Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”
[al-Nahl 16:97]
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Hasten to do good deeds before there come tribulations like pieces of a dark night, when a man will be a believer in the morning and a kaafir by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a kaafir by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.”
Narrated by Muslim, 118.
We as Muslims should always seek the help of Allah to do good deeds, and do we should try our best to do as many as we can. We should persist in doing these good deeds even if they are little, for that is better than doing a lot of good deeds then stopping.
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, you should do whatever good deeds you can, for Allaah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of good deeds to Allaah is that in which a person persists, even if it is little. If the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started to do something, they would persist in it.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 43; Muslim, 782.
Remembrance of Allah is the foundation of good deeds. Whoever succeeds in it is blessed with the close friendship of Allah. That is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to make remembrance of Allah at all times. When a man complained, "The laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow," the Prophet told him, "Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of Allah." [Narrated by Ahmad with two sound chains, also Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah through other chains, and Ibn Hibban who declared it sahih].
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would often tell his Companions, "Shall I tell you about the best of deeds, the most pure in the sight of your Lord, about the one that is of the highest order and is far better for you than spending gold and silver, even better for you than meeting your enemies in the battlefield where you strike at their necks and they at yours?" The Companions replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet, peace be upon him,said,"Remembrance of Allah." (Narrated by Tirmidhi, Ahmad, hadith hasan)
"Remember Allah abundantly, in order that you become successful"
Quran (Surah 8: Verse 45)
"Only in the remembrance of Allah (swt) will your heart find peace"
Quran (Surah 13: Verse 28)
"Those men and women who engage much in Allah's praise. for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a Great Reward"
Quran (Surah 33: Verse 35)
Allah (SWT) has commanded us to remember him always. He says:
"Remember me, I shall remember you." (Qur'an 2:152)
"They are the most wise who remember Allah, standing sitting and lying down"
Quran (Surah 4: Verse 190)
"Satan has mastered them and caused them to forget the Remembrance of Allah. Those are satan's party; and satan's party shall assuredly be the losers"
Quran (Surah 58: Verse 19)
"Whosoever turns away from the Remembrance of Allah, He will hurl him into a stern punishment".
Quran (Surah 72: Verse 17)
"Whosoever turns away from My remembrance, his life will be made tight and narrow on the Day of Resurrection We shall raise him blind"
Quran (Surah 20: Verse 124)
Therefore, you shall glorify Allah when you retire at night, and when you rise in the morning. All praise is due to Him in the heavens and the earth, throughout the evening, as well as in the middle of your day. [Room: 30:17-18]
You shall glorify Him day and night. [Azhab: 33:42]
Thus it is very important for us as Muslims to zikrullah, or remembrance, of Allah (SWT).
The word zikr has many meanings. It means: Allah's Book and its recitation, Prayer, Learning and teaching, Du'aa, Remembrance of Allah in the heart, or in both the heart and the tongue, and even pondering over Allah's creation.
The Qur'an says: "And establish regular prayer, for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds, and remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing in life, without doubt." (29:45)
In other words, zikr has an even greater impact in protecting us from shameful and unjust deeds than regular prayers do. This is because when a person opens his heart to Allah (SWT) and utters words in His praise, Allah (SWT) fills him with strength and inner peace, comforting his mind and his heart.
The Prophet (PBUH) once said, "When any group of men remember Allah, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquillity descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him." (Sahih Aljami',#5608).
When people do zikr, their hearts turn to the highest ideals and are free from the temptations of sin. Obviously this is true only if the words come from the heart and not just from the tongue.
Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
"... And the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues. Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e., Jannah).'' (33:35)
“Almighty Allah says:
“And We shall strip away all rancor from their hearts - beneath them will be rivers flowing - and they shall say: ‘Praise be to Allah, Who guided us on to this. Had it not been for Allah Who granted us guidance, we would not have found guidance. Surely, the Messengers of our Lord did come with Truth.’ Then a voice will cry to them, ‘Behold! This is the Paradise which you are made to inherit as a reward for your deeds.’” (Al-A`raf: 43)
In this verse there is a beautiful description of the people of Paradise. Before they enter their blessed abode, Allah will purify them from any lurking sense of rancor or grudge that they might have had against each other. Then He will grant them a most happy place to live. Then there is a wonderful dialogue that will take place. They will praise Allah’s grace. They will not boast of their virtues or good deeds that led them to Paradise. However, Allah on the other hand will appreciate their goodness and will say that whatever they are receiving is not some crumbs of charity from Him, but this is a due recompense because of their own good deeds. This is a kind of mutual appreciation and gratitude between the human and divine that is the hallmark of this verse.
Islam teaches that believers should do good deeds, but they should never say that we are purchasing Jannah by our good deeds. Jannah or eternal salvation is only because of Allah’s grace and love. However, Allah also does not say in the Qur’an, “You do not deserve Jannah,” but [rather], “I shall still give it to you because I love you.” Allah always says to the believers, “I shall give you the eternal bliss because I am willing to forgive your sins if your turn to Me; I appreciate your good deeds and I honor your good efforts.”
We have just completed a full month of intensive worship and devotion. We fasted, prayed, read the Qur’an, gave zakah and sadaqah, and did many good deeds. This should not make us boast that we are virtuous people, but we should be thankful that Allah guided us to all this. It was due to His mercy and guidance that we were able to do all these good deeds and if He accepts these things from us, then it will be also due to His grace and love that we shall find His blessings in this life and in the life to come.
True and sincere worship (`ibadah) creates humbleness and it always leads to more acts of goodness and virtues. If our Ramadan was a successful month of learning, then the effects of these good deeds will be with us and will remain for a long time. It is said:
The recompense of a good deed is a good deed after it and the recompense of a bad deed is a bad deed after it.
Almighty Allah says:
"So hasten towards all that is good". (2:148)
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions.'' Then (giving a warning) he said, "Are you waiting for such poverty which will make you unmindful of devotion; or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or disease as will disable you, or such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or sudden death, or Ad-Dajjal who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter". [At-Tirmidhi].
The purpose of this Hadith is that before overcoming of the obstructions, one should do one's best to improve his Hereafter by means of good deeds lest one is deprived of good deeds by some obstruction.
We should be trying to gain as many good deeds as we can before we are overcome by death. Death can be at ANY second so there is not a second to waste.
We will regret EVERY second we wasted without doing a good deed and remembering Allah!
Hadhrat Mu'az [RA] narrated Rasulallah (Peace be upon him) said: “The Inhabitants of Paradise will not be grief stricken or sorrowful about anything they did in the life of the world except for the time they spent without being in the remembrance of Allah” (Tabaraani)
Courtesy:the_truth
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Dua for forgivness
A collection of du'as derived from the Qur'an
Wa qalu sami'na wa at-a'na ghufranaka rabbana wa-ilaykal maseer
And they say: 'We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys'
[surah Baqarah; 2: 285]
Rabbana la tu'akhizna in-nasina aw akh-ta'na. Rab-bana wa la tahmil 'alayna isran kama hamaltahu 'ala-lladhina min qablina, Rab-bana wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih, wa-'fu 'anna wa 'ghfirlana warhamna anta Maulana fansurna 'alal-qawmil kafirin
O our Lord! Do not hold us responsible if we forget or make a mistake. O our Lord, do not lay on us a burden such as You laid on those before us. O our Lord, do not impose upon us that which we have not the strength (to bear). Pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Lord-master, so help us against the unbelieving people
[surah Baqarah; 2:286]
Rabbana innana amanna faghfir lana dhunuubana wa qinna 'adhaban-Naar
Our Lord! we have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins, and save us from the agony of the Fire
[surah Ali' Imran; 3: 16]
Rabbana-ghfir lana dhunuubana wa israfana fi amrina wa thabbit aqdamana wansurna 'alal qawmil kafireen
Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything We may have done that transgressed our duty: Establish our feet firmly, and help us against those that resist Faith
[surah Ali' Imran; 3: 147]
Rabbana innana sami'na munadiyany-yunadi lil-imani an aminu bi Rabbikum fa'aamanna. Rabbana faghfir lana dhunoobana wa kaffir 'ana sayyi'aatina wa tawaffana ma'al Abrar.
Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (Us) to Faith, 'Believe ye in the Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous.
[surah Ali' Imran; 3: 193]
Rabbana Dhalamna anfusina wa il lam taghfir lana wa tarhamna lana kuna minal-khasireen
Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost.
[surah Al-A'raf; 7: 23]
Subhanaka tubtu ilayka wa anna awwalul Mu'mineen
Glory be to Thee! to Thee I turn in repentance, and I am the first to believe
[surah Al-A'raf; 7: 143]
Lain lam yarhamna rabbuna wa yaghfir lana lana kuunanna minaal khasireen
If our Lord have not mercy upon us and forgive us, we shall indeed be of those who perish.
[surah Al-A'raf; 7: 149]
Rabbi aghfir li wal akhi wa-adkhilna fi rahmatika wa anta arhamur-Rahimin
O Allah! Forgive me and my brother and admit us to Your mercy, You are the most merciful of the merciful
[surah Al-A'raf; 7: 151]
Anta Waliyyuna faghfir lana war-hamna wa anta khair-ulghgfireen
(O Lord) You are our guardian, so forgive us and have mercy on us and You are the best of the forgivers
[surah Al-A'raf; 7: 155]
Rabbi inni a'udhubika 'an as'alaka ma laysa li bihi 'ilm. Wa 'illa tagfir li wa tarhamni 'akum minal khasireen
My Rabb! surely I seek refuge with You for asking You that about which I have no knowledge; and if You do not forgive me and have mercy to me, I shall become of the losers.
[surah Hud; 11: 47]
Rabbana ghfir li wa li wallidayya wa lil Mu'mineena yawma yaqumul hisaab
O our lord, forgive me and my parents and believers on the day when the reckoning shall come to pass.
[surah Ibrahim; 14: 41]
La 'ilaha illa 'anta subhanaka 'inni kuntu min adh-dhalimeen
None has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) are You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.
[surah Al-Anbiya; 21: 87]
Rabbana amanna faghfir lana warhamna wa anta khayrur Rahimiin
Our Lord! We believe; then do Thou forgive us, and have mercy upon us: For Thou art the Best of those who show mercy.
[surah Mu'minun; 23: 109]
Rabbi aghfir warham wa anta khayrur Rahimiin
O Lord, forgive and have mercy, For Thou art the Best of those who show mercy.
[surah Mu'minun; 23: 118]
Rabbi inni dhalamtu nafsi faghfir li faghafara lahu innahu huwaal ghafur-ur raheem
O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul! Do Thou then forgive me!
[surah Qassas; 28: 16]
Rabbi ighfir lee
O my Lord! Forgive me
[surah Saad; 38: 35]
Rabbana wasi'ta kulla shay'in rahmatan wa'ilman faghfir lilladhina tabu wat-taba'u sabilaka waqihim 'adhabal-jaheem
Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all things, in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn in Repentance, and follow Thy Path; and preserve them from the Penalty of the Blazing Fire!
[surah Mu'min; 40: 7]
Rabbi awzi'ni an ashkura ni'matak-kal lati an'amta 'alayya wa'ala walidayya wa an a'malas-salihan tardahu wa-aslih lee fi dhurriyyati inni tubtu ilaiyka wa inni minal muslimeen
O Lord, arouse me that I may thank You for the bounties You have bestowed on me and my parents, and that I may do good which pleases You, and do good to me with regard to my offspring. Verily I turn repentant to You, and verily I am one of those who submit
[surah Al-Ahqaf; 46: 15]
Rabbana aghfir lana wal iíhwaninal ladheena sabaquna bil-imani wala taj'al fi qulubina Ghillal-illadheena aamanu. Rabbana innaka Ra'ufur-Raheem
Our Lord! Forgive us our sins as well as those of our brethren who proceeded us in faith and let not our hearts entertain any unworthy thoughts or feelings against [any of] those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness and Most Merciful
[surah Al-Hashr; 59:10]
Rabbana 'alayka tawakkalna wa'ilayka anabna wa ilaykal maseer
Our Lord! In You we have placed our trust, and to You do we turn in repentance, for unto You is the end of all journeys
[surah Mumtahana; 60: 4]
Rabbana atmim lana nurana waghfir lana innaka 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer
Our Lord! Perfect our light for us and forgive us our sins, for verily You have power over all things
[surah Tahreem; 66: 8]
Subhana rabbina inna kunna dhalimeen
Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong!
[surah Al-Qalam; 68: 29]
Rabbi aghfir li waliwalidayya waliman dakhala baiti mu'minan walilmu'mineena walmu'minati wala tazid ad-dalimeen illa tabaran
O Lord, forgive me, my parents and him who enters my abode as a believer, and the believing men and believing women, and do not give the unjust increase save in perdition
[surah Nuh; 71: 28]
One who guides to something good has a reward similar to the one who performs it, without the reward of either of them being lessened
[Sahih Muslim, 4;20;4668]
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The function of good deeds
A Result for the workers:
("Surely Allah wrongs not even the weight of a small ant, and if it is a good deed he will multiply it").
(An-Nisa 4:40)
A Gift for those who remember:
("He who does a good deed shall have ten time the like of his credit"). (Al-An'am, 6:160)
A Refuge for the frightened:
("He who does a good deed shall receive better than it in reward, and from terror, they shall be safe on that Day"). (Holy Qur'an)
A Consolation for those who fall short:
("Verily good deeds erase bad deeds"). (Hud, 11:104)
A Wish for the righteous:
("And record for us good in this world and in the hereafter, we have indeed turned unto You). (Al-Ar'af, 7:56)
A Sign for the believers:
("Our Lord, grant us in this world that which is good, and in the hereafter that which is good). (Al-Baqarah)
("And the weighing that Day will be the true (weigh in); so as for those whose scale (of righteous deeds) will be heavy, they will be the successful ones"). (Al-Zalzalah, 99:7)
The First Treasure:
To say: "O Allah, forgive the believers, men and women, those of them who are alive and those who are dead".
'Ubaidah, narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "He who asks forgiveness for the believers, men and women, Allah will record for him a good deed, for each believer, man and woman".
(Related by Al-Haythami in Majma' Az-Zama'id)
The Second Treasure:
Reciting what you can of the Qur'an Ibn Mas'ud related that the Messenger of Allah said: "He who reads a letter from the Book of Allah (the Qur'an) shall get a good deed for it, and each deed is multiplied ten times. I do not mean alif lam min is a letter but alif is a letter, lam is a letter and mim is a letter". (Reported by At-Tirmidthi)
The Third Treasure:
To say:
"How perfect Allah is and I praise Him. How perfect Allah is, Al-'Adhim.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: "There are two words which are light on the tongue but heavy on the Scale and beloved to Ar-Rahman: "Subhana 'allahi wa bihamdhi Subhana 'allahil 'atheemi (Reported by Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Courtesy:the_truth
Good deeds are those which are in accordance with sharee’ah, and which are done sincerely for the sake of Allaah. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] defined ‘ibaadah (worship) as “a general term which includes all that Allaah loves and is pleased with, be it words or deeds, both inward and outward; these are of many kinds and we cannot list them, let alone enumerate them, but we will mention some of them:
1. Belief in Allaah – which includes belief in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the divine will and decree (al-qadar), both good and bad.
2. Prayer done on time – there are five prayers that Allaah has enjoined during the night and day. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with hem) were all agreed that the one who does not pray is a kaafir. It is not permissible to delay the prayers beyond their appointed time. It is obligatory to perform all the obligatory parts of the prayer, and the Muslim should pray as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed.
3. Acceptable Hajj – which means:
a. It should be done with halaal money (earned from permissible sources)
b. One should avoid immoral actions, sin and arguments whilst doing Hajj
c. He should perform all the rituals according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
d. He should not do Hajj to show off, rather he should do it sincerely for the sake of Allaah.
e. He should not follow it with any act of disobedience or sin.
4. Honouring one's parents – which means obeying them in acts of obedience towards Allaah; it is not permissible to obey them in matters of disobedience or sin. Honouring them also means not raising one's voice to them, and not offending them with hurtful words. It also includes spending on them, and serving them.
5. Jihad for the sake of Allaah. Allaah has prescribed jihad in order to establish Tawheed and spread Islam throughout the world. Allaah has prepared a great reward for the mujaahideen.
6. Loving for the sake of Allaah and hating for the sake of Allaah. This means that the Muslim loves his fellow Muslim for the sake of Allaah, not for his colour, nationality or wealth, rather for his obedience to his Lord and his closeness to Him. Similarly he hates the sinner for his disobedience towards Allaah.
7. Reading and reciting Qur’aan – whether that is in the portion he reads each day or what he recites in prayers at night (qiyaam al-layl).
8. Persisting in acts of worship even if they are little. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) loved actions that were done consistently, even if they were little. A small action done persistently is better than a greater action done intermittently.
9. Fulfilling one's trusts. This is an obligatory action and is one of the greatest of deeds. It is known in Islam that the hypocrite is the one who betrays his trust and does not render trusts back to the people who entrusted them to him.
10. Being forgiving towards people. This means foregoing one's personal rights, forgiving the one who has done you wrong, if doing so will lead to his changing, or if he has repented and regrets what he did. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A person only increases in honour by forgiving.” Narrated by Muslim, 2588
11. Being truthful in speech. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man will keep on speaking the truth and endeavouring to tell the truth until he will be recorded with Allaah as a speaker of truth. Truthfulness is a means of salvation; it is a great characteristic which was one of the features of the Prophets and those who followed them in truth.” Narrated by Muslim, 2607.
12. Spending for the sake of Allaah. This includes spending on jihad, and spending on one's parents, the poor and needy, on building mosques, on printing copies of the Qur’aan and Islamic books, and spending on one’s family and children.
13. Ensuring that the Muslims are safe from one’s words and actions. That means refraining from gossip, backbiting, slander, insults and curses, and refraining from hitting or beating those who do not deserve such treatment.
14. Feeding the hungry – which includes feeding both humans and animals.
15. Spreading the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know – except in the case of those whom the texts say we should not initiate the greeting of salaam with, namely the kuffaar.
16. Helping the needy, wayfarers and those who are helpless.
17. Keeping your evil away from people, which is an act of charity that may benefit you.
And there are many other good deeds.
The following hadeeth enumerates several good deeds:
Al-Bayhaqi narrated that Abu Dharr said: I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, what will save a person from Hellfire?”
He said, “Belief in Allaah.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, are there are any deeds that should accompany that belief?”
He said, ‘He should give from that provision which Allaah has granted him.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, what if he is poor and does not have anything to give?”
He said, “He should enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, what if he cannot enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil?”
He said, “He should help the one who is helpless (i.e., has no skills and cannot earn a learning).”
I said, “What if he himself is helpless and cannot do anything?”
He said, “He should help one who has been wronged.”
I said, “What if he is weak and cannot help one who has been wronged?”
He said, “You do not want to think of your companion as having any good in him. Let him refrain from harming people.”
I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, if he does that, will he enter Paradise?”
He said, “There is no believer who does not strive to acquire one of these characteristics, but I will take him by the hand and lead him into Paradise.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Targheeb, 876
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
