Means of Divine Help for Good Deeds and Righteousness

Means of Divine Help for Good Deeds and Righteousness

All praises be to Allah, with whose mercy the rightly-guided find the right path and with whose justice and wisdom the depraved lose the right path. I bear witness that there is no god but He alone. He’s no partner. He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. I bear witness that Muhammad is the slave and messenger of Allah. He left us on a bright path only ignorant and whimsical can deviate from. A lot of blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions and followers in good deeds till the Day of Judgement.

And after: I advise you and myself of having the fear of Allah. Allah, the Exalted said: (And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged [i.e., treated unjustly].) [Al-Baqarah: 281].

Friends, each of us loves paradise and loves to be among those who achieve high grades in it. Each of us fears hell and seeks the protection of Allah in every prayer from it and from the punishment of the grave. However, we find ourselves negligent about many acts of obedience, either by not performing them, rarely performing them or being careless about them. Sometimes we find ourselves transgressing the boundaries of Allah, which He’s forbidden us from. We also commit negligence in repenting and seeking forgiveness!

Come, let’s remember a hadith through which Allah may benefit the speaker and the listener both. There may be those who convey knowledge to those who may have more understanding of it than they do.

Servants of the Most Merciful, among the means of divine help for good deeds and fear of Allah is needfulness to Allah and denial of capability and power. Having a heart full of need to Allah, the Exalted and extreme requirement for His guidance and help, and attesting of the slave to his weakness and ignorance are among the means of divine help. This leads to one of the greatest means of good deed, i.e., praying to Allah abundantly and persistently for providing guidance! Do you not see that Allah has mentioned asking for guidance to His straight path in the greatest chapter of His book and has made its recitation obligatory in prayer, which is the greatest obligation after monotheism? Then contemplate how much the prophet would pray asking for guidance, assistance in worship and good deeds, giving up acts of sin and seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of the self and Satan!

According to a Qudsi hadith: “My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you.” (This hadith has been narrated by Imam Muslim.)

Allah, the Exalted said in the holy Quran: (Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him].) [Al-Shooraa: 13].

Among the means of divine help for righteousness and good deeds:

Among the means of divine help for righteousness and good deeds is the goodness of heart. According to a hadith: “Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.” This hadith has been narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim.

Allah, the Exalted said in the holy Quran: (O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, "If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.) [Al-Anfaal: 70].

Brothers in belief, among the means of divine help for good deeds is that the servant of Allah should perform deeds as much as he can and should continue to do that. According to a hadith: “A'isha is reported to have said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about the act most pleasing to Allah. He replied:That which is done continuously, even if it is small.” This hadith has been narrated by Imam Muslim.

So, continuous deeds, even if they are small, keep the belief well nourished always, purify the soul and bless the deeds with increase and abundance!

Ikrimah said: “Abu Hurairah would utter tasbeeh (glorification of Allah) twelve thousand times every day.”

Among the means of divine help for good deeds and righteousness is the acknowledgement of the favour and gratitude of Allah by the slave as He guided, assisted and helped him. Allah, the Exalted said in the holy Quran: (Rather, Allah has conferred favor upon you that He has guided you to the faith, if you should be truthful.) [Al-Hujuraat: 17]. Allah, the Almighty said in another verse of the holy Quran: (And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing.) [Al-Noor: 21].

Among the means of divine help for good deeds and righteousness is the praising of Allah and thanking Him when a slave is provided power for good deed or distanced from an act of sin, because thankfulness increases bounties. And good deeds are among the greatest bounties!

The means of divine help for good deeds and righteousness include eagerness to adopt what nourishes belief like the assemblies of remembrance of Allah, comprehension of the best names of Allah, listening to the Words of Allah and pondering over the Day of Resurrection and what reminds of it. According to a hadith: “See the sick and follow the funerals as they remind of the Day of Resurrection.” This hadith has been declared authentic by Albaani.

Among the means of divine help for good deeds is abstaining from the sins because sin is a reason of deprivation for the slave. Allah, the exalted said: (And if they turn away - then know that Allah only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins.) [Al-Maaidah: 49].

Among the reasons of righteousness is the performance of prayer with its conditions, obligations, compulsory acts and sunnah acts. Allah said: (and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing.) [Al-Ankaboot: 45].

May Allah benefit you and us with the Book and sunnah and from guidance and wisdom they contain. Seek the forgiveness of Allah, He’s All-Forgiving.

The second sermon

All praise be to Allah who said: (So today [i.e., the Day of Judgement] no soul will be wronged at all, and you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do.) [Yaseen: 54]. May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon the bringer of glad tidings, warner and illuminating lamp, his family and companions. And after:

O’ servants of the Most Merciful, the good deed leads to another good deed. Our Lord is Forgiving and Appreciative. It’s His favour that He gives strength for more acts of deeds to the slave when he does good deeds. For example, does the person who finish the Quran every week or every third night, reach to that stage directly? Absolutely not. He starts with a limited thing, but Allah gave him strength for more from time to time. Does a person who spends in charity the tenth part, quarter or half of his wealth, reach to that stage at once? Not at all. Rather, he starts with a thing and Allah gives him strength for more.

Brothers in faith, among the means of divine help for good deeds is kindness to parents and their pleasure. Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibban and Hakim has narrated with connected chains of narration to the prophet that he said: “Allah’s pleasure results from the parent’s pleasure, and Allah’s displeasure results from the parent’s displeasure.” This hadith has been declared authentic by Albaani.

And the one who’s honoured by Allah with His pleasure is given strength for the good deeds with the permission of his Lord.

Among the means of divine help for good deeds is to train oneself gradually and utilise the time in which one is at one’s active best for worship, as the human self has phases of activity and inactivity. Therefore, scholars of Islam have recommended that a Muslim should perform during night three, five, nine or more rakaat. He should perform them regularly and lengthen or shorten them as per his alacrity and readiness.

Among the means of divine help for good deeds is to act prolifically in the fields of goodness he’s been gifted in. There may be a person who’s gifted in fasting, another one may be gifted in charities and the third one in benefitting others, etc. A Muslim must act prolifically in the area of his ease and comfort.

I finish it with a means which is probably one of the most important means of divine help for good deeds, i.e., seeking the protection of Allah from Satan by supplications, especially by those which are said to have the protection from Satan in them, like the hadith in which it has been mentioned that the exclamation of ‘la ilaaha illallah’ hundred times is a guard against Satan for that day. The same is the case with the supplication of coming out of house and reciting Aayatul Kursi before sleeping. The remembrance of Allah usually drives away Satan who tempts at the time of dhikr. May Allah protect us from his association and trap. Allah, the Exalted said in the holy Quran: (And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.) [Fussilat: 36].

To conclude, O’ slaves of Allah, let’s crowd out our sins with our acts of obedience. Allah said in the Quran: (And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember.) [Hud: 114]. Let’s purify ourselves from the blot of sins by repenting and seeking forgiveness. Allah said: (And ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Affectionate.") [Hud: 90].

O Allah, separate us from our sins as You have separated the East from the West. O Allah, cleanse us of our transgressions as the white garment is cleansed of stains. O Allah, wash away our sins with ice and water and frost.