Good Deeds to Increase Our Hasanaat

Some illustration of Good Deeds

Question: Please enlighten me on some examples of Good Deeds that we can do every day to increase our Hasanāt.

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of the al-ā’lamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger.

If Allah blesses anyone to perform good deeds, he would earn a great deal of reward. There are many kinds of righteous deeds that can be offered by rich and poor, old and young, male and female, depending on each person’s circumstances, ambition and energy, after the help of Allah.

Allah says:

“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 Hurairah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) 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 kafir by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a kafir by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.” [Muslim, 118]

The kinds of good deeds that a person could offer daily include the following:

1 – Praying in Congregation in the Mosque.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam)  said: “Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning and evening, Allah will prepare for him an honourable place in Paradise every time he goes and comes.” [Al-Bukhari, 631; Muslim, 669]

2- Performing Optional Prayers.

The mother of the faithful Umm Habibah Ramlah binti Abu Sufyan (Radiallāhu ‘anha) narrated that she heard the Prophet (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) saying: “A house will be built in paradise for every Muslim who offers twelve Rak’ah of optional solāh other than the obligatory solāh in day and night, to seek pleasure of Allah.” [Muslim]

Note : these extra 12 rak’ats of optional prayers, according to Imam Nasa’i and Tirmidzi are : 2 rak’ats before the obligatory prayer of Early morning (fajar), and 4 rak’ats before (Zuhur) and 2 rak’ats after it ,and 2 rak’ats after the obligatory of early evening prayer (maghrib) and 2 rak’ats after the obligatory prayer of night (Isha') prayer.

Abu Hurairah (radiallāhu`anhu) narrated that the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: “[Voluntary] Solāh is the best thing that one can do, so perform as many as you possibly can” (At-Tabarani). “Prostrate as much as you can, because whenever you prostrate, Allah elevates your rank by a degree and wipes out a sin from your record” [Muslim].

Rasullullah (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) also said “Two light rak’at which you may think as insignificant to add to you deeds, it is better for you than possessing the whole world” [Ibn Al-Mubarak]

Performing the Qiyamulail.

The Qiyamulail or Tahajjud Prayer will draw us closer to Allah Among the hadiths that describe the virtues of this act of worship is the hadith of Abu Hurairah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu), in which the Prophet (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “The best of prayers after the prescribed prayers is prayer in the depths of the night, and the best of fasting after the month of Ramadhān is fasting the month of Allah, Muharram.” [Muslim].

‘Abdallah Ibn ‘Amr (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “The most beloved of prayer to Allah is the prayer of Dawud, and the most beloved of fasts to Allah is the fast of Dawud. He used to sleep for half of the night, then get up and pray for a third of the night, then sleep for a sixth of the night, and he used to fast every other day.” [Al-Bukhari, Muslim and others].

3– Attending Funerals and Offering the Funeral Prayer.

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever attends a funeral until he offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qirāt (of reward) and whoever attends until the burial is done will have two qirāt.” It was said: “What are the two qirāts?” He said: “Like two great mountains.” [Al-Bukhari, 1261; Muslim, 945]

4 – Recite a lot of the Supplication of Tahlīlah.

Say “Lā ilāha ill-Allāh wahdahu lāsharīka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr"-- (There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, to Him be all praise, and He is able to do all things)” one hundred times each day. It is the best supplication to remember Allah.

It is described to us in the Hadith of the Messenger (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam), he said: "...and the best (supplication) I and the other prophets who were sent who were sent before me proclaimed was: “Lā ilāha ill Allāh, Wahdahu Lāsyarikalah, Lahul mulku walLahul hamdu yuhyi wa yumīt, Wa huwa ‘alā kulli shay'in qadīr." -- "There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, He is Alone and has no partner. To Him belongs the Ownership (of everything), and to Him belongs all Praise, and He has total power over all things." [At-Tirmidzi]

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam)  said: “Whoever says Lā ilāha ill-Allāh wahdahu lāsharīka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr one hundred times in a day, it will be as if he freed ten slaves, and one hundred hasanāt (good deeds) will be recorded for him, and one hundred sayi’at (bad deeds) will be erased from him, and it will be a protection for him against the Shaytaan all that day until evening comes. No one can do anything better than that except one who does more.” [Al-Bukhari, 3119; Muslim, 2691]

5 – Continue honouring your parents after they die and Upholding the Ties of Kinship.

It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) say: “Whoever would like his provision to be increased and his lifespan extended, let him uphold his ties of kinship.” [Al-Bukhari, 5639; Muslim, 2557]

In another hadith Abu Usaid Malik bin Rabi`ah As-Sa`idi (Radiallāhu`anhu) reported: We were sitting with Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) when a man of Banu Salamah came to him and asked, “O Messenger of Allāh, is there anything that I can do to continue honouring my parents after they die?” He (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: “'Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, forgiveness for them, fulfill their last wishes (wasiyah or will), honour their friends and uphold the ties of kinship which you would not have were it not for them (i.e. parents).” [Abu Dawud].

6 – Observing Voluntary Fasts, Visiting the Sick and Giving Charity.

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “Who among you is fasting today?” Abu Bakar (Radiallāhu‘anhu) said: “I am.” He said: “Who among you has attended a funeral today?” Abu Bakar said: “I have.” He said: “Who among you has fed a poor person today?’ Abu Bakar said: “I have.” He said: “Who among you has visited a sick person today?” Abu Bakar said: “I have.” The Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “These (traits) are not combined in a person but he will enter Paradise.” [Muslim, 1028]

6 – Glorifying Allah SWT.

Recite Subhān Allāh wa bi hamdih, Subhān Allāh il a’dzīm (Praise and glory be to Allah) one hundred times.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever says Subhān Allāh wa bi hamdih Subhān Allāh il a’dzīm (Praise and glory be to Allah) one hundred times, morning and evening, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam of the sea.” [Al-Bukhari, 6042; Muslim, 2691]

7 – Recite the Tasbih, Tahmid And Takbīr, And Enjoining What Is Good And Forbidding What Is Evil, And Praying Duha.

It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Prophet (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “For every bone of the son of Adam a charity must be given each day. Every tasbīhah [saying Subhānallāh (Glory be to Allah)] is a charity, every tahmīdah [saying al-hamdu Lillāh (praise be to Allah)] is a charity, every tahlālah [saying Lā ilāha ill-Allāh (There is no god but Allah)] is a charity, every takbīrah [saying Allahu akbar [Allah is Most Great]) is a charity, enjoining what is good is a charity, forbidding what is evil is a charity, and two raka’hs offered in the mid-morning (Duha) is most rewarding.” [Muslim, 720]

8 – Reciting Qur’an.

‘Abdallah ibn Mas’ūd (Radiallāhu ‘anhu) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whoever reads a letter of the Book of Allah will be credited with a good deed and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that Alif-Laam-Meem is a letter, rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter and Meem is a letter.” [Al-Tirmidzi, 2910; he said it is hasan sahih; classified as sahih by Al-Albani]

And there are many other good deeds. The Muslim should seek the help of his Lord to do good deeds, and do his best to do them. He 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 ‘Aishah (Radiallāhu ‘anha) said: The Messenger of Allah (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “O people, you should do whatever good deeds you can, for Allah does not get tired (of giving reward) until you get tired. And the most beloved of good deeds to Allah is that in which a person persists, even if it is little. If the family of Muhammad (sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) started to do something, they would persist in it.” [Al-Bukhari, 43; Muslim, 782]

And Allah the Exalted Knows best.

[Via Islam QA]