Jannah has different levels which will be assigned to people according to their level of deeds. The highest among them is Jannat-ul-Firdaws: the never seen place especially designed by the most beautiful Allah for his most loved creatures. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: “In Paradise, there are a hundred levels, between every two levels is (the distance of) a hundred years.” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2529
At-Tirmidhi narrated (3174) – and classed it as saheeh – from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “al-Firdaws is the highest part of Paradise, and the centre and the best of it.”
Although every level of Jannah is beautiful the most beautiful is the one where our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) will live with his companions- Jannat-ul-Firdaws. The people of Jannat-ul-Firdaws will have the honor to meet the beloved prophet daily.
Alhamdulillah, it is possible to be one of them. We still have an opportunity because we are alive and we can still gather the rewards that can give us the status of Jannat-ul-Firdaws.
HOW TO MULTIPLY DEEDS
Allah is the Creator. Who likes to punish his own creature? He knows we are human; we make mistakes. He never closes the door of forgiveness to any of His creation until death. Who can be more glorified than Him?
Allah does not need our prayers or supplications. Millions of angels are busy worshiping Him. It’s us who’ll get benefit from each of our virtuous acts. Allah is so merciful that He has given us thousands of ways to multiply our reward and to expiate our sin.
Doing an obligatory act in a sunnah way increases the reward, living life normally but practicing sunnah enhances the rewards. Similarly, certain acts such as praying on Laylatul Qadr and fasting on the Day of Arafah multiply the rewards and can make us reach Jannat-ul-Firdaws. Following are some great ways to wipe off the sin and replace them with good deeds.
FASTING DAY OF ARAFAH
The ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah is named the “Day of Arafah”. This day holds significant importance in Islam. On this day, pilgrims gather at the mountain of Arafah to pray and supplicate to Allah. It’s a memorable day for Muslims, as it is the day when Allah perfected his religion and revealed the following verse to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
“Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen Islam as your way. (Quran 5:3)
Fasting on the Day of Arafah holds great importance and is one of the best opportunities to expiate the sins of the past and coming year. This fast is only for non-pilgrims.
Abu Qatadah narrated that : the Prophet said: “Fast the Day of Arafah, for indeed I anticipate that Allah will forgive (the sins) of the year after it, and the year before it.” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 749
Besides fasting: giving sacrifice/Qurbani, making dua, seeking forgiveness, and making dhikr are the most prescribed act of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the Day of Arafah.
Wish for something? Make dua on the Day of Arafah with true heart and all your attention toward Allah. Indeed, He is the only one who can give.
FASTING ASHURA
Muharram is the sacred month of Islam, and Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram. The history of Ashura fasting goes back to pre-Islamic traditions of Quraish and the “people of the book”. The people of Makkah used to fast on the tenth day of Muharram and when the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) observed “the people of the book” fasting on the same day in Madina, he asked them the reason. They replied that it is the blessed day for them and prophet Musa (A. S) fasted on this day to thank Allah for drowning the people of Pharoah and protecting the Musa.
Upon hearing this, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) guided his companion to fast on the day of Ashura. However,, he was has also instructed to fast on the ninth or eleven Muharram with fasting Ashura to protect Islam from being similar to other religions.
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘Which fasting is better after the month of Ramadan?’ He said: ‘The month of Allah which is called Muharram.’” Sunan Ibn Majah 1742
One day and one fast can wipe off our sins. This is a great opportunity to reduce the burden of our sin and quantify the weight of our rewards.
Abu Qatadah narrated that : the Prophet said: “Fast the Day of Ashura, for indeed I anticipate that Allah will forgive (the sins of) the year before it.” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 752
RAMADAN
Ramadan is the most blessed month for Muslims. It is the easiest month to gain rewards and multiply our deeds because our biggest enemy-Shaytan, gets captured in Ramadan.
Holy Quran recitation, dhikr, and salat should be part of our daily life, but they hold special importance in Ramadan. Be thankful to Allah if you can spend Ramadan most suitably because one good deed in Ramadan is more valuable than done on any other day. Particularly on Laylatul- Qadr.
We have the wrong conception about Ramadan that Ramadan is a month of fasting. Ramadan is not all about fasting. It’s about strengthening our relationship with Allah and getting closer to Him. It’s about fulfilling our duties while remembering the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It’s about Taqwa, obedience, and sabr.
It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said: “Ramadan began, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘This month has come to you, and in it there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of it is deprived of all goodness, and no one is deprived of its goodness except one who is truly deprived.’” Sunan Ibn Majah 1644
DHUL HIJJAH
Dhul-Hajj- the month of sacrifice, the month of forgiveness, the month of perfection of Islam, and the month of Hajj is a great blessing from Allah for Muslims. Particularly the first ten days of Dhul-Hajj are loved by Allah than any other day. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: There are no days during which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days,” meaning the (first) ten days of Dhul- Hijjah. Sunan Ibn Majah 1727
This hadith motivates us to gather as many good deeds as possible in these blessed days. Ramadan is a blessed month, but these ten days are also important.
These are golden days for us. You have the chance to remove the distance between you and Allah. You have the chance to wipe off your sins. You have the chance to ask for whatever you want.
Leave all the worries and worldly chores for few days and spend most of your time being closer to Allah, do dhikr, give charity, pray nawafil with mandatory prayers, offer sacrifice, fast, and perform Hajj if possible.
What can be better than doing good deeds in the most loved days? It multiplies our rewards and brings us closer to the gate of Jannat-ul-Firdaws.
SALAH AT SPECIFIC MASAJIDS
Salah is a pillar of Islam and mandatory for every Muslim. who establishes this pillar in life- establish his faith and whoever demolishes Salah, demolishes his faith. There are five mandatory Salah, but the glorious Allah multiplies the rewards and writes the rewards of fifty Salah. Each Salah holds the importance of ten Salah.
This is not enough. The beloved Allah is so forgiving that he has blessed us with holy places where each Salah maintains the importance of thousands Salah.
It was narrated from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “One prayer in my mosque is better than one thousand prayers elsewhere, except the Sacred Mosque, and one prayer in the Sacred Mosque is better than one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere.” Sunan Ibn Majah 1406
May Allah give us the opportunity to perform Salah in Masjid-al-Haraam and Masjid-un-Nabawi, Masjid-ul-Aqsa.
DAWAH TO NON-MUSLIMS
How can we earn uncountable rewards without realizing?
Dawah is the Arabic term that means to invite non-Muslims and Muslims to understand the true path of Islam in the light of the Quran and hadith.
Dawah is not only about words. It’s about how we represent ourselves to non-Muslims, how we behave with them and how much we adopt the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah because action speaks louder than words.
Whoever joins the true path through your dawah will become sadaqa-e-jariah for you. We will get the reward for their good deeds and for every action they do for Islam. Even if that person succeeds to invite another human: the rewards will be given to us too.
Allah has sent hundreds of prophets for his people- to guide them and show them the true path. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last prophet and we, being the ummah of the last prophet, held responsibility to share the true religion with non-Muslims. Although this is our responsibility, Almighty, Allah has also made it a substantial source of reward.
Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Proceed to them steadily till you approach near to them and then invite them to Islam and inform them of their duties towards Allah which Islam prescribes for them, for by Allah, if one man is guided on the right path (i.e. converted to Islam) through you, it would be better for you than (a great number of) red camels.” Sahih al-Bukhari 3701
HAJJ, UMRAH, SALAH, ZAKAH AND SOUM
There are multiple ways to multiply our rewards, such as making someone haji, teaching Salah, giving zakah, and doing sunnah fast every Monday and Thursday.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to fast every Monday and Thursday. Doing sunnah soum (fast) with the obligatory fast of Ramadan is a great way to multiply the deeds. Allah has also shown the other way for week people that can’t fast often: distribute the iftar or sehri food to the fasting Muslims you’ll get the same rewards as them.
Life is short and hectic. We often get lost in collecting worldly things and forget gathering precious acts for the afterlife. Yet Allah has made the way of Jannah easy for us. You can pay for your poor brother’s Hajj and give him Zakah. This way you won’t only get the reward of helping your brother, but will also get the equal reward of performing the hajj and the rewards of his every prayer or any other virtuous act during the Hajj.
Salah is mandatory for every Muslims but praying at Masjid and with the whole heart towards Allah multiplies its rewards. Teaching Salah is a great deed and is a form of Sadqa-e-Jaria. Learn the steps of Salah, and teach them to your friends, family, kids, and siblings. You’ll get an equal reward for their Salah too.
DONATE TO A PLACE OF EDUCATION
Giving charity or donation is highly virtuous in the theology of Islam. Islam is a religion of peace that spread love and forbade hatred. Similarly, donation and charity are some forms of spreading love among the Muslim brothers.
Donation is a virtuous act but doing it in a more significant way multiples its rewards, such as giving donations to needy relatives, for the construction of Masjid or educational institute, and for the food or other essentials of needy students.
Donate to a place of education. Giving and gaining education or supporting anyone in thrust of knowledge is a noble, a high-weighted deed in the eyes of Islam. It is the deed that can raise our level and expiate our sins.
Masjids are the house of Islamic knowledge and underdeveloped countries don’t provide sufficient funds to fulfill the basic essential of students gaining knowledge of Islam. It is highly recommended to donate in such countries.
LEAVE BEHIND A RIGHTEOUS CHILD
Teach your children Islam from an early age so they can become your Sadaqa-e-Jaria. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed the Muslims to raise their children with much care and love. Parents should take measures to raise their children as true Muslims.
A righteous child is like the everlasting deed that helps to walk on the higher level of Jannah.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When a person dies, all action is cut off for him with the exception of three things: sadaqa which continues, knowledge which benefits, or a righteous child who makes supplication for him.” Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 38
Abu Hurayra asked to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), “The dead person can be raised a degree after his death. He said, ‘My Lord, how is this?’ He was told, ‘Your child can ask for forgiveness for you.'” Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 36
PERFORM HAJJ AND UMRAH
Hajj is mandatory once in a life for those Muslims who can afford it. Who doesn’t love to visit the house of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? it’s a hard die wish of every Muslim.
Allah has mentioned in the Al-Baqarah, Chapter #2, Verse # 196: And complete the ḥajj and ʿumrah for Allah.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Whoever performs Hajj (pilgrimage) and does not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commits sin, nor disputes unjustly (during Hajj), then he returns from Hajj as pure and free from sins as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.” Riyad as-Salihin 1274
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Umrah to ‘Umrah atones for the sins between them, and for A1-Hajj Al-Mabrur there is no reward except Paradise.” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 933
May Allah opens the door of his house for us and give us the opportunity to perform Hajj and Umrah.
BENEFICIAL KNOWLEDGE – WRITING
Every human has to die one day, and that is clearly stated in the Holy Quran. The cycle of rewards and sins stops with death. A dead person can’t earn rewards and expiate his sins.
Almighty Allah has shown us the way here, too. Your life can end, but your reward cycle can go on if you spread beneficial knowledge or write books.
Write books related to Islam, prophets, Allah, or anything else that benefits human beings. But the most important thing to mention- half of knowledge is dangerous. Do not write anything you are not an expert in.
Narrated `Abdullah: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Do not wish to be like anyone, except in two cases: (1) A man whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it righteously. (2) A man whom Allah has given wisdom (knowledge of the Qur’an and the Hadith) and he acts according to it and teaches it to others.” Sahih al-Bukhari 7141
To conclude, At-Tirmidhi narrated (2450) – and classed it as saheeh – that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever is concerned should set out when it is still night and whoever sets out when it is still night will reach the destination. Verily the merchandise of Allah is expensive, verily the merchandise of Allah is Paradise.”
Nothing will be useful in afterlife- not our wealth and reputation. The only useful things will be our deeds and our virtuous acts that was done solely for the pleasure of Allah (SWT). Allah has given us multiple ways to enter Jannah. He gives us uncountable opportunities to expiate our sins and gather rewards with simple and easiest acts. But it’s up to us how often we use these opportunities.
May Allah make is easy to avail the opportunities and repent to Allah.
And Allah knows best.
*additional contribution by Aqsa Abdulqadir
