In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Every Muslim should strive to read the Qur'an every day. It is recommended to read a juz (about 20 pages) a day. Even if you are struggling to find time to read the Qur'an everyday, don't miss reading Surah Kahf (about 10 pages) on Fridays. If you cannot read Arabic, you may start with reading a good translation and strive to learn how to read the Arabic Qur'an. May Allah grant you tawfiq.
Among the benefits of reading Surah Kahf once a week is that we get a weekly dosage of Divine reminders. And reminders benefit the believers.
وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٥٥﴾ وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦[Qur'an, Adh-Dhariyat 51:55-56]
And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers. (55) And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)
If you hope for Paradise, you will appreciate every reminders you can get because human being is undeniably a very forgetful creature. At the outset of the Surah, we are reminded of the huge importance of righteous deeds.
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ عِوَجَا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢﴾ مَّـٰكِثِينَ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣[Qur'an, Al-Kahf 18:1-3]
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance. (1) [He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward (2) In which they will remain forever (3)
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمْ خَيْرُ ٱلْبَرِيَّةِ ﴿٧[Qur'an, Al-Bayyinah 98:7]
Indeed, they who have believed and done righteous deeds - those are the best of creatures. (7)
وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍۢ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌۭ ﴿١١٠[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:110]
And establish prayer and give zakah, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah. Indeed, Allah of what you do, is Seeing. (110)
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” (Bukhari)
He (Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said, "Hasten to do good deeds before there come tribulations like pieces of a dark night, when a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever by evening, or he will be a believer in the evening and a disbeliever by morning, selling his religious commitment for worldly gain.” (Muslim)
Having a good character and performing good deeds is so important in Islam. In a hadith Qudsi (hadith Qudsi are from Allah, revealed in a dream or through revelation and expressed in Prophet's own words):
“Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, ‘O Son of Adam, I was sick and you did not visit Me.’ He will say, ‘O my Lord, how could I visit You, when you are the Lord of the Worlds.’ Allah will say, ‘Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was sick and you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me there?’
Allah will say, ‘O Son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not.’ He shall say, ‘O my Lord, how could I feed you and you are the Lord of the Worlds?’ and Allah will say, ‘Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was in need of food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found that to have been for Me?'
‘O Son of Adam, I asked you for water and you did not give Me to drink.’ The man shall say, ‘O my Lord, how could I give You water, when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ Allah will say, ‘My servant so-and-so asked you for water and you did not give him to drink water. Did you not know that if you had given him to drink, you would have found that to have been for Me?' [Muslim]
So we must remember the importance of helping those in need for the sake of Allah. We must bear in mind that all our deeds are going to come before us on Judgement Day. We will see all of the deeds we have ever done, which are being recorded and will be shown to us in a book. This is described in the Qur'an:
هَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبُنَا يَنطِقُ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَسْتَنسِخُ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٢٩﴾ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَيُدْخِلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ فِى رَحْمَتِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْمُبِينُ ﴿٣٠﴾ وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَفَلَمْ تَكُنْ ءَايَـٰتِى تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَٱسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ وَكُنتُمْ قَوْمًا مُّجْرِمِينَ ﴿٣١[Qur'an, Al-Jathiya, 45:29-31]
This, Our record, speaks about you in truth. Indeed, We were having transcribed whatever you used to do." (29) So as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, their Lord will admit them into His mercy. That is what is the clear attainment. (30) But as for those who disbelieved, [it will be said], "Were not Our verses recited to you, but you were arrogant and became a people of criminals? (31)
ٱقْرَأْ كِتَـٰبَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا ﴿١٤[Qur'an, Al-Isra' 17:14]
[It will be said], "Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as accountant." (14)
Our deeds are going to be weighed, good against bad.
وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَـٰسِبِينَ ﴿٤٧[Qur'an, Al-Anbiya' 21:47]
And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant. (47)
We have to be conscious about our actions in every moment. If it is not going to benefit us in the Hereafter, don't do it. Remember, the thing that will follow you into your grave is not your money, your children, your family, your friends, your fans, or your fame, ... but your deeds only -- good and bad. And you will be judged based on your deeds.
Allah Almighty says that He will reward the believers in the hereafter for the good deeds they have done.
وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا۟ مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقًا ۙ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَأُتُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُتَشَـٰبِهًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَآ أَزْوَٰجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ ۖ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ ﴿٢٥[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:25]
And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with a provision of fruit therefrom, they will say, "This is what we were provided with before." And it is given to them in likeness. And they will have therein purified spouses, and they will abide therein eternally. (25)
إِنَّهُۥ مَن يَأْتِ رَبَّهُۥ مُجْرِمًا فَإِنَّ لَهُۥ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ ﴿٧٤﴾ وَمَن يَأْتِهِۦ مُؤْمِنًا قَدْ عَمِلَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱلدَّرَجَـٰتُ ٱلْعُلَىٰ ﴿٧٥﴾ جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ﴿٧٦[Qur'an, Ta-Ha 20:74-76]
Indeed, whoever comes to his Lord as a criminal - indeed, for him is Hell; he will neither die therein nor live. (74) But whoever comes to Him as a believer having done righteous deeds - for those will be the highest degrees [in position]: (75) Gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally. And that is the reward of one who purifies himself. (76)
However, we don't say that our deeds will 'earn us a place' in Paradise. Nobody can perform enough good deeds to deserve to go there. It is Allah's love and mercy that will cause people to enter. Paradise has many levels. The higher levels are even more beautiful than the lower ones, and the more righteous a person has been in this life, the higher Paradise they will be in, inshaa Allah.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even though it were little." [Bukhari]
May Allah grant us righteous deeds and admit us into the highest Paradise without reckoning. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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