does not apply to evil deeds. The question then is, how will it be that any of us meet Allah with our bad deeds outweighing the good deeds? Take a moment to think about it again. Deep right?
It is undeniable that we live in a world where it is way easier to fall into sins and go against the injunctions of Allah. However, we have numerous opportunities to do good deeds which will not only outweigh these evil deeds but also erase them. In the well-known Hadith 18 of An Nawawi’s collection, it was reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said;
"Be conscious of Allah wherever you are. Follow the bad deed with a good one to erase it, and engage others with beautiful character."
There are many good and highly rewarding acts that we can easily imbibe in to gather rewards with Allah. However, we have neglected most of them or considered them insignificant. In the coming weeks in shaa Allah, the focus will be to call our attention to these good deeds that we can start sending forth for the morrow. Before then, first thing first.
Let’s start with the basics.
The first thing we all need to understand as Muslims is that there are two conditions for any deed to be accepted as an act of worship by Allah. The first is that it should be devoted to Allah alone while the second condition is that the action should be performed in accordance with the way which Allah has prescribed for worship, that is, by following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the laws that he has brought.
What that means is the fajr prayer you made today will only be accepted if you prayed it with the sincere intention of serving Allah in obeying His command to pray, and you performed it according to the way it’s prescribed in amount, manner and time. Thus, if you pray only because your dad or some friends came visiting, that is not for Allah. And if you decided to pray four rakahs rather than the prescribed two, then you probably just did some form of morning exercise.
On the other hand, it also implies that with the right intention of serving Allah and following the prescribed way, any act can be turned into an act of worship for which we will be rewarded by Allah. To put it in perspective, you go out to work every day and that’s mundane. However, if you set out with the intention to seek means of livelihood so you can be able to worship Allah and provide for your family in fulfilling the responsibility He has prescribed for you. Then this intention guides your actions in seeking means that are halal while avoiding haram, that is an act of worship for which you can be rewarded by Allah.
There are many other examples and it can be as simple as putting on your shoes. Again, putting on shoes is mundane. However, if you decide to start with your right leg before the left and take it off in the reverse order with the intention of following the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), it becomes an act of worship that you can get rewarded for. How about saying Bismillah before starting anything? Removing harm from pathways? Planting a tree? Feeding animals? The list is endless. The idea here is to always act in accordance with what Allah commanded the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when He said;
Say (O Muhammad: “Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of mankind, jinn and all that exists.” Al Qur’an 6 verse 162.
Respected brothers and sisters in Islam, hasten towards good deeds. Verily, Allah is Ash Shakur - The Multiplier of Rewards, and whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times the like thereof to his credit or more.
P.S.
After listening to the lecture I mentioned earlier, I’ve decided to write this every week with the intention of heeding the call of Allah to be among those who invite to all that is good. I specifically chose to publish every Thursday based on the teaching of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that good deeds are shown to Allah on this day. My hope is that it will be accepted from me as an act of worship for which I’ll be rewarded. I do hope that as you also read, share and act on the lessons you may find therein, your intention will be in the service of Allah so it can count as an act of worship for which you can be rewarded.
May Allah accept all our acts of worship and keep our feet firm upon righteousness. Aamin.
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