٢٣١. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا أَوْ يُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا يَبِيعُ دِينَهُ بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا».
231. It is narrated from Abu Huraira (r.a.) that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning, and would sell his faith for worldly goods.” (Muslim, Kitab Al Iman, 186. Also see. Tirmidhi, Fitan, 30; Zuhd, 3; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 78; Ahmad, II, 303, 372, 523)
٢٣٢. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ سَبْعًا هَلْ تَنْتَظِرُونَ إِلَّا فَقْرًا مُنْسِيًا أَوْ غِنًى مُطْغِيًا أَوْ مَرَضًا مُفْسِدًا أَوْ هَرَمًا مُفَنِّدًا أَوْ مَوْتًا مُجْهِزًا أَوِ الدَّجَّالَ فَشَرُّ غَائِبٍ يُنْتَظَرُ أَوِ السَّاعَةَ فَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ».
232. It is narrated from Abu Huraira (r.a.) that the 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
- 2. Prosperity which will make you corrupt, or
- 3. Disease as will disable you, or
- 4. Such senility as will make you mentally unstable, or
- 5. Sudden death, or
- Al-Dajjal (Anti-Christ) who is the worst expected absent, or
- The Hour, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter”. (Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 3/2306)
٢٣٣. عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَبَسَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«مَنْ شَابَ شَيْبَةً فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ».
233. It is narrated from Amr b. Abase (r.a.) that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whosoever’s single strand turns gray in the path of Allah, it becomes a divine light (nur) on the Day of Judgment for him.” (Tirmidhi, Fadail al-Jihad, 9/1635; Nasai, Jihad, 26/3140; Ahmad, IV, 113)
٢٣٤. عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ:
«أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ قُتِلْتُ فَأَيْنَ أَنَا؟» قَالَ:
«فِي الْجَنَّةِ» فَأَلْقَى تَمَرَاتٍ فِي يَدِهِ ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ حَتَّى قُتِلَ.
234. Jabir bin Abdullah (r.a.) narrated:
On the day of the battle of Uhud, a man came to the Prophet and asked:
“Can you tell me where I will be if I should get martyred?”
The Prophet (pbuh) replied:
“In Paradise.”
The man threw away some dates he was carrying in his hand, and fought till he was martyred. (Bukhari, Al-Maghazi, 17; Muslim, Imara, 143. Also see. Nasai, Jihad, 31)
٢٣٥. عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَى فِي أَصْحَابِهِ تَأَخُّرًا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ:
«تَقَدَّمُوا فَأْتَمُّوا بِي وَلْيَأْتَمَّ بِكُمْ مَنْ بَعْدَكُمْ لَا يَزَالُ قَوْمٌ يَتَأَخَّرُونَ حَتَّى يُؤَخِّرَهُمُ اللّٰهُ».
235. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw (a tendency) among his Companions to go to the back (in congregation), so he said to them:
“Come forward and follow my lead, and let those who come after you follow your lead. People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back.” (Muslim, Salat, 130. Also see Abu Dawud, Salat, 97; Nasai, Imamah, 17; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 45; Ahmad, III, 34)
Explanations:
Humans as the travelers for the Hereafter and responsible from the general state of the world will be happy as much as they fill their lives, which passes by as quick as a wink, with good deeds and benefactions. The rewards that Almighty Allah gives for the good deeds are unimaginably magnificent. For this reason, when Muslims see the blessings of Allah in the Hereafter and the rewards that He gives for the good deeds performed in the world, they consider their good deeds very few and regret that they did not perform more good deeds. As the Messenger of Allah informed us “even if a person lives a life full of struggles, in other words, even if he endures all kinds of troubles in order to worship, obey Allah, and serve in the way of Allah from the day he is born until the day that he dies due to his old age, on the Day of Judgment, all he has done will seem very few to him and he will wish that he could have done more.” (Ahmad, IV, 185; Baihaqi, Shuab, I, 479; Haythami, I, 51; X, 225, 358)
The real benefit of all good deeds is for those who perform the deed. Even if it seems that those who benefit from good deeds are the recipients, the final benefit and the spiritual gain is for the performer.
It is said in noble verses that:
“If any one does a righteous deed, it ensures to the benefit of his own soul.” (Al-Jasiyah; 45:15)
“It is not required of you (O Messenger., to set them on the right path, but Allah sets on the right path whom He pleases. Whatever of good you give benefits your own souls, and you shall only do so seeking the “Face” of Allah. Whatever good you give, shall be rendered back to you, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:272)
Also, no goodness can get loss. Almighty Allah records everything and will appear before us on the Day of Judgment. As a matter of fact, it is said in a noble Qur’an:
“And whatever you do that is good, (Allah) knows it well.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:215)
“And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah, for Allah sees well all that you do.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:110)
For this reason, a believer should perform good deeds and pursue beneficial works in this world as much as he can. Good traits such as making good use of time, benefitting from the opportunities, searching for the opportunities of good deeds, and hurrying about these acts should be signs of a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment. That is because Almighty Allah advised His servants to behave this way and He says:
“…then strive together (as in a race) towards all that is good.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:148)
“They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.” (Al-i Imran; 3:114)
In our first hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised that one must not show negligence and hurry in doing good deeds while there are opportunities. As a matter of fact, time not always ticks away the same. There comes a time where circumstances can change, unrest can occur, and some deeds which can be performed easily cannot be performed. The social disturbances can darken the society so much so that people may not discern between the good and the evil. Everyone starts fighting for their lives; they would not want to be busy neither with the religion nor withthe faith; and faith, the most valuable fortune of humans, can lose its value in the eyes of people. Since many of them may not know what they are doing and due to their lack of Islamic knowledge, they may be Muslims in the morning but unbelievers in the evening or Muslims in the evening but unbelievers in the morning. This may be caused by the lack of Islamic education or most of the time by giving up everything for the worldly benefits. At that point, some people may trade their faith and religion for a small benefit in this world.
In times like this when the world is in a slippery slope, the strongest handle that a believer should grasp in order to protect his faith is the performance of good deeds. In extraordinary times when disorder, corruption, cruelty and abasement are present, arming oneself with good deeds protects and strengthens one’s faith.
In another narration, it is expressed that “those whom Allah has blessed with knowledge” can protect their faith in times of disorder. (Darimi, Muqaddimah, 32)
Doing good deeds are not only prevented by great discords. There are also other reasons that prevent people from performing good deeds. In our second hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised us that one must pursue good deeds that make us gain the consent of Allah and divine rewards before these kinds of disorders take place.
For example, a person can be poor at any time. When people struggle with poverty, they would not think of doing good deeds. As a matter of fact, most of the good deeds are done with financial means. Those who lose their wealth miss out these opportunities. Yet, the doors of possibilities for doing good deeds are not completely closed for them. As long as they want, there are countless ways of doing good deeds. However, being poor makes the performance of some important good deeds impossible.
On the other hand, one can be wealthy when he was poor but this may cause him to pursue good deeds. As a matter of fact, when his financial possibilities advance, he may get rampageous by losing his control over the carnal self, he may become greedy, and the love of this world invades his heart and makes him forget the Hereafter.
For this reason, one must be thankful for his situation and search for the ways of doing good deeds. Poor should not wait to become rich and rich should not wait to become old. That is because a person can get sick at any age. God forbid, a young person who becomes seriously ill loses the opportunity of serving in the way of Allah. A sick person whose enjoyment of the life and power of his body is gone must busy himself mostly with his health problems. No matter how much he wants, his opportunities to perform good deeds decrease.
While a healthy person keeps postponing doing good deeds, he may realize that the old-age has arrived. Then, he may not have the power of performing the good deeds that he has been putting off. As a matter of fact, since his intelligence and apprehension may start to show the sings of old-age, he may even not be able to think of doing good deeds for the Hereafter. Even if he thinks, since he may have speech problems, he may not express himself clearly.
The heaviest one of those is the death. It is impossible to know when one will die. While a person is busy in ignorance, a sudden death changes everything. After passing away from this world of opportunities to win the hereafter, no matter how hard he wants, he cannot perform anything. When facing with the fright and torments of the Day of Judgment, he wants to come back and pursue and perform good deeds, but in vain indeed… The test of humans ends there. He will be alone with whatever he has done before.
At the end of the hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) referred to the following noble verse of the Qur’an in order to make one feel the horror of the Day of Judgment where those who did not pursue good deeds will burn with the fires of regret:
“Nay, the Hour (of Judgment) is the time promised them (for their full recompense): And that Hour will be most grievous and most bitter.” (Al-Qamar; 54:46)
As a result, a Muslim should not wait for anything to perform good deeds. As the Prophet expressed in one of his sermons, one should pay attention to this warning:
“O people! Repent to Allah before you die! Embark upon good deeds before you become occupied with some troubles and hardships! Try to give Allah His due upon you by remembering Him a lot and by giving much sadaqah (charity) both secretly and openly so that you will be endowed bounties by Allah, receive help and get ameliorated!” (Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 78)
Such serious warnings of the Prophet on doing good deeds fast and without delay shows that people have a great weakness in this respect and so that this matter is extremely important.
On the Day of Judgment, great rewards await the believers who were able to overcome this weakness without being defeated by their carnal self. Indeed, in our third hadith, we are given the glad tidings that even the smallest of efforts in the way of Allah will shine like a light on the Day of Judgment, will light up his way to Heaven, and will save him from the intense troubles of the Day of Judgment. So, a Muslim should make each hair strand on his head turn gray while running for services in the way of Allah.
In our fourth hadith, a companion is teaching how to run around for good deeds by personally practicing himself. This companion who learned that he will obtain Heaven in exchange for the deed that he will conduct had accepted the word of the Prophet with certain faith and had run to jihad upon hearing it and had not even waited to eat the dates in his hand.
A similar event took place in the Battle of Badr. In Badr, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had encouraged his companions for jihad and reminded them of Heaven. And when the enemy had come quite close, he commanded:
“Come on, stand up for Heaven, which is as large as the skies and the Earth.”
Upon this, Umair b. Humam (r.a.) jumped in and said:
“O the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)! Did you say ‘the Heaven as large as the skies and the Earth?’
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) responded
“Yes.” Umair said:
“How nice, how beautiful!”
When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“Why did you say so?” He said:
“O the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), I did not say this for anything but only to be one from the people of Heaven.”
In order to enter the struggle (jihad) strong, Umair took out a few dates from his bag and started to eat them. However, he could not be patient for the delay any longer and said:
“If I live until I finish eating these dates, this indeed will be a long life. If I sit down until they finish, I will have shown undue ambition towards the world” and threw away the dates in his hand and drew the sword and fought with the enemy. Finally, he achieved the degree of martyrdom. (See Bukhari, Al-Maghazi, 17; Muslim, Imarah, 145; Muwatta, Jihad 42)
Indeed, pursuing good deeds like this means running to the forgiveness and Heaven of Allah and racing for the contentment of Allah. Only the pious servants of Allah can accomplish this.
Almighty Allah says the following:
“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous!” (Al-i Imran; 3:133)
Pursuing good deeds and doing the good thing at the very first opportunity had become the distinguishing sign of the Noble Companions. The reason that Abu Bekr was called ‘Abu Bakr’ was because he was the first person in all kinds of good deeds. Even when the Companions were over the age of eighty, they used to work in the way of Allah like a young person’s excitement. Abu Zibyan narrates an example about this:
Abu Ayyub al Ansari (r.a.) had joined a military expedition launched against the Romans. He got sick on the way. When his death was approaching he said the following:
“If I die, then take me forward with you! Carry me as far as you can in the Roman lands. When you meet the enemy lines and can’t move any further, bury me there under your feet!” (See Ahmad, V, 419, 416)
At that time, Abu Ayyub al Ansari (r.a.) was over 80 years old and this was his second expedition to Istanbul.
According to a narration from Ali (r.a.), the Prophet’s uncle Abbas (r.anhuma) had asked for the purpose of hurrying in doing good deeds if he could give his zakat (obligatory alms) before one year is completed. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave him permission this respect. (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 22/1624; Tirmidhi, Zakat, 37/678; Ibn Majah, Zakat, 7; Ahmad, I, 104; Daarimi, Zakat, 12)
Indeed noble companions used to pursue such good deeds with their lives and wealth and hurry in conducting good deeds.
In our fifth hadith, the harm of staying back from good deeds is explained. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had warned his companions who were lining up at the back while praying in the mosque or sitting down during conversations. He advised them to come closer to the imam as much as possible, to follow his moves and to hear his words as best as they can, and to pass on what they learn from him to the next generation. Some commentators have understood this saying of the Prophet (pbuh) as:
“You learn from me the rules of Islam, then, the ones who come after can learn from you, and the ones who come after them learn from them… let it continue like this until the Day of Judgment!”
The punishment of staying distant from good deeds and sources of knowledge is the sign of Allah’s leaving that person spiritually backward. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) spoke as follows:
“Be present during the sermon and be close to the imam because by continuing to be further and further away, a person will be in the back even if he enters the Heaven. “ (Abu Dawud, Salat 232/1108; Ahmad, V, 11; Hakim, I, 427)
In other words, the people who stay back without an excuse in righteous deeds, such as sitting in the back while listening to the Friday sermon, will gain and enter Heaven with difficulty and after everyone else, even if they earn it. Their rank in the Heaven would also be low.
Another noble hadith on this matter is as follows:
“If a person sits in a mosque at a place where he can see and listen to the imam, listens carefully, and does not speak, then there are two times the rewards. If the person ends up sitting at a far place where he cannot listen but keeps silent and quiet …” (Abu Dawud, Salat 209/1051)
As it can be seen, compensation and rewards decrease as one move away from the source of insight.
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b. Pursuing Good Deeds
٢٣١. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا أَوْ يُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا يَبِيعُ دِينَهُ بِعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا».
231. It is narrated from Abu Huraira (r.a.) that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Be prompt in doing good deeds (before you are overtaken) by turbulence which would be like a part of the dark night. During (that stormy period) a man would be a Muslim in the morning and an unbeliever in the evening or he would be a believer in the evening and an unbeliever in the morning, and would sell his faith for worldly goods.” (Muslim, Kitab Al Iman, 186. Also see. Tirmidhi, Fitan, 30; Zuhd, 3; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 78; Ahmad, II, 303, 372, 523)
٢٣٢. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«بَادِرُوا بِالْأَعْمَالِ سَبْعًا هَلْ تَنْتَظِرُونَ إِلَّا فَقْرًا مُنْسِيًا أَوْ غِنًى مُطْغِيًا أَوْ مَرَضًا مُفْسِدًا أَوْ هَرَمًا مُفَنِّدًا أَوْ مَوْتًا مُجْهِزًا أَوِ الدَّجَّالَ فَشَرُّ غَائِبٍ يُنْتَظَرُ أَوِ السَّاعَةَ فَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ».
232. It is narrated from Abu Huraira (r.a.) that the 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
٢٣٣. عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَبَسَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
«مَنْ شَابَ شَيْبَةً فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ».
233. It is narrated from Amr b. Abase (r.a.) that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
“Whosoever’s single strand turns gray in the path of Allah, it becomes a divine light (nur) on the Day of Judgment for him.” (Tirmidhi, Fadail al-Jihad, 9/1635; Nasai, Jihad, 26/3140; Ahmad, IV, 113)
٢٣٤. عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ:
«أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ قُتِلْتُ فَأَيْنَ أَنَا؟» قَالَ:
«فِي الْجَنَّةِ» فَأَلْقَى تَمَرَاتٍ فِي يَدِهِ ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ حَتَّى قُتِلَ.
234. Jabir bin Abdullah (r.a.) narrated:
On the day of the battle of Uhud, a man came to the Prophet and asked:
“Can you tell me where I will be if I should get martyred?”
The Prophet (pbuh) replied:
“In Paradise.”
The man threw away some dates he was carrying in his hand, and fought till he was martyred. (Bukhari, Al-Maghazi, 17; Muslim, Imara, 143. Also see. Nasai, Jihad, 31)
٢٣٥. عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَى فِي أَصْحَابِهِ تَأَخُّرًا فَقَالَ لَهُمْ:
«تَقَدَّمُوا فَأْتَمُّوا بِي وَلْيَأْتَمَّ بِكُمْ مَنْ بَعْدَكُمْ لَا يَزَالُ قَوْمٌ يَتَأَخَّرُونَ حَتَّى يُؤَخِّرَهُمُ اللّٰهُ».
235. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (r.a.) reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw (a tendency) among his Companions to go to the back (in congregation), so he said to them:
“Come forward and follow my lead, and let those who come after you follow your lead. People will continue to keep back till Allah will put them at the back.” (Muslim, Salat, 130. Also see Abu Dawud, Salat, 97; Nasai, Imamah, 17; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 45; Ahmad, III, 34)
Explanations:
Humans as the travelers for the Hereafter and responsible from the general state of the world will be happy as much as they fill their lives, which passes by as quick as a wink, with good deeds and benefactions. The rewards that Almighty Allah gives for the good deeds are unimaginably magnificent. For this reason, when Muslims see the blessings of Allah in the Hereafter and the rewards that He gives for the good deeds performed in the world, they consider their good deeds very few and regret that they did not perform more good deeds. As the Messenger of Allah informed us “even if a person lives a life full of struggles, in other words, even if he endures all kinds of troubles in order to worship, obey Allah, and serve in the way of Allah from the day he is born until the day that he dies due to his old age, on the Day of Judgment, all he has done will seem very few to him and he will wish that he could have done more.” (Ahmad, IV, 185; Baihaqi, Shuab, I, 479; Haythami, I, 51; X, 225, 358)
The real benefit of all good deeds is for those who perform the deed. Even if it seems that those who benefit from good deeds are the recipients, the final benefit and the spiritual gain is for the performer.
It is said in noble verses that:
“If any one does a righteous deed, it ensures to the benefit of his own soul.” (Al-Jasiyah; 45:15)
“It is not required of you (O Messenger., to set them on the right path, but Allah sets on the right path whom He pleases. Whatever of good you give benefits your own souls, and you shall only do so seeking the “Face” of Allah. Whatever good you give, shall be rendered back to you, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:272)
Also, no goodness can get loss. Almighty Allah records everything and will appear before us on the Day of Judgment. As a matter of fact, it is said in a noble Qur’an:
“And whatever you do that is good, (Allah) knows it well.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:215)
“And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah, for Allah sees well all that you do.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:110)
For this reason, a believer should perform good deeds and pursue beneficial works in this world as much as he can. Good traits such as making good use of time, benefitting from the opportunities, searching for the opportunities of good deeds, and hurrying about these acts should be signs of a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Day of Judgment. That is because Almighty Allah advised His servants to behave this way and He says:
“…then strive together (as in a race) towards all that is good.” (Al-Baqarah; 2:148)
“They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.” (Al-i Imran; 3:114)
In our first hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised that one must not show negligence and hurry in doing good deeds while there are opportunities. As a matter of fact, time not always ticks away the same. There comes a time where circumstances can change, unrest can occur, and some deeds which can be performed easily cannot be performed. The social disturbances can darken the society so much so that people may not discern between the good and the evil. Everyone starts fighting for their lives; they would not want to be busy neither with the religion nor withthe faith; and faith, the most valuable fortune of humans, can lose its value in the eyes of people. Since many of them may not know what they are doing and due to their lack of Islamic knowledge, they may be Muslims in the morning but unbelievers in the evening or Muslims in the evening but unbelievers in the morning. This may be caused by the lack of Islamic education or most of the time by giving up everything for the worldly benefits. At that point, some people may trade their faith and religion for a small benefit in this world.
In times like this when the world is in a slippery slope, the strongest handle that a believer should grasp in order to protect his faith is the performance of good deeds. In extraordinary times when disorder, corruption, cruelty and abasement are present, arming oneself with good deeds protects and strengthens one’s faith.
In another narration, it is expressed that “those whom Allah has blessed with knowledge” can protect their faith in times of disorder. (Darimi, Muqaddimah, 32)
Doing good deeds are not only prevented by great discords. There are also other reasons that prevent people from performing good deeds. In our second hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised us that one must pursue good deeds that make us gain the consent of Allah and divine rewards before these kinds of disorders take place.
For example, a person can be poor at any time. When people struggle with poverty, they would not think of doing good deeds. As a matter of fact, most of the good deeds are done with financial means. Those who lose their wealth miss out these opportunities. Yet, the doors of possibilities for doing good deeds are not completely closed for them. As long as they want, there are countless ways of doing good deeds. However, being poor makes the performance of some important good deeds impossible.
On the other hand, one can be wealthy when he was poor but this may cause him to pursue good deeds. As a matter of fact, when his financial possibilities advance, he may get rampageous by losing his control over the carnal self, he may become greedy, and the love of this world invades his heart and makes him forget the Hereafter.
For this reason, one must be thankful for his situation and search for the ways of doing good deeds. Poor should not wait to become rich and rich should not wait to become old. That is because a person can get sick at any age. God forbid, a young person who becomes seriously ill loses the opportunity of serving in the way of Allah. A sick person whose enjoyment of the life and power of his body is gone must busy himself mostly with his health problems. No matter how much he wants, his opportunities to perform good deeds decrease.
While a healthy person keeps postponing doing good deeds, he may realize that the old-age has arrived. Then, he may not have the power of performing the good deeds that he has been putting off. As a matter of fact, since his intelligence and apprehension may start to show the sings of old-age, he may even not be able to think of doing good deeds for the Hereafter. Even if he thinks, since he may have speech problems, he may not express himself clearly.
The heaviest one of those is the death. It is impossible to know when one will die. While a person is busy in ignorance, a sudden death changes everything. After passing away from this world of opportunities to win the hereafter, no matter how hard he wants, he cannot perform anything. When facing with the fright and torments of the Day of Judgment, he wants to come back and pursue and perform good deeds, but in vain indeed… The test of humans ends there. He will be alone with whatever he has done before.
At the end of the hadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) referred to the following noble verse of the Qur’an in order to make one feel the horror of the Day of Judgment where those who did not pursue good deeds will burn with the fires of regret:
“Nay, the Hour (of Judgment) is the time promised them (for their full recompense): And that Hour will be most grievous and most bitter.” (Al-Qamar; 54:46)
As a result, a Muslim should not wait for anything to perform good deeds. As the Prophet expressed in one of his sermons, one should pay attention to this warning:
“O people! Repent to Allah before you die! Embark upon good deeds before you become occupied with some troubles and hardships! Try to give Allah His due upon you by remembering Him a lot and by giving much sadaqah (charity) both secretly and openly so that you will be endowed bounties by Allah, receive help and get ameliorated!” (Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 78)
Such serious warnings of the Prophet on doing good deeds fast and without delay shows that people have a great weakness in this respect and so that this matter is extremely important.
On the Day of Judgment, great rewards await the believers who were able to overcome this weakness without being defeated by their carnal self. Indeed, in our third hadith, we are given the glad tidings that even the smallest of efforts in the way of Allah will shine like a light on the Day of Judgment, will light up his way to Heaven, and will save him from the intense troubles of the Day of Judgment. So, a Muslim should make each hair strand on his head turn gray while running for services in the way of Allah.
In our fourth hadith, a companion is teaching how to run around for good deeds by personally practicing himself. This companion who learned that he will obtain Heaven in exchange for the deed that he will conduct had accepted the word of the Prophet with certain faith and had run to jihad upon hearing it and had not even waited to eat the dates in his hand.
A similar event took place in the Battle of Badr. In Badr, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had encouraged his companions for jihad and reminded them of Heaven. And when the enemy had come quite close, he commanded:
“Come on, stand up for Heaven, which is as large as the skies and the Earth.”
Upon this, Umair b. Humam (r.a.) jumped in and said:
“O the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)! Did you say ‘the Heaven as large as the skies and the Earth?’
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) responded
“Yes.” Umair said:
“How nice, how beautiful!”
When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:
“Why did you say so?” He said:
“O the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), I did not say this for anything but only to be one from the people of Heaven.”
In order to enter the struggle (jihad) strong, Umair took out a few dates from his bag and started to eat them. However, he could not be patient for the delay any longer and said:
“If I live until I finish eating these dates, this indeed will be a long life. If I sit down until they finish, I will have shown undue ambition towards the world” and threw away the dates in his hand and drew the sword and fought with the enemy. Finally, he achieved the degree of martyrdom. (See Bukhari, Al-Maghazi, 17; Muslim, Imarah, 145; Muwatta, Jihad 42)
Indeed, pursuing good deeds like this means running to the forgiveness and Heaven of Allah and racing for the contentment of Allah. Only the pious servants of Allah can accomplish this.
Almighty Allah says the following:
“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous!” (Al-i Imran; 3:133)
Pursuing good deeds and doing the good thing at the very first opportunity had become the distinguishing sign of the Noble Companions. The reason that Abu Bekr was called ‘Abu Bakr’ was because he was the first person in all kinds of good deeds. Even when the Companions were over the age of eighty, they used to work in the way of Allah like a young person’s excitement. Abu Zibyan narrates an example about this:
Abu Ayyub al Ansari (r.a.) had joined a military expedition launched against the Romans. He got sick on the way. When his death was approaching he said the following:
“If I die, then take me forward with you! Carry me as far as you can in the Roman lands. When you meet the enemy lines and can’t move any further, bury me there under your feet!” (See Ahmad, V, 419, 416)
At that time, Abu Ayyub al Ansari (r.a.) was over 80 years old and this was his second expedition to Istanbul.
According to a narration from Ali (r.a.), the Prophet’s uncle Abbas (r.anhuma) had asked for the purpose of hurrying in doing good deeds if he could give his zakat (obligatory alms) before one year is completed. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) gave him permission this respect. (Abu Dawud, Zakat, 22/1624; Tirmidhi, Zakat, 37/678; Ibn Majah, Zakat, 7; Ahmad, I, 104; Daarimi, Zakat, 12)
Indeed noble companions used to pursue such good deeds with their lives and wealth and hurry in conducting good deeds.
In our fifth hadith, the harm of staying back from good deeds is explained. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had warned his companions who were lining up at the back while praying in the mosque or sitting down during conversations. He advised them to come closer to the imam as much as possible, to follow his moves and to hear his words as best as they can, and to pass on what they learn from him to the next generation. Some commentators have understood this saying of the Prophet (pbuh) as:
“You learn from me the rules of Islam, then, the ones who come after can learn from you, and the ones who come after them learn from them… let it continue like this until the Day of Judgment!”
The punishment of staying distant from good deeds and sources of knowledge is the sign of Allah’s leaving that person spiritually backward. Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) spoke as follows:
“Be present during the sermon and be close to the imam because by continuing to be further and further away, a person will be in the back even if he enters the Heaven. “ (Abu Dawud, Salat 232/1108; Ahmad, V, 11; Hakim, I, 427)
In other words, the people who stay back without an excuse in righteous deeds, such as sitting in the back while listening to the Friday sermon, will gain and enter Heaven with difficulty and after everyone else, even if they earn it. Their rank in the Heaven would also be low.
Another noble hadith on this matter is as follows:
“If a person sits in a mosque at a place where he can see and listen to the imam, listens carefully, and does not speak, then there are two times the rewards. If the person ends up sitting at a far place where he cannot listen but keeps silent and quiet …” (Abu Dawud, Salat 209/1051)
As it can be seen, compensation and rewards decrease as one move away from the source of insight.
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