In today’s fast-paced world, our lives are more hectic than ever. We are constantly overwhelmed by responsibilities—work, family, studies, and social pressures—all while being surrounded by temptations and distractions that previous generations may never have even imagined. Evil has become more accessible, and sins are easier to commit, often without even realizing it. From His Mercy, Allah has gifted us with divine "life hacks"—deeds so simple, yet their rewards are extraordinary. These actions are not meant to burden us but to facilitate our journey to Jannah. They are acts of worship woven into our daily lives, providing immense reward without requiring immense effort.
Allah also says,
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ ۗ
You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah. [Surah Aal Imran, 110]
Add to this, unlike nations the preceded us and lived for hundreds of years, our lifespans are much shorter. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The lifespan for my Ummah is from sixty years to seventy years and very few surpass this” [Tirmidhi] So how do we live up to the title of being the best nation and surpass those before us in good deeds who had much more time than us? With these life hacks from Allah.
From saying SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi 100 times in a day—erasing sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea—to walking to the masjid and earning rewards as we walk, these actions reflect Allah’s boundless Mercy and Love for us. These are not mere narrations; they are divine opportunities—gifts from Allah’s boundless Love. They remind us that no matter how chaotic our lives become, the doors to His Mercy are always open. He has made righteousness accessible to every believer, whether rich or poor, strong or weak, young or old.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said, "If the veils were lifted from Allah’s Kindness and what He does for him (the servant) of what he knows and what he does not know, his heart would melt out of love for Him (Allah) and longing for Him, and he (the servant) would fall prostrating in gratitude to Him (Allah). But the hearts are veiled from witnessing that because of their devotion to the world and their attachment to perceived causes, so they are prevented from the beauty and perfection of His favours. That is the decree of the Mighty, the All-Knowing." [Tareeq al-Hijratayn]
One such opportunity for us is the month of Ramadan. Imam Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله said, “The month of Ramadan to the other months is like Yusuf to his brothers. So, just like Yusuf was the most beloved son to Ya‘qub, Ramadan is likewise the most beloved month to Allah.” [Bustan al-Wa‘izin] It is a month that combines fasting, multiple prayers, recitation of the Qur'an, charity, and many more good deed. In this blessed month, the best nights are the nights of Ramadan and the best of these is the Night of Power aka Laylatul Qadr. It is up to us that we make the most of the last 10 nights of Ramadan so that we don’t miss out on Laylatul Qadr which is equal to 1000 months and more.
لَيۡلَةُ ٱلۡقَدۡرِ خَيۡرٌ۬ مِّنۡ أَلۡفِ شَہۡرٍ۬
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. [Surah al-Qadr, 3]
The "'months" in this ayah can refer to either, "Months that do not include a night of Qadr; so the night of Qadr here equals 83 years" or "Months that include a night of Qadr; then the night of Qadr here is an expression of infinite."
Commenting on this ayah, Imam al-Baghawi رحمه الله said, “Ibn Abbas and ʿAta’ said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was told about a man from Bani Israel who carried a sword on his shoulder in the path of Allah for one thousand months. So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was amazed by this and wished this for his Ummah, saying, “O Lord, You made my Ummah the shortest of nations in terms of lifespan and the least of them in terms of deeds?” So then Allah gave him Laylat al-Qadr and said, ‘Laylat al-Qadr is better than one thousand months,’ in which that man from Banu Israel carried a sword in the path of Allah. It is for you and your Ummah until the Day of Resurrection.” The commentators have explained the ayah:,“The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months” to mean that performing righteous deeds on the Night of Decree is superior to performing them over thousand months that do not contain this blessed night.” [Tafsir al-Baghawi]
In the Muwatta of Imam Malik رحمه الله, there is a hadith that states: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was shown the lifespans of the people (who had gone) before him, or what Allah willed of that, and it was as if the lives of the people of his community had become too short for them to be able to do as many good actions as others before them had been able to do with their long lives, so Allah gave him Laylat al-Qadr, which is better than a thousand months.”
The first and the biggest of blessings that we benefit from is to fast in Ramadan. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, “Whoever fasts one day in the cause of Allah, Allah will distance his face from the Fire by seventy autumns (years).” [Bukhari] In another narration, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) mentioned the month of Ramadan and said, “Whoever observes fast (in the month of Ramadan) and establishes its nights with Qiyam (voluntary prayers) with faith and seeking reward from Allah, will come out without sins, as if he were born anew (free of all sins).” [Ibn Majah]
Whatever hurdles might arise, use this Ramadan to reboot and start over a clean slate. It's never too late to return to Allah's Mercy and nothing is too big that Allah cannot Forgive. This is a month of action and results. Allah has chained the major devils to make it easy for us to make a change. Don't look down on the "Ramadan Muslims" rather help them out and show them some love and appreciation. We all needed it at some point. Your help could make a world of difference for them. Be the friend or support that you wished you had when you started trying to be a good Muslim.
Even if the start of our Ramadan hasn’t been how we had hoped for, now is the time to change that. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said, “The lesson lies in perfection of the conclusion of a thing, not in the shortcomings of the beginning of it.” [Minhaj As-Sunnah]
Imam Hasan al-Basri رحمه الله said, “Improve your performance in what is left (of time) and you will be forgiven for that which has already passed. So take special care of the time you have left because you do not know when your soul will be turned over to Allah’s Mercy.”
Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Tarefe حفظ الله said, “The one who lags behind in the beginning of Ramadan but does well towards its end is better than the one who does well in it’s beginning but lags behind towards its end. It is mentioned in the hadith, “Indeed, the (result of) deeds depend upon their endings.”
1. Renew The Intention
This is by far the greatest “ life hack” that Allah has blessed us with. We know the famous hadith where Umar رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, deeds are only with intentions. Verily, every person will have only what they intended….” [Bukhari] Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali رحمه الله said, “A servant may perform a small deed, but due to a sincere intention, it outweighs mountains of deeds done without sincerity.” [Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
Imam al-Ghazali رحمه الله beautifully said, “A wise person is the one who multiplies his rewards through simple means. If you must eat, do so with the intention of gaining strength to worship Allah. If you must sleep, do so with the intention of resting for the sake of performing good deeds. Thus, even the mundane becomes worship.” [Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]
Imam Ibn Qudamah رحمه الله said, “A wise believer finds ways to earn rewards while doing what he would do anyway. He sleeps with the intention of gaining strength for worship. He eats with the intention of thanking Allah. In this way, even his rest and food become worship.” [Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin]
It is said that some of the salaf used to pause a bit in the market place before buying stuff just so that they could formulate their intention in a manner such that they get rewarded for it. No matter how small a deed, make an intention of doing it for the sake of Allah. When you enter the masjid, make the intention of doing i'tikaf. Having some deeds of i'tikaf are better than having none.
When our mothers, wives, and daughters prepare food for us, this is already a rewarding action. They can double this reward and more by making the intention that they are working to help break the fast of a fasting person. Not only will they get the reward of everyone in the house and outside who benefits from the food, but they will also be doing a form of charity. How? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “What you feed yourself is your charity, what you feed your children is your charity, what you feed your wife is your charity, and what you feed your servant is your charity.” [al-Adab al-Mufrad]
2. Give Charity
Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهم narrated, "The Prophet (ﷺ) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Jibreel met him. Jibreel used to meet him every night during Ramadan to revise the Qur'an with him. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then used to be more generous than the fast wind." [Bukhari]
We should strive to give in charity, no matter how small, every day so that if it coincides with the Night of Power it will InshaAllah be equivalent to giving charity for a 1000 months and more. Some like students may not have money to give. Our Prophet ﷺ says that the best of charity is giving water to a person. We could fill bottles of water and give it out for people stuck in traffic during iftar. We intend to get the reward of both helping a fasting person break their fast as well as giving water to a thirsty person. It all boils down to what we intend.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever alleviates a worldly suffering from a believer, Allāh will alleviate a suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection for him; he who finds relief for one who is hard-pressed, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the hereafter; and he who conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allāh will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the hereafter. Allah is at the aid of a slave so long as he is at the aid of his brother." [Muslim]
A major problem in the mindset of many of us is that we give our leftovers, the unwanted, or that which is spoilt to charity. Nowadays the plight of refugees is very bad and its saddening to see that many of us give old tattered clothes and expired food for their brothers and sisters. This is contrary to the Sunnah. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ taught us an important principle to follow which states:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا
Allah is pure and he accepts only what is pure. How can we give something for the sake of Allah that we ourselves detest and then have the audacity to think it will be accepted by Allah? Our mother Aishah was called Umm al-Teeb because she used to spray perfume on the money she donated. When asked why she did this, she explained that charity reaches Allah before the receiving person’s hand so she wanted it to smell nice.
Remember that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, “None gives ṣadaqah from what is good – for Allah only accepts what is good – except that the Merciful takes it with his right hand. Even if it is a date, it is nurtured in the palm of the Merciful until it becomes greater than a mountain, just as one of you nurtures his young horse or camel.” [Muslim]
3. Pray Isha and Fajr in Congregation
What is the pre-requisite for salah? Wudhu. Even in the preparation of salah, Allah has blessed us with a life-hack. Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When a Muslim or a believer washes his face in wudhu, every sin that he committed with his eyes will be washed away with the last drop of water. When he washes his hands, every sin that he committed with his hands will be washed away with the last drop of water. When he washes his feet, every sin that he committed with his feet will be washed away with the last drop of water, until he emerges purified from sin.” [Muslim]
The Messenger of Allah also ﷺ said, “He who purified himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the Houses of Allah (masajid) for the sake of performing an obligatory act out of the obligatory acts of Allah, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status.” [Muslim]
If we can, we should strive to make sure that we pray our daily prayers in congregation. Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “Consider if one of you had a river at his door in which he bathed five times a day; would any filth remain on him?” They said, “No filth would remain on him.” He ﷺ said, “That is the likeness of the five daily prayers; Allāh erases sins with them.” [Bukhari] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said, “The prayer in congregation is twenty-seven times superior to the prayer offered alone.” [Bukhari]
What about the women? It was narrated from Umm Humayd رضي الله عنها, that she came to the Prophet ﷺ and said "O Messenger of Allah, I love to pray with you." He ﷺ said, "I know that you love to pray with me, but praying in your bedroom is more excellent than praying in a room in your house and praying in a room in your house is more excellent than praying in your house and praying at your house is more excellent than praying at the masjid of your people and praying at the masjid of your people is more excellent than you praying at my Masjid." [Ahmad] Imagine this, a woman praying at home is getting more reward than those praying in the congregation in the masjid, and what more is that this congregation was being led by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself. SubhanAllah!
But let's say we can't pray all five prayers in congregation as men, then the least we should do is to make sure we are praying Isha and Fajr in congregation. Why? ʿAbd al-Rahman Ibn Abi ʿAmrah reported: ʿUthman Ibn ʿAffan رضي الله عنه entered the masjid after the evening prayer and sat alone. I sat with him and he said: O son of my brother I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “One who performs the ʿIshaʾ salah in congregation, it is as if he has performed prayers for half of the night. And one who performs the Fajr salah in congregation, it is as if he has performed prayers the whole night.” [Muslim]
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله commenting on this said, “Therefore, the one who prays these prayers in congregation has the reward of one who prayed the whole night. If this person prays these two prayers in congregation and also prays by night, he receives both the rewards of actually praying the night and the equivalent reward again. If this person prays those two prayers by himself but prays the night prayer, he will get the same reward as a person who had prayed in congregation but slept by the night.” [al-Manār al-Munīf]
If we do have the time to pray more after Isha, we should strive to join the taraweeh prayer which would take approximately about an hour or so. Let's not waste time over if we should pray 8 or 20 raka't. The Messenger of Allah also ﷺ said, “If a man prays with the imam until he finishes, it will be counted for him as if he spent the entire night in prayer.” [Nasai]
If not, then remember that Imam Malik رحمه الله narrated that he had heard that Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyab رحمه الله used to say, “Whoever is present at Isha on Laylatul-Qadr has taken his portion from it.” [Muwatta]
4. Stay Back After Fajr
After the Fajr salah, we should take 15-20 minutes and make sure to capture another major life-hack blessing from the bounties of Allah. Anas Ibn Malik رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until the sun has risen, then he prays two rak'at, then for him is the reward like that of a Ḥajj and ʿUmrah.” He said, “The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, ‘Complete, complete, complete.’” [Tirmidhi]
Our scholars mention that women can do the same in their houses and get the exact same reward as the prayer of the women in their houses is much better than that of the masjid. Allah Knows Best.
This is a time where we can increase in seeking forgiveness and making dua for our parents. We can show up 15 minutes earlier before the adhan and make sure we pray tahajjud along with the Witr so if it is indeed the Night ofQadr, we can get the reward of praying as such for 83 years or more. Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The angels send blessings upon one of you so long as he is in his prayer-place where he offered his prayer, so long as he does not break his wudhu they say: ‘O Allah forgive him, O Allah have mercy on him. [Bukhari]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever glorifies Allah (saying Subhan Allah) thirty-three times after every salah, praises Him (saying Alhamdulillah) thirty-three times, and magnifies Him (saying Allahu Akbar) thirty-three times, that makes ninety-nine. Then, completing one hundred, he says,
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
There is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh alone, without any partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He has power over all things—his sins will be forgiven even if they are as abundant as the foam of the sea.” [Muslim]
5. Reading The Qur'an
Even if we can’t sit and read the Qur'an properly, we should continue to keep reciting what we have already memorized. Even if it's Surah al-Ikhlas, keep repeating it. Don’t wait for a time where you are completely free. We don’t have the luxury of missing out on this chance. Every letter, not word, but every letter that we recite gets 10 rewards. In the month of Ramadan, these rewards are multiplied even more.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ”Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a reward from it (i.e. his recitation), and the reward will multiplied tenfold. I do not say that Alif-Laam-Meem is (considered as) a letter, rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter, and Meem is a letter.” [Tirmidhi]
Note: It is important to note that your tongue should move while reciting and you should not recite in your mind as the rewards are for reciting it properly.
Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an. Leave everything else and focus on the Book of Allah. Don't make it an aim to just finish the Qur'an somehow but rather try to understand it. Better still, start and try to just understand Surah al-Baqarah properly instead of whizzing past to merely complete the whole Quran; it’s of course better to read as much as possible. Pick a simple tafseer to accompany your Qur'an recitation and stick to it.
6. Increase in Sending Salawat Upon the Prophet ﷺ
We did not get to meet the Prophet ﷺ in this lifetime but we are told by the Prophet ﷺ that, “Allah has angels who go around on earth, conveying to me the salam of my Ummah.” [Nasai]. Not only will our salaam reach him but he ﷺ will return our salaam. Ya Salaam Ya Salaam!
Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is not one of you who sends his greetings upon me except that Allah returns the soul to my body (in the grave) and I return his greeting.” [Abu Dawud]
More importantly, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold and will erase from him ten misdeeds and raise him ten degrees in status.” [Nasai] Imagine this in Ramadan or on the Night of Power where its multiplied such that doing the mental maths would make your head spin.
It was narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b رضي الله عنه said: I said, "O Messenger of Allah, I send a great deal of blessings upon you; how much of my dua should be sending blessings upon you?" He said, “Whatever you wish.” I said, "One quarter?" He said, “Whatever you wish, and if you do more, that will be better for you.” I said, "One half?" He said, “Whatever you wish and if you do more, that will be better for you.” I said, "Two thirds?" He said, "Whatever you wish and if you do more, that will be better for you.” I said, "I will make all of my dua for you." He said, “Then your concerns will be taken care of and your sins will be forgiven.” [Tirmidhi]
Imam Ibn ‘Allaan al-Bakri رحمه الله said, "The reason why one’s concerns will be taken care of if he spends that time sending blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ) is that it involves complying with the command of Allah, may He be exalted, and remembering and venerating Him, and venerating His Messenger. So in fact the worshipper does not miss out on anything by diverting his time to sending blessings upon the Prophet (ﷺ). Rather, by engaging in this great praise of the Prophet he will attain something better than what he had been asking for himself, and in addition to that he will attain the tenfold blessing of Allah and the prayer His angels, in addition to what may be added to that of great reward that cannot be matched by any other. What benefits could be greater than these? How could a worshipper attain anything like it, let alone anything more precious than it? How could his du‘aa’ for himself equal any of these unmatchable virtues?" [Daleel al-Faaliheen]
7. Keep The Tongue Moist With Dhikr
Allah says,
وَٱلذَّٰكِرِينَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًۭا وَٱلذَّٰكِرَٰتِ أَعَدَّ ٱللَّهُ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةًۭ وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًۭا
And men and women who remember Allah often—for (all of) them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. [Surah al-Ahzab, 35]
1. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "(There are) two words which are dear to the Beneficent (Allah) and very light (easy) for the tongue (to say), but very heavy in weight in the balance. They are: ''Subhan Allah wa-bi hamdihi'' and ''Subhan Allah Al-Azim." [Bukhari]
2. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, “Whoever says:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
‘There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, alone, without any partner. To Him belongs the dominion, and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things All-Powerful.’ - a hundred times in a day, it will be equivalent to freeing ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be written for him, a hundred sins will be erased from him, and it will be a protection for him from Shayṭān that day until evening. No one will come with something better than what he has done, except a person who does more than this.” He ﷺ also said, “Whoever says:
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ
‘Glory is to Allah, and all praise is due to Him’ - one hundred times in a day, his sins will be erased even if they are like the foam of the sea." [Bukhari]
3. We should make sure to listen to the adhan and respond to the call of the mu'addhin. Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqaṣ رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever who says upon hearing muʾadhdhin (caller to prayer):
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ رَضِيتُ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولاً وَبِالإِسْلاَمِ دِينًا
‘I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh alone, with no partner, and that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger; I am pleased with Allāh as my Lord, with Muḥammad as Messenger, and with Islam as my religion’ - his sins will be forgiven.” [Muslim]
4. Mus'ab ibn Sa'd reported that his father (Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas رضي الله عنه) told him that he had been in the company of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) that he narrated, “We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he asked, ‘Is anyone of you unable to earn a thousand good deeds?’ One of those present asked, ‘How can one earn a thousand good deeds in a day?’ He (ﷺ) replied, ‘By saying: Subḥān-Allāh a hundred times, then one thousand good deeds will be recorded for him or one thousand sins will be erased from his record.” [Muslim]
5. Our mother Aishah رضي الله عنها said to the Prophet ﷺ, “If I come upon Laylat al-Qadr, what should I say?” He replied,
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
‘O Allah, indeed You are Pardoning and love pardoning, so pardon me!’” [Tirmidhi] The Prophet ﷺ taught us to call upon Allah using the Name 'al-Afuww '(The Most Forgiving). The root of ‘Afuw (forgiveness) linguistically connotes erasure (al-mahuw) and effacement (al-tams). Thus, our dua to Allah in these nights are explicitly connected to a plea for Allah to erase the consequences of our misdeeds
Make loads of dua. Not just for yourself but for others too. That would increase the chances of the dua being accepted. On that note, we should also learn the adab of making dua and the best times to make dua, to increase the chances of acceptance. Focus more on duas from the Sunnah for they are easy to memorize and the most comprehensive in meaning. Remember that the dua of the fasting person at the time of breaking his fast is not rejected.
Doing adhkar and engaging in duas has got to be by far the easiest of deeds that we can do. We can do it while we are busy, standing, sitting, wherever we are and it doesn’t even require us to be in a state of ablution. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said, “When the veil has been lifted on the day of judgement revealing the value of good deeds for the people they'll not see any action better in reward than the remembrance of Allāh (Dhikr). At that time a group of people who'll sigh because they missed out and say, ‘There was nothing easier for us than dhikr and yet we did not do it.’” [al-Waabil al-Sayyib]
8. Donate or Gift a Qur'an or Beneficial Books
Gifting beneficial books and Qur'ans to the masajid and institutes can have great rewards. Every time someone reads them or benefits from them we can get the same reward as them and more. A book as small as "Fortress of the Muslim" which costs lesser than a can of soda can also reap immense rewards for us.
The Prophet ﷺ “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it.” [Muslim]
9. Sponsor Food for Orphans and Needy
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best of you are those who feed others.” [Ahmad]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, the most beloved food to Allah is that which is received by many hands.” [Shu’ab al-Iman]
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever helps break the fast of a fasting person, he will have the same reward as him without decreasing anything from the reward of the fasting person.” [Tirmidhi]
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Myself and the caretaker of an orphan will be in Paradise like this,” and he held his two fingers together. [Bukhari]
If we start looking at narrations about the virtues of looking after and taking care of orphans or feeding the poor, it will fill up libraries worth of books. Iftar parties are galore in Ramadan. We could invite a few orphans over so that they also feel that sense of family in Ramadan. If that’s not possible then we can make sure that we can send food everyday. Its the quality that matters, not the quantity. What we should keep in mind as I mentioned before is that this is a Jannah building deed. So our aim is not to just help in the 10 days but even after that. Inviting them to your place could open the heart of someone to adopt or even sponsor the education of some of the orphans.
If this wasn't enough, then even the angels send blessings upon the ones who break their fast together. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ broke his fast with Sa’d ibn Mu’adh and he said, “The fasting have broken their fast with you, the righteous have eaten your food, and the angels send blessings upon you.” [Ibn Majah]
Today, we have many digital platforms where with just a click of a button, we can feed orphans and those in need across multiple countries all while sitting in the comfort of our homes. We should make the most of this time and opportunity and build ourJannah.
10. Serving Our Parents
This is a no brainer and it is something we should be doing without fail irrespective of it being the month of Ramadan or not. The point here is to increase in servitude to them in these last 10 nights. Bring them water, massage their feet at the end of the day after taraweeh, and ask them to make dua for you. Throughout the Qur'an we see that obedience to Allah is immediately followed by doing good and obedience to parents. This shows their high station. Imagine on the Day of Judgement one finds their book of deeds filled with 1000 months plus worth of servitude to your parents. They are a door to Jannah in this world. Do the most of it while you can, as there are many others around us for whom this door has been closed.
Some might be living away from their parents. They can call them up and lift their spirits, make them laugh, share some beneficial information with them, send gifts, help with work over the Internet or in whatever capacity they can to make their parents happy. For those whose parents have passed away, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When the human being dies, his deeds end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him.” [Muslim]
The children should give sadaqah on behalf of their parents, help feed the poor, gift Qur'ans in their name, and try setting up a stream of sadaqah jariyah for them. The best of these is charities related to water. Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah reported: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died. Shall I give charity on her behalf?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Yes.” I said, “Which charity is best?” The Prophet said, “A drink of water.” [Nasai]
Conclusion
This does NOT however mean that we do deeds in these 10 nights hoping to get the reward for 83 years worth of worship or more and then do nothing for 83 years. That’s NOT how this works.
When is the Night of Power? Imam Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi رحمه الله said, "Allah has concealed this night from the ummah so that they may strive in seeking it and performing worship throughout the month in the hopes of catching it. Similarly, He concealed the hour of special acceptance on Friday so that one would increase in their supplications throughout the day, and He concealed His Greatest Name (ism al-a’dham) amongst His Divine Names and His Pleasure with acts of obedience so that people would strive for them. And He concealed an individual’s lifespan and the Hour (of the Day of Judgment) so that humanity would continuously strive in good deeds, being heedful of them." [al-Mughni]
Sheikh Ibn al-‘Uthaymeen رحمه الله said, "A person would attain the reward of the night, even if he has no knowledge of it. This is because the Prophet said ‘whoever stands (in prayer) during Laylatul-Qadr, with faith and hope, will be forgiven,’ and the Prophet did not make knowledge of the night a condition of their forgiveness. And had knowledge of the night become a necessary factor, the Prophet would have made this clear.” [Shahr al-Mumti']
At this point of the month, don't waste time arguing about when the Night of Qadr is. Our Sheikh Ibrahim Nuhu حفظه الله said, "All the signs indicating the Night of Power you get to see only after the Night has passed. Most of the signs are ijtihadat of the scholars except the rain which is proven from the Prophet. Rain at the time of Fajr is one of the strongest signs of it being a Night of Power. Say Alhamdulilah that the knowledge of this night is hidden. For was it known then no one would have worshipped Allah like they do except for that day. Go to Makkah on the 27th Night of Ramadan and it's like you are performing Hajj. The problem is just focusing on the night of the 27th alone and neglecting the other nights. We can find it on the 21, 23, 25, 27 or the 29. For every one of these odd nights, we have authentic narrations to back them. Make the last 10 days of Ramadan come alive with your worship." [Welcoming Ramadan, IIUM]
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ العَلِيمُ
“Our Lord, accept (this) from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.” [Surah al-Baqarah, 127]
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