Small Deeds Big Rewards

In Ramadan 2017 I had a 5 week old baby, initially unable to pray or fast,


I was desperate for a way to do something, anything, to earn extra rewards


during the blessed month. And He 'azza wa jal guided me back to the many


small deeds I could do. Easy deeds for a sleep-deprived mama of 3; deeds


that, if I did mindfully, helped me feel more connected to my Rabb.


While others have written articles on these deeds (may Allah reward them!),


I wanted to have them in a format that was easy to access


and so I compiled them into this eBook. Reading through the hadith for each


deed has been incredibly motivating and I pray it's of benefit to you as well.


Please note this is not a comprehensive list nor is it in any particular order.


If you're in need of such a du'a book, I highly recommend the one


from AlHuda Sisters called 'Precious Remembrance'.


It's available as a free PDF download at alhudasisters.com


There's also a free app called 'Precious Dhikr'.


All praise is due to Allah who enabled me to complete this project.


Absolutely any good in it is from Him Alone and any mistakes are my own.


Please keep me and my family in your du'as.


Bismillah


Sara


Before you dive in, a few tips:


1. Start with du'a.


Ask Allah to help you to remember Him, to do these good deeds


for His Sake alone.


2. Intention is everything.


As an example, if you're counting dhikr, it's quite possible


(probable, if you have kids) to lose count. As frustrating as that


can be, it's important to remember that Allah is the Most Merciful and


He will reward you for your intention inshaAllah.


3. Pay attention to and make use of


your 'pockets of time'.


'Pockets of time is a term I was introduced to by Farhia Yahya (Fajr Literary).


It refers to those moments in your day, as little as 5 - 10 minutes that you can


make use of; time you might otherwise spend doing something


less productive. Examples of this could be


while nursing the baby, loading the dishwasher, waiting at a traffic light,


driving the kids somewhere or commuting to work.


You get the idea ;)


4. Aim for consistency.


Go slow, pick a few deeds per day. Really focus on them.


Take a screenshot and set it as your phone's lock screen/wallpaper or


print it out and stick it on the fridge.


Remember "the most beloved deed to Allah is the most


regular and constant even if it were little."


Please note: The Arabic, transliteration and translation of each deed have been


taken from the 'Fortress of the Muslim'. All hadith were taken from sunnah.com


Dhikr Allah

Remembrance of Allah


Narrated: Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas (RA):


[Muslim]

SubhaanAllaah


100 times


Glory is to Allah


WHAT IT MEANS


"We were with the Messenger of Allah ( (صلى الله عليه وسلم


when he asked,


"Is anyone of you unable to earn


a thousand good deeds?"


One of those present asked:


"How can one earn thousand good deeds


in a day?" He ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied, "By saying:


SubhaanAllaah a hundred times,


then one thousand good deeds


will be recorded for him or one thousand sins


will be blotted out from his record."


SAY


THE REWARD


Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA):


[Bukhari]

Subhaanallaahi wa Bihamdihi


100 times a day


Glorified is Allah


and praised is He.


WHAT IT MEANS


Allah's Messenger ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"Whoever says,


'Subhaanallaahi wa Bihamdihi,'


one hundred times a day,


will be forgiven all his sins


even if they were as much as


the foam of the sea"


SAY


THE REWARD


Narrated Abu Musa (RA):


[Bukhari & Muslim]

Laa hawla wa laa quwwata


'illaa billaah


There is no power and no might


except by Allah.


WHAT IT MEANS


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to me,


"Shall I not guide you to a treasure from


the treasures of Jannah?"


I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!"


Thereupon he ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, "(Recite)


'Laa hawla wa la quwwata 'illa billaah'"


SAY


THE REWARD


Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA):


[Muslim]

Subhaanallaahi, walhamdu lillaahi,


wa laa 'ilaaha 'illallaahu, wallaahu 'Akbar


Glory is to Allah,


and praise is to Allah,


and there is none worthy of worship but Allah,


and Allah is the Most Great.


WHAT IT MEANS


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"The uttering of the words:


"SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah,


La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar,


is dearer to me than


anything over which the sun rises."


SAY


THE REWARD

Subhaanal-laahi wa bihamdihi


Subhaanal-laahil 'Adheem


Glorified is Allah and praised is He,


Glorified is Allah the Most Great.


WHAT IT MEANS


Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA):


[Bukhari & Muslim]


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"There are two statements that are


light for the tongue to remember,


heavy in the Scales


and are dear to the Merciful:


'Subhaanal-laahi wa bihamdihi


Subhaanal-laahil 'Adheem'.


.


SAY


THE REWARD


Narrated Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith (RA):


[Muslim]

Subhanallaahi wa bihamdihi, 'Adada khalqihi,


wa ridhaa nafsihi, wa zinata`arshihi,


wa midaada kalimaatihi


Glory is to Allah and praise is to Him,


by the multitude of His creation,


by His Pleasure,


by the weight of His Throne,


and by the extent of His Words


WHAT IT MEANS


The Reward


The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) came out from my apartment


in the morning as I was busy in performing


the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon


and found me sitting there.


The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"Are you still in the same position as I left you."


I replied in the affirmative.


Thereupon the Prophet said,


"I recited four words three times after I had left you.


If these are to be weighed against


all you have recited since morning,


these will be heavier. These are (see above)..."


SAY


3 times


"


Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA):


[Bukhari & Muslim]

Laa 'ilaaha 'illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu,


lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu


wa Huwa 'alaa kulli shay'in Qadeer


None has the right to be worshipped


but Allah alone, Who has no partner.


His is the dominion and His is the praise,


and He is Able to do all things.


WHAT IT MEANS


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"He who utters a hundred times in a day


these words: (see above) he will have a reward


equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves,


a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit,


hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll,


and he will be safeguarded against the devil


on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in


doing more excellent good deeds except someone who


has recited these words more often than him..."


SAY


THE REWARD


Istighfar Seeking Forgiveness

Narrated Shaddah bin Aus (RA):


[Bukhari]


Allaahumma 'Anta Rabbee laa 'ilaaha 'illaa 'Anta,


khalaqtanee wa 'anaa 'abduka,


wa 'anaa 'alaa 'ahdika wa wa'dika mas-tata'tu,


'a'oothu bika min sharri maa sana'tu, 'aboo'u laka bini'matika 'alayya,


wa 'aboo'u bithanbee faghfir lee


fa'innahu laa yaghfiruth-thunooba 'illaa 'Anta


O Allah, You are my Lord,


there is none worthy of worship but You.


You created me and I am Your slave. I keep Your covenant,


and my pledge to You so far as I am able.


I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done.


I admit to Your blessings upon me, and I admit to my misdeeds.


Forgive me, for there is none who may forgive sins but You.


WHAT IT MEANS


The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"The best supplication for seeking forgiveness


(Syed-ul- Istighfar) is to say: (see above)


He who supplicates


in these terms during the day with firm belief in it


and dies on the same day (before the evening),


he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah;


and if anyone supplicates in these terms


during the night with firm belief in it


and dies before the morning,


he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah."


SAY

THE REWARD


'Astaghfirullaaha


wa 'atoobu 'ilayhi


I seek Allah's Pardon and


turn to Him in repentance


WHAT IT MEANS


Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA):


[Bukhari]


I heard


the Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying,


"I swear by Allah that


I seek Allah's Pardon and


turn to Him in repentance


more than seventy times a day."


HADITH


SAY

After


Wudhu & Salah (Ablution) (Prayer)


Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA):


[Muslim]


WHAT IT MEANS


THE REWARD

'Ash-hadu 'an laa 'ilaaha 'illallaahu


wahdahu laa shareeka lahu


wa 'ash-hadu 'anna Muhammadan


'abduhu wa Rasooluhu


SAY


I bear witness that none


has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone,


Who has no partner; and I bear witness that


Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"Whoever of you performs Wudu' carefully


and then affirms: 'Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallahu


Wahdahu la sharika Lahu,


wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan


'abduhu wa Rasuluhu


the eight gates of Jannah are opened for him.


He may enter through whichever of these


gates he desires (to enter)."


Narrated Humran:


[Bukhari]


"Allah's Messenger ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said


'If anyone performs ablution


like that of mine


and offers a two-rak'at prayer


during which he does not


think of anything else


(not related to the present prayer)


then his past sins will be forgiven.' "


Pray 2 Rak'ats (units) of prayer


after taking


Wudhu


DO


THE REWARD


Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA):


[Muslim]

Subhaanallaahi, walhamdu lillaahi, wallaahu 'Akbar,


Glory is to Allah, and praise is to Allah,


and Allah is the Most Great,


None has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone,


He has no partner, His is the dominion and His is the praise


and He is Able to do all things.


.


WHAT IT MEANS


SAY

Laa 'ilaaha 'illallaahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu,


lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu


wa Huwa'alaa kulli shay'in Qadeer


(33 times each)


THE REWARD


(1 time)


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"He who recites after every prayer:


Subhan-Allah thirty-three times;


Al-hamdu lillah thirty-three times;


Allahu Akbar thirty-three times;


and completes the hundred with: La ilaha illallahu,


wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku


wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 'ala kulli shai'in Qadir


will have all his sins pardoned


even if they may be as large as


the foam on the surface of the sea."


Reciting


the Qur'an

Ibn Mas'ud (RA):


[Tirmidhi]


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


"Whoever recites a letter from


the Book of Allah,


he will be credited with a good deed,


and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward.


I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter,


but Alif is a letter,


Lam is a letter


and Mim is a letter."


Absolutely any part


of the Qur'an


RECITE


THE REWARD


Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (RA):


[Bukhari]


reported about Surat Al-Ikhlas


"The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said,


“By Him in Whose Hand my soul is,


it is equivalent to one-third of the Qur’an.”


According to another version,


he ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to his Companions,


“Is anyone of you incapable of


reciting one-third of the Qur’an


in one night?”


They considered it burdensome and said:


“O Messenger of Allah,


which of us can afford to do that?”


He ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Surat Al-Ikhlas


is equivalent to one-third of the Qur’an.”


Surah Ikhlas


(Chapter 112


of the Qur'an)


RECITE


THE REWARD


'Alhamdu lillaahil-lathee 'at'amanee


haathaa, wa razaqaneehi,


min ghayri hawlin minnee wa laa quwwatin


Praise is to Allah,


Who has given me this food


and sustained me with it


though I was unable to do it and powerless


WHAT IT MEANS


Sahl bin Mu`adh bin Anas narrated from his father that:


[Tirmidhi]


The Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:


“Whoever eats food and then says:


(see above)


his past sins shall be forgiven.”


T