-
Verse 4 of Surah Al Lail explains that there are people in this duniya who strive to do good for the sake of Allah taala and aim for jannah. In the following hadith, the Prophet saws says that aiming to be good for the sake of Allah is an excellent trait -
Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Right guidance, good behaviour and aiming for what is just and correct is a seventieth part of prophethood."
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، عَنْ قَابُوسَ، أَنَّ أَبَاهُ حَدَّثَهُ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ...
Reference : Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 468
In-book reference : Book 26, Hadith 7
English translation : Book 26, Hadith 468
-
Giving sadaqah seeking the pleasure of Allah -
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Wealth does not diminish by giving Sadaqah (charity). Allah augments the honour of one who forgives; and one who serves another seeking the pleasure of Allah, Allah will exalt him in ranks."
وعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: “ما نقصت صدقة من مال، و ما زادالله عبداً بعفو إلا عزاً، وما تواضع أحد لله إلا رفعه الله” ((رواه مسلم)).
[Muslim].
Arabic/English book reference : Book 1, Hadith 603
-
One of the pillars of Islam is the offering of prayer at the prescribed times and is one of the deeds performed five times daily by those who seek the pleasure of Allah taala. The following hadith is related to this -
Yahya related to me from Malik from al-Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Yaqub from his father and Ishaq ibn Abdullah that they informed him that they heard Abu Hurayra say, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'When the iqama is called for prayer, do not come to it running, but come with calmness. Pray what you catch and complete what you miss. You...
Sunnah.com reference : Book 3, Hadith 4
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 3, Hadith 4
Arabic reference : Book...
-
Hadith on the one who offers more than the obligatory prayers solely seeking the pleasure of Allah -
Umm Habibah (May Allah be pleased with her) the Mother of the Believers reported:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "A house will be built in Jannah for every Muslim who offers twelve Rak'ah of optional Salat other than the obligatory Salat in a day and a night (to seek the Pleasure of Allah)."
[Muslim].
عن أم المؤمنين أم حبيبة رملة بنت أبي سفيان، رضي الله عنهما، قالت سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، يقول: ما من عبد مسلم يصلي لله تعالى كل يوم ثنتي عشرة ركعة تطوعًا غير ا...
Sunnah.com reference : Book 9, Hadith 107
Arabic/English book reference : Book 9, Hadith 1097
-
Those who seek the pleasure of Allah through their deeds shall be protected by Allah and those who seek the pleasure of people shall be devoid of the protection of Allah taala -
Abdul-Wahhab bin Al-Ward narrated from a man among the inhabitants of Al-Madinah who said:
"Mu'awiyah wrote a letter to 'Aishah, that: 'Write a letter to advise me , and do not overburden me.'" He said: "So 'Aishah [may Allah be pleased with her]wrote to Mu'awiyah: 'Peace be upon you. As for what follows: Indeed I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) saying: Whoever seeks Allah's pleasure by the people's wrath, A...
Grade : Hasan (Darussalam)
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2414
In-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 112
English tran...
Hasan
-
The best of deeds in the sight of Allah -
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked, "What is the best deed?" He replied, "To believe in Allah and His Apostle (Muhammad). The questioner then asked, "What is the next (in goodness)? He replied, "To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah's Cause." The questioner again asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To perform Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) 'Mubrur, (which is accepted by Allah and is performed with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure only and not to show off and without committing a sin and in a...
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 26
In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 19
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 1, Boo...
-
Deeds done seeking the pleasure of Allah will be rewarded by Him -
Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported in a Hadith included in the chapter of Intention, that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whatever you spend seeking thereby the Pleasure of Allah, will have its reward, even the morsel which you put in the mouth of your wife".
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
وعن سعد بن أبي وقاص رضي الله عنه في حديثه الطويل الذي قدمناه في أول الكتاب في باب النية أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال له: " وإنك لن تنفق تبغي بها وجه الله إلا أجرت بها حتى ما تجعل في في امرأتك" ((متفق...
Arabic/English book reference : Book 1, Hadith 292
-
Rewards for jihad fi sabilillah -
It was narrated from Ibn 'Umar, from the Prophet (ﷺ), of what he related from his Lord, the Mighty and Sublime:
"And of My slaves who goes out as a Mujahid striving in the cause of Allah, seeking my pleasure, I guarantee that I will bring him back with whatever he had earned as reward or spoils of war, and if I take his (soul) I will forgive him and have mercy on him."
أَخْبَرَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عل...
Grade : Sahih (Darussalam)
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 3126
In-book reference : Book 25, Hadith 42
English transla...
Sahih
-
The excellent example of Mus’ab ibn Umair who forsook worldly comforts all his life seeking the pleasure of Allah taala -
Khabbab al-Aratt reported:
We migrated with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the path of Allah seeking Allah's pleasure alone. Thus our reward was assured with Allah. And amongst us were those who spent life (in such a state of piety and austerity) that nothing consumed their reward. Mus'ab b. 'Umair was one of them. He was killed on the Day of Uhud, and nothing but a woollen cloak was found to shroud him. When we covered his head with it, his feet became uncovered, and...
Reference : Sahih Muslim 940 a
In-book reference : Book 11, Hadith 55
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Had...
-
In stark contrast to the above hadith , are some people who are miserly and who do not seek the pleasure of Allah in any of their deeds and they give bad quality goods as charity . In the following hadith the Prophet saws forbids accepting such goods as charity -
Narrated Abu Malik:
From Al-Bara (regarding): And do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it (2:267) - he said: "It was revealed about us, the people of the Ansar who were date-palm owners. A man would bring the amount of dates that he would from his date-palms, either a lot or a little. A man would bring a cluster or...
Grade : Hasan (Darussalam)
English reference : Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 2987
Arabic reference : Book 47, Hadith 3255
Hasan
-
A miserly man may have worldly riches yet in the eyes of Allah it’s of no value as the actual richness is the richness of the soul which is generous even in poverty -
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had said:
Richness does not lie in the abundance of (worldly) goods but richness is the richness of the soul (heart, self).
حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَيْسَ الْغِنَى عَنْ كَثْرَةِ الْعَ...
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1051
In-book reference : Book 12, Hadith 157
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 5, Had...
-
The Prophet saws has warned against striving merely for worldly pleasures instead of seeking the pleasure of Allah taala -
'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Do not crave for property lest you should be absorbed in the desire of worldly life."
[At- Tirmidhi]
وعن عَبْدِ اللَّه بنِ مسعودٍ ، رضي اللَّه عنه ، قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم " لا تتخذوا الضيعة فترغبوا في الدنيا".
((رواه الترمذي وقال : حديثٌ حسنٌ )).
Arabic/English book reference : Book 1, Hadith 479
-
The one who gains knowledge merely for worldly gains will be denied the pleasures of paradise -
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said, "He who does not acquire knowledge with the sole intention of seeking the Pleasure of Allah but for worldly gain, will not smell the fragrance of Jannah on the Day of Resurrection."
[Abu Dawud].
وعنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : "من تعلم علمًا مما يبتغى به وجه الله عز وجل لا يتعلمه إلا ليصيب به غرضًا من الدنيا لم يجد عرف الجنة يوم القيامة" ((يعني ريحها))، ((رواه أبو داود...
Sunnah.com reference : Book 13, Hadith 16
Arabic/English book reference : Book 13, Hadith 1391
-
The following hadith gives the contrasting example of those who strive seeking the pleasure of Allah and those who strive seeking worldly gains -
Narrated Abu Al-Minhal:
When Ibn Ziyad and Marwan were in Sham and Ibn Az-Zubair took over the authority in Mecca and Qurra' (the Kharijites) revolted in Basra, I went out with my father to Abu Barza Al-Aslami till we entered upon him in his house while he was sitting in the shade of a room built of cane. So we sat with him and my father started talking to him saying, "O Abu Barza! Don't you see in what dilemma the people has fallen?" The first...
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 7112
In-book reference : Book 92, Hadith 59
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9,...