As narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said about faith,

“Iman (faith) is some seventy (or some sixty) branches, the highest of which is (to testify that) there is no god but Allah, and the lowest is removing (any source of) harm from the road. And modesty is a branch of Iman.” (Muslim)

Although concise, this statement states a few important concepts Muslims should know. Firstly, Iman is not just something that resides in our hearts. It is not simply faith or belief that one must embrace. It includes many things in addition to faith or belief, and it has many branches and elements encompassing faith, action, and character.

Furthermore, branches of Iman are not of the same level. They have different priorities and different importance. Therefore, several companions of the Prophet asked him this question: “Which of the deeds Allah loves more?”

Ibn Ataa’ on Keeping Priorities Straight

The Prophet acknowledged the validity of the question by giving specific answers that sometimes differ from one person to another and even from one time to another.

It is extremely important for us as Muslims to be able to answer the following questions:

“What is the most important deed? Which deeds are more beloved to Allah? Which deeds Allah rewards for the most?”

Ibn Al-Qayim shared a deliberate answer to this question by his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) by conducting a virtual debate in his book Madarij As-Salikeen. In this article, we will try to help the reader to understand this concept and be able to select deeds that are most important, most rewarding, and most beloved by Allah.

This 2-part series does not give an answer to the questions, for these questions do not have specific answers. Rather, it tries to equip the reader with the necessary knowledge to prioritize and decide for himself.

Spiritual Deeds 

Sheikh Hassan Al-Banna (may Allah be pleased with him) said,

“The actions of the heart takes precedence over the actions of the limbs, though achieving excellence in both is required.” (Risalat At-Ta`aleem, The Message of Teachings)

He states that both the actions of the hearts and the actions of the limbs are important; one should try to achieve excellence in both. However, the actions that one does by the heart has more priority and should take more focus.

Faith originates in the heart; believing in Allah starts in the heart; creed is the foundation of anything a Muslim does.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said his very famous saying,

“Indeed there is a piece of flesh in the body; when sound, the whole body is sound and when bad the whole body is bad. Indeed it is the heart” (Al-Bukhari).

The heart is nothing but the set of actions, feelings, emotions, beliefs, intentions, and spirituality one has. The heart is what Allah Almighty considers as the Prophet said,

“Allah does not look at your appearances or your financial status, but He looks at your hearts and your actions.”  (Al-Bukhari)

Two things Allah considers about us: our heart and our deeds which in turn are only considered based on intention: “Verily deeds are by intention…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) and intention lies within the heart.

Importance of the deeds of heart

Throughout the Qur’an and the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the deeds of the heart has great values.

• Allah says, {… those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah…} (Al-Baqarah 2:165)

• The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Remorse is repentance.” (Ibn Majah and authenticated by Al-Albani)

• Allah says, {Those who believe and on their lord they rely.} (Ash-Shura 42:36)

• The Prophet said,“Whoever possesses the (following) three qualities will have the sweetness (delight) of faith: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • to love Allah and His Messenger more than anything else, 
  
  
  
  • loving  people only for the sake of Allah, and 
  
  
  
  • to hate to revert to disbelief as much as hating to be thrown into fire” (Muslim) and many other examples.
  
  
  
  
  
  

On the other hand, the sins of the heart are more severe. The Prophet said,

“He whose heart has the weight of a mustard seed of arrogance will not enter paradise.” (Ibn Majah and authenticated by Al-Albani)

The Shaitan’s fault that drove him out of Allah’s mercy and admitted him to the Fire was arrogance. The worst action ever is rejecting Allah and disbelieving in Him, something that people do by their hearts.

Therefore, our focus should be more on the heart than on the body. What resides in the heart is more important, takes more priority, and requires more focus. It is what is going to affect the rest of the body. It is needless to say that we are not, by any mean, belittling the importance and the requirement of the actions of the body. Rather, we are just setting the priority and hence giving the reader the first tool to set priorities.

Essence of the Deeds 

We can also categorize the actions (or even parts of the actions) that we do into two categories: those which have to do with the form and another which is related to the essence.

An example is the appearance of a Muslim. Men grow their beard following the Prophet’s tradition. It is, indeed, an expression of the Muslim identity. However, the essence of the Muslim identity is more than just the appearance.

Telling the truth, dealing with honesty, or helping the ones in need express the essence of Islam more. Women and men are obligated to dress in a way that reflects modesty. Yet, modesty is beyond clothing.

Reciting the Qur’an with proper rules and with beautiful voice is required, but what is more required is following the guidance of what we recite.

Essence of prayers

Performing five daily prayers requires certain moves and words without which it is invalid. However, humility, submissiveness, and the presence of the heart are more essential. Abstaining from acts of disobedience is the essence of prayers,

{Indeed Prayer (salah) forbids from obscenity and iniquity…} (Al-`Ankbut 45:29)

Abstaining from food and drink is what constitutes fasting; yet abstaining from lies and foul language is the essence of fasting. Abstaining from all sort of sins is actually the fruit of a successful fasting.

Very often we find Muslims focusing of the form or shape of the actions neglecting both the essence of these actions and even more essential actions. This important tool teaches us to put more focus on the essence of the actions and on actions that are related to the essence of our faith.

The form and the shape are important. That is why we must abstain from food and drink for our fasting to count. However, the essence of fasting is not just this. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

 “Whoever does not quit false fabricated words and actions, Allah does not need him to quit food or drink.” (Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet here draws our attention to the very important and very high priority of the deeds; that is their essence.

More prioritization criteria in part 2: So Many Good Deeds… How to Prioritize?