Merits of Good Deeds

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that staying in the place between the Muslims and the disbelievers to guard the Muslims from them for one day, sincerely for the sake of Allah, is better than the world and everything in it. The area occupied by a whip that is used for fighting in the cause of Allah, in Paradise is better than the world and everything in it. And the reward and recompense of walking the amount of time from the beginning of the day until just before midday, or in the evening from midday until night, in the cause of Allah once, is better than the world and everything in it.

1. The merit of observing Ribāt in the cause of Allah is that it involves risk to one's life and leads to elevating the word of Allah and supporting His religion. Therefore, the reward of one day is better than the world and everything in it.
2. The insignificance of this world compared to the Hereafter; because the place that a whip occupies in Paradise is better than the world and everything in it.
3. The merit of Jihad in the cause of Allah and the immense reward for it, because the reward of a single evening or morning walk in His cause is better than the world and everything in it.
4. His statement: "in the cause of Allah," indicates the importance of sincerity and that the reward is contingent upon it.

صحيح البخاري (4/ 35) (2892). صحيح مسلم (3/ 1500) (1881). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لعبد الله البسام (ص739).

Ka‘b ibn Mālik al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of three Companions who did not join the battle of Tabūk without a valid excuse but without being guilty of hypocrisy. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came back, he refrained from talking to them and told his Companions to do the same. They remained in that state of abandonment until Allah, the Exalted, revealed that He forgave their fault. The Prophet and the Companions were pleased with this. Ka‘b was so happy with Allah's pleasure and acceptance of his repentance that he wanted to give his entire fortune in charity for the sake of Allah, the Almighty. However, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him to keep some of his wealth. When Allah, the Almighty, knew about his truthful intention and sincere repentance, He forgave his sins even though he did not actually go through with it. Indeed, Allah does not burden a person beyond his scope. Therefore, Ka‘b gave part of his fortune in charity out of joy with Allah's pleasure and to gain Allah's reward in the Hereafter, and he kept part of it in order to be able to take care of his and his family's expenses. Verily, Allah is Ever-Merciful to His servants.

-صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422ه. -صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، 1423هـ. -عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام صلى الله عليه وسلم لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، ط2، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق ، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، 1408هـ. -تأسيس الأحكام للنجمي، ط2، دار علماء السلف، 1414ه. -تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام للبسام، حققه وعلق عليه وخرج أحاديثه وصنع فهارسه: محمد صبحي بن حسن حلاق، ط10، مكتبة الصحابة، الأمارات - مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، 1426هـ. -الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام, إسماعيل الأنصاري, الطبعة الثانية 1392هـ. -الشرح الممتع على زاد المستقنع، محمد بن صالح بن محمد العثيمين، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422- 1428هـ.

The Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that a poor woman carrying her two daughters came begging her. She gave her three dates. The woman gave each daughter one date and raised the third to her mouth to eat it. But her daughters asked for that date too, so she split it between them. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was deeply moved by her conduct and mentioned the woman's action to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He said: "Indeed, Allah has made Paradise obligatory for her because of it, or He has freed her from Hellfire because of it."

1. The merit of charity, even if small, for it demonstrates the believer’s sincerity in his belief in his Lord, and his trust in Allah's promise and bounty.
2. The profound mercy of mothers toward their children and their intense fear for their well-being.
3. The merit of selflessness, compassion toward children, and exceptional kindness and gentleness toward daughters, for these are causes of entering Paradise and salvation from Hellfire.
4. One should not refrain from giving charity due to the smallness of the amount. Rather, the giver should donate whatever is easy for them, whether a little or much.
5. This Hadīth reveals the condition of the Prophet's household and how he and his family lived when there was nothing in their home to eat except one date or three dates.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 2027) (2630). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص199). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (3/ 111). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 278).

In this Qudsi Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that any believer who is tested with losing his beloved one, whether a relative, such as one's child, parent, sibling, uncle, or one's friend, and he is patient with his loss, seeking reward from Allah, then the reward for it is nothing less than Paradise.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415هـ. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428هـ. رياض الصالحين، ط4، تحقيق: عصام هادي، وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية القطرية، دار الريان، بيروت، 1428هـ. كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، ط1، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، 1430هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين، للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified some forms of spending and put them in order according to the most obligatory ones in case numerous channels of spending crowd together, starting with the most important and then the next in importance. He stated that the money that brings one the highest reward for spending is the money that a Muslim spends on his dependents, like his wife and children, followed by spending on the mount that is prepared for war in the cause of Allah, then spending on one's friends and companions if they are fighters in the cause of Allah.

1. Arranging the channels of spending in order according to their merit in the way mentioned, and this order should be observed in case of numerous options.
2. Demonstrating that providing for one's dependents takes priority in terms of merit over other forms of spending.
3. Spending on Jihad in the cause of Allah, like preparing equipment and men for Jihad, is from the greatest channels of spending.
4. It was said: "In the cause of Allah" refers to every act of obedience, like Hajj, for instance.

صحيح مسلم (2/ 691) (994). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (5/ 315). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (3/ 156). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 291). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 374).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that houses be free from prayers and thus become like graves, where prayer is not offered. He forbade frequently visiting his grave and gathering there in an usual manner, for this is a means leading to polytheism. He commanded that we invoke Allah's blessings upon him from any place on earth, for this will reach him from the near and the distant places alike; so, there is no need to frequent his grave.

1. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that houses be free from the worship of Allah Almighty.
2. It is forbidden to travel to pay a visit to the Prophet's grave, as he commanded that when we invoke Allah's blessings upon him, they reach him. We may only travel to go to the mosque and pray there.
3. It is prohibited to make visiting the Prophet's grave a form of celebration by repeating it in a specific way and at a specific time. This also applies to visiting any other grave.
4. This points out the Prophet's high status in the sight of his Lord, as Allah Almighty made the invocation of His blessings upon him permissible from any place and at any time.
5. As it was well established among the Companions that prayer must not be offered at graves, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade to make houses like graves where prayer is not performed.

سنن أبي داود (3/ 385) (2042). الجديد في شرح كتاب التوحيد، لمحمد القرعاوي (ص202). الملخص في شرح كتاب التوحيد، لصالح الفوزان (ص185).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that one who is granted two daughters, or two sisters, and he takes care of them by providing for them, raising them, directing them to goodness, and warning them against evil and the like until they grow up and reach puberty, he will come on the Day of Judgment along with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) like these two, and he joined his index and middle fingers.

1. The great reward for the one who looks after his daughters by providing for them and raising them until they get married or reach puberty, and the same applies to his sisters.
2. The reward for looking after daughters is greater than that of looking after sons, as nothing similar to this was mentioned about them. This is because providing for daughters and taking care of their affairs is greater than taking care of the sons' affairs since they are ‘Awrah (should be covered) and cannot manage their affairs or act like boys. Moreover, a father does not aspire to seek strength in his daughters against enemies, as is the case with his sons, or to depend on them to keep his name alive and the continuity of his progeny. Hence, one who provides for his daughters needs to be patient, sincere, and have a good intention, and this is why the reward is great, as he will be a companion of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the Day of Judgment.
3. Signs of puberty for a woman: reaching the age of fifteen, menstruating even before the age of fifteen, having pubic hair, which is the coarse hair that grows around the genitals, or having a nocturnal emission, which is the discharge of semen during sleep.
4. Al-Qurtubi said: By reaching puberty, he means reaching a state of independence, and in the case of women, they reach this state only when their husbands consummate the marriage with them. So, he is not referring here to their reaching puberty by menstruating and becoming religiously accountable, since a girl can get married before this and becomes in no need of a caretaker other than the husband, or she may menstruate without being independent in any of her interests, and if she is left alone, she might be lost and her affairs might be ruined. Rather, in this case she is even more entitled to support and protection and needs her caretaker to provide her with full protection until she gets married. Based on this meaning, our scholars stated that a girl's father is not exempted from providing for her when she reaches puberty but only when her husband consummates the marriage with her.

صحيح مسلم (4/ 2027) (2631). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 352). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص198). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (5/ 144). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (3/ 105). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 276).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Which deed is dearest to Allah? He said: Offering the obligatory prayer at its appointed time prescribed by the Legislator. Then, being dutiful to one's parents by being kind to them, fulfilling their rights, and refraining from being undutiful to them. Then, making Jihad in the cause of Allah with one's life and wealth to make Allah's word supreme, defend the religion of Islam and its people, and spread its rituals. Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He informed me of these deeds, and if I had said to him: Then, what comes next? he would have informed me of more.

1. Deeds vary in their merit according to how dear they are to Allah.
2. Urging Muslims to be keen on performing deeds according to their degree of superiority.
3. The Prophet's replies concerning the best of deeds vary according to the various questioners, their conditions, and what is more beneficial to each of them.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 112) (527). صحيح مسلم (1/ 90) (85). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 70). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص84). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 108).