Part One


Praise be to Allah, the Owner of Majesty and Honour, Whose dominion is unequalled and Whose Might is unlimited. I praise my Lord and thank Him. I turn to Him in repentance and ask Him for forgiveness. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the Holy and the Free from all defects; and I bear witness that our prophet and master Muhammad is His servant and messenger, who was sent with guidance and the true religion to eradicate polytheism and eliminate darkness. O Allah! Bestow Your peace and blessings upon Your servant and messenger Muhammad and upon his family and honourable Companions.


O Muslims!


Fear Allah, Exalted be He, and seek to draw closer to Him through performing the deeds that He has prescribed for you and avoiding all sins and innovations in religion. He who follows the Straight Path will certainly be successful and will be rewarded with the Gardens of Delight.


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O People!


Bring yourselves to account before you are called to it, so that you may increase your virtuous deeds and minimize your sins while you are still alive and capable of doing good. A servant whose faith is pure and whose reward in the hereafter is great will not be harmed by any loss in his worldly life. This world is but a transient enjoyment. Whatever provision Allah has decreed for man, if coupled with good deeds, is indeed blessed provision. There is no good in any provision or worldly enjoyment without faith through which man strives to please his Lord.


Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, has guaranteed provision to man so that he can devote himself to the important duty of worship, which is considered the source of all happiness. Allah, Exalted be He, says:


And I (Allah) created not the jinn and Mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures). Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong. (Adh-Dhariat: 56-58)


Islam urges us to seek the permissible means for securing lawful provision. But our Lord, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Wise, the All-Knowing, the Owner of Glory and Munificence, the Bestower of Blessings, has taught us that a Muslim’s major concern should be the performance of virtuous deeds, through which Allah will bestow His mercy upon him, admit him to Paradise, and save him from Hellfire. Allah, Exalted be He, says:


Allah calls to the home of peace (i.e. Paradise, by accepting Allah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds


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and abstaining from polytheism and evil deeds) and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path. (Yunus: 25)


Allah, Exalted be He, also says:


... but Allah invites (you) to Paradise and Forgiveness by His Leave ... (Al-Baqarah: 221)


Allah, Exalted be He, also says:


... And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life in this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing). (Al ‘Imran: 185)


One of the supplications of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar, was the following: “O Allah! Let not our calamities be in our faith, and let not this world be our biggest concern or the ultimate limit of our knowledge” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi, who said, “It is a good (hasan) hadith”). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said:


“If anyone makes the hereafter his main concern, Allah will set aright his affairs for him and place contentment in his heart, and the worldly life will come to him submissively. And if anyone makes the worldly life his main concern, Allah will split up his affairs, make him unable to control his possessions, and place his poverty before his eyes, such that nothing of the material world will come to him except that which has been decreed for him.”


Allah describes the delights of Paradise in His Book, the Qur’an, in a way unsurpassed by any of His previous scriptures. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also described this everlasting bliss in ways unparalleled by any prophet before him,


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and he also described Hellfire and its eternal torment in the same manner. In fact, he described both Paradise and Hellfire in such a vivid way that people could almost see them with their own eyes so as to encourage good-doers to compete among themselves and deter the negligent and ignorant from committing sins.


Allah, Exalted be He, has also shown us the deeds that lead to Paradise, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, equally clarified such deeds both generally and in detail. The greatest deeds that grant people access to the higher ranks in Paradise are declaring and believing in the Oneness of Allah, Exalted be He, without associating any partner with Him in any worship, performing prayers, paying zakah (obligatory charity), avoiding injustices, and giving people their due rights.


Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever worships Allah and associates none with Him, performs prayers, pays zakah, fasts Ramadan, and avoids major sins will enter Paradise” (Reported by Ahmad and An-Nasa’i, and it has an authenticated chain of transmission).


If the servant does virtuous and recommendable acts in abundance, after performing the obligatory acts and abandoning the prohibited acts, Allah will raise his rank in Paradise, reward him with good, and forgive his sins. Allah, Exalted be He, says:


If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall expiate from you your (small) sins and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise). (An-Nisa’: 31)


Therefore, fellow Muslims, never underrate any good deed, be it small or great, and never belittle any good act that can bring you closer to Allah; for you never know which act will make your balance of good deeds heavier and by which deed you will have your sins forgiven.


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The doors to good are many; virtues are abundant; and good deeds are diverse and innumerable. Therefore, strive to take them as provision for your life in the hereafter and to maintain your true home – the home of eternal settlement.


Among such good deeds are words of remembrance of Allah that are recommended after prayers. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,


“Whoever says after every prayer, ‘Subhanallah’ (Glorified be Allah) thirty-three times, ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is the Greatest) thirty-three times, and ‘Al-hamdu lillah’ (Praise be to Allah) thirty-three times, and seals the hundred by saying, ‘La ilaha illa-llah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir’ (There is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners; to Him belongs all Dominion, all Praises are due to him, and He is Powerful over all things) will have his sins forgiven even if they were as abundant as the foam of the ocean.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)


It was narrated by Abu Amamah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If anyone recites Ayat Al-Kursi (the Verse of the Throne, Al-Baqarah: 255) immediately after each obligatory prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and entering Paradise except death.” Another narration adds, “… and (also recites) “Qul Huw-Allahu Ahad (Say He is Allah, the One [i.e., Surat Al-Ikhlas])” (Reported by An-Nasa’i, At-Tabarani, and ibn Hibban).


Remembrance of Allah during and after the prayer has a lot of blessed benefits. A Muslim should learn and act upon whatever he learns, and Allah will certainly secure the greatest reward for him.


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Of all the good deeds that Allah and His Messenger urged every Muslim to do is the performance of the voluntary acts of worship that are similar in nature to the obligatory acts of worship and duties. For when Allah, Exalted be He, calls the servant to account on the Day of Judgement for the obligatory acts and duties, and it is found that they are incomplete and deficient, Allah, Exalted be He, will say to the angels, “See whether My servant has any voluntary acts of worship so as to make up for his obligatory acts.” They, then, will look for his voluntary acts of worship, such as the Witr prayer, the optional sunnah prayers performed before or right after the obligatory prayers (as-sunan ar-ratibah), and the supererogatory prayers, to compensate for the defects in performing the obligatory prayers. They will also look for optional charity to make up for zakah, voluntary fasting to make up for fasting during Ramadan, and voluntary hajj and ‘umra to make up for obligatory hajj. In addition, Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, elevates a servant’s ranks if he has good manners but has some lack in any of the recommendable deeds.


What a great achievement it is for those who have performed virtuous and recommendable deeds plentifully! What a dreadful loss it is for those who have missed doing many of the supererogatory acts of obedience to Allah and have thus sunk to lower ranks! Listen to how a little good deed can yield a great reward. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Voluntary fasting, giving charity to a poor man, attending a funeral, and visiting a sick person are deeds that no Muslim does on a single day but he will enter Paradise” (Reported by Muslim, as part of the hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him).


Remembrance of Allah is a great door to Paradise. Through remembrance of Allah, one’s heart is purified, one’s sins are forgiven, and one’s distress is relieved. Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:


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“Shall I tell you about the best and the purest of all your deeds in the sight of your Lord, about the one that is far better for you than spending gold and silver in the cause of Allah, and even better for you than meeting your enemies in the battlefield where you strike at their necks and they at yours?” The Companions replied, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” He said, “Remembrance of Allah.” (Reported by Al-Hakim, who said, “It has an authenticated chain of transmission”).


Abdullah ibn Busr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I once said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! The acts of Islam have become so numerous that I cannot perform them all. Is there any one single act that encompasses them all so we may adhere to it?’ The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Let your tongue be always moist with the remembrance of Allah’” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi).


Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:


“Whoever says one hundred times in the morning, ‘La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir’ (There is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners; to Him belongs all Dominion, all Praises are due to Him, and He is Powerful over all things), Allah will record for him one hundred good deeds in his book, will remove one hundred sins from it, and will give him the same reward as that for setting ten slaves free; and these words of his will be a shield for him from Satan on that day.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)


The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Whoever says, ‘Subhana-llahi wa bihamdihi’ (Glorified be Allah and Praise be to Him) one hundred times in the early morning and one hundred times in the early evening will


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not be surpassed [on the Day of Resurrection] by anyone except by one who has said the same or added to it” (Reported by Muslim).


Words of remembrance of Allah in the early morning or in the early evening that are attributed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, are all blessed. They have encompassed all good, they have great rewards and countless benefits, and they provide a shield for the servant from the devils of mankind and jinn. One of the best books that have collected these blessed sayings is Tuhfatudh-Dhakirin: Sharhul-Hisnil-Hasin (The Boon of Those Who Remember Allah: Commentary on (the book entitled) The Fortified Fortress).


Supplication combines all that is good in this life and in the hereafter. Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Supplication is the essence of worship” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi). Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Nothing is more honourable to Allah than supplication” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim, and it has an authenticated chain of transmission).


The reason for this is that, in supplication, the heart totally relies on Allah, is attached to the Lord of the Worlds, completely trusts in Him, and resorts to none but Him. When a person prays to Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, he is far from associating anyone else with Him in worship. He who perseveres in invoking his Lord alone will have his needs granted, will have a happy ending, and his faith will be sound. Conversely, he who invokes other than Allah, Exalted be He, will fail and lose, will be forsaken, and will also be committing the major, unpardonable sin of shirk (associating partners with Allah in worship).


By invoking peace and blessings upon our master, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, one’s sins will be forgiven and one’s distress will be relieved.


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Besides, if a person invokes blessings on the Prophet once, Allah sends blessings upon him ten times. Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The nearest to me on the Day of Judgment will be those who invoke the most blessings upon me in the worldly life” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, and ibn Hibban in his Sahih).


Allah, Exalted be He, says:


O you who believe! Bow down, and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord and do good that you may be successful. (Al-Hajj: 77)


May Allah bless you and me with the Great Quran and make us benefit from its verses and wise words and benefit from the guidance and right sayings of the Imam of all Messengers. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims for any sin we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.


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Part Two


Praise be to Allah, The Forgiver of sins, Who relieves hardships and covers defects. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the All-Knower of all that is hidden. I also bear witness that our prophet and master Muhammad is His servant and messenger, who was sent by Allah to guide those who went astray and enlighten them to see the truth. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon your servant and messenger Muhammad and upon his family and Companions, the people of righteousness and piety.


O Muslims!


Fear Allah as He should be feared, and grasp the trustworthy handhold of Islam.


Servants of Allah!


Just as there are deeds that lead to Paradise, which Allah loves and is pleased with, so there are deeds that lead to Hell, which Allah hates and abhors and for which He punishes people in this worldly life, in addition to punishing them with Hellfire in the hereafter. The deeds that are most deserving of punishment with Hellfire include the different forms of “major shirk” (polytheism or the association of partners with Allah). Allah, Exalted be He, says:


Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills … (An-Nisa’: 48)


Such deeds also include abandoning the obligatory prayers, which is an act of disbelief, and committing the major sins, which amount to seventy in number according to the strongest opinion. They include taking the life that Allah has forbidden, committing zina (adultery or fornication), and committing sodomy. Allah, Exalted be He, says:


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… nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse … (Al-Furqan: 68)


Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, also says of the people of the Fire:


“What has caused you to enter Hell?” They will say: “We were not of those who used to offer the Salat (prayers), nor we used to feed Al-Miskin (the needy); and we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers; and we used to deny the Day of Recompense, until there came to us (the death) that is certain.” (Al-Muddath-thir: 42-47)


Verbal sins, which are perpetrated by the tongue, pose the greatest danger to the individual. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Is there anything that throws people on their faces into the Fire other than the harvest of their tongues?” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said, “Beware of underestimating minor sins, for they continue to pile up until they lead to a man’s destruction.”


Servants of Allah!


Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. AsSalamu ‘Alaikum). (Al-Ahzab: 56)


The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If a person asks Allah to send blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him ten times over.”


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So ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings on the master of those who preceded us and those who are yet to come and the Imam of Messengers. O Allah! Bestow Your peace upon Muhammad and his family, as You bestowed Your peace on Ibrahim and his family, You are All-Praiseworthy and All-Glorious. O Allah! Bestow Your blessings upon Muhammad and his family, as You bestowed Your blessings on Ibrahim and his family, You are All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah! Bestow Your bountiful peace and blessings upon Muhammad and his family.


O Allah! Be pleased with all the Companions. O Allah! Be pleased with the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Imams, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with all the Companions of Your Prophet, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful! O Allah! Be pleased with the contemporaries of the Companions who followed them and who did not see the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him (Tabi’un), and with those who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment. O Allah! Be pleased with us together with them, by Your grace, munificence, and mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!


O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims, and humiliate disbelief and the disbelievers. O Allah! Destroy Your enemies – the enemies of the religion. O Allah! Destroy Your enemies – the enemies of the religion, who oppose You and Your Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and who seek to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths. O Lord! You are the All-Strong, the All-Mighty.


O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your Book, and the Sunnah of Your Prophet, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Make Your religion, the religion of Islam, reign supreme. O Allah! Make Your religion, the religion of Islam, prevail over all the religions, O All-Mighty! O Most Strong!


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O Allah! Show us the truth as it really is and help us follow it, and show falsehood as it really is and help us avoid it. O Allah! By Your mercy, do not make it confusing to us for fear we might go astray, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!


Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower. (Al ‘Imran: 8)


O Allah! Forgive us the sins that we have committed and the sins that we may commit in the future; forgive us the sins that we have committed in secret and the sins that we have committed in public; and forgive what You know better than we do. You are the Expediter and the Delayer. There is no god but You.


O Allah! Make all our affairs end in goodness and save us from disgrace in this world and from torment in the hereafter.


O Allah! Protect us from the evil within ourselves. O Allah! Protect us from the evil within ourselves and from our wicked deeds. O Allah! Protect us from the evil of evil-doers and from the plotting of transgressors. O Allah! Protect us from the evil of all evil-doers, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Forgive the sins of our dead and the sins of all dead Muslims. O Allah! Forgive the sins of our dead and the sins of all dead Muslims.


O Allah! Protect us and protect our offspring from Satan, his soldiers, and his devils, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Protect Muslims from Satan, the outcast. O Allah! Protect Muslims and their offspring from Satan, his devils, and his soldiers, O Lord of the Worlds! You are Powerful over all things.


O Allah! Take revenge on the magicians and sorcerers who have spread so much corruption, oppression, and transgression in the land. O Allah! Send upon them Your punishment, which is never averted from evil-doers, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah!


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Protect us, our offspring, and all Muslims from their evil plots; You are Powerful over all things. You are the Best Protector and the Most Merciful of all the merciful.


O Allah! Thwart their efforts and prevent them from what they desire to do. You are the All-Strong, the All-Mighty.


O Allah! Make our countries safe, secure, and prosperous, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!


O Allah! Guide the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to what You love and accept. O Allah! Lead him to Your guidance and help him do what pleases You. O Allah! Guide him and the Crown Prince to what is good for their people and what is good for Islam and all Muslims, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! We seek refuge in You from deluding trials. O Allah! We seek refuge in You from deluding trials. O Allah! We seek refuge in You from ill fate, from the malicious rejoicing of enemies, from abject misery, and from hard affliction. O Allah! We seek refuge in You from the malicious rejoicing of enemies. O Allah! We seek refuge in You from the malicious rejoicing of Your slaves, O Lord of the Worlds!


... Our Lord! Give us that which is good in this world and that which is good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of Hellfire! (Al-Baqarah: 201)


Servants of Allah!


Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g.,


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wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha’ (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take heed.) And fulfil the Covenant of Allah (Bai‘a: pledge for Islam) when you have covenanted, and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them, and indeed you have appointed Allah your surety. Verily! Allah knows what you do. (An-Nahl: 90-91)


Remember Allah, the Most Great, the Sublime, and He will remember you. Thank Him for His blessings and favours and He will give you more. Verily, remembrance of Allah is greater than all, and Allah knows what you do.