As you are adding more valuable things to your worldly affairs, are you still on the same way practicing your deen since you have become mature or you are beautifying and making advances to your Ibaadah too?
Everyone wants to look good all the time and this is the reason we change either our clothes, shoes, jeweries e.t.c after been used for some times. As we are growing, we want to look more classic in our way of dressing, speaking, and he likes. Are we also making our deen classic or still practicing it the way we grown up with?
Among the five pillars of Islam is As-solat (prayers) of five times daily, Subhi, Zuhr, Asr, Magrhib and Ishai. Are you still observing these alone? There are big rewards for congregation prayers, brethren.
Abu Salama bin ‘Abdur Rahman narrated that Abu Huraira said, “I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “The reward of a prayer in congregation is twenty five times greater than that of a prayer offered by a person alone. The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the time of Fajr prayer.” Abu Huraira then added, “Recite the Holy Book if you wish, for “Indeed, the recitation of the Qur’an in the early dawn (Fajr prayer) is ever witnessed.” (Qur’an 17:18).
Also, there are other Nawafil for each solah as narrated bybIbn ‘Umar. He said: “I remember ten Rakat of Nawafil from the Prophet, two Rakats before the Zuhr prayer and two after it; two Rakat after Maghrib prayer in his house, and two Rakat after ‘Isha’ prayer in his, and two Rakats before the Fajr prayer and at that time nobody would enter the house of the Prophet. Hafsa told me that the Prophet used to offer two Rakat after the call maker had made the Adhan and the day had dawned.”
This hadith shows the number of rakah before and after the obligatory prayers. Therefore, Solah can be beautified more with these.
Abu Huraira also reported that: My friend (the Prophet ) advised me to observe three things: 1. to fast three days a month. 2. To pray two Rakat of Duha prayer (fore-noon prayer). 3. To pray Witr before sleeping.
In the above hadith, there is also a nawafil called Duha ( fore- noon prayer). Duha is a nawafil that one offered when the sun sets.
Also, The night prayers ( Tahajjud) As it was narrated by Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As: “Allah’s Apostle told me, “The most beloved prayer to Allah is that of David and the most beloved fasts to Allah are those of David. He used to sleep for half of the night and then pray for one third of the night and again sleep for its sixth part and used to fast on alternate days.”
Tahajjud is two Rakats, followed by two Rakats and so on, and when you apprehend the approaching dawn, offer one Raka as Witr.” Apart from the compulsory prayers, these can also be engaged in for deen to be beautified.
Fasting is also one of the pillars of Islam, making Ramandan the compulsory for all Muslims, except for some people like sick person, traveller,a woman on her period and old people. There are also voluntary fasting which can make us better in the sight of Allah.
Abu Huraira narrated: Allah’s Apostle said, “Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice,”I am fasting”. The Prophet added, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), ‘He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times.”
The nawafil fasting apart from Ramadan are: The day of A’rafat,10th of Muharram(Ashura),11,12,13 of Dhul-hijjah, Mondays and Thursdays fasting and we also have 13,14,15 fasting of each Islamic calender months.
Recitation of the Holy book is also among what one can use to beautify his Deen. There are a lot of good deeds to beautify our religion. Let’s know that Allah will never get tired of rewarding a slave for doing good deeds except if a slave stops.
It is true that Allah’s mercy is what can make one enter His paradise but before His mercy, we also need to try possible best on our Deen since Allah created us for nothing but to worship Him.
As we all know that there are stages for Jannah, the higher your practice of the Deen, the higher your rank in Jannah.
May Allah make all these rites easy for us, forgive us and count us all amongst the lucky slaves that He will grant His highest position in Jannah.
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