Hastening to obey Allah and doing good deeds

Hastening to obey Allah and doing good deeds Sharif Abdul Rahman Tuti Hastening in good deeds Hastening in good deeds and competing in performing righteous actions to win the pleasure of Allah - Glory be to Him - we see it in the conduct of every alert Muslim, and in his actions at all times; in obedience to the command of the Creator - Glory be to Him - as He says: "And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth prepared for the righteous" [Al-Imran: 133], and He says: "So race to forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers" [Al-Hadid: 21]. The meaning: Hurry, O believers, to do good, and compete in offering good deeds, and do not waste time in useless matters, and do not prefer the fleeting life over the everlasting; do not lean towards the worldly life that perishes, and leave the remaining life; for the Hereafter is better and everlasting. Even if the world were made of gold that perishes, and the Hereafter of clay that remains, it would be obligatory for the wise Muslim to prefer the clay that remains over the gold that perishes. How about the Hereafter of gold that remains, and the world of clay that perishes?! Do not lean towards the dunya and what is in it, for death will surely perish us and it. Work for a house tomorrow whose treasure is Allah’s pleasure, and the neighbor is Ahmed, and the Merciful is the one who makes happy, its palaces are gold, and its musk is clay, and saffron is a growing herb in it, its rivers are pure milk and honey, and wine flows as a fragrant nectar in its streams, and birds fly on its branches, devoutly glorifying Allah aloud in its melodies. Whoever buys the house in Paradise, he builds it with a bow in the darkness of the night, bringing it to life. And the infallible - peace be upon him - commanded the Muslim nation in every time and place to hasten to everything that brings them closer to Allah - Glory be to Him - when he said: "Hasten to good deeds, for there will be fitnas like pieces of the dark night, a man will wake a believer and become a disbeliever, or he will become a believer and wake a disbeliever, selling his religion for a worldly gain" (narrated by Muslim). In our society, many people are themselves good, and their hearts are pure, they love doing good, and acts of righteousness, but they are afflicted with procrastination, delaying deeds from day to day, not seizing opportunities, and lacking the trait of initiative, hastening, and competing. You listen to one of them talking about good deeds he wants to do, and charitable projects he plans, and you are impressed by his speech, and you sense sincerity and desire in him, but days pass, months follow, years end, and his deeds and projects remain dreams unfulfilled! For such, the infallible - peace be upon him - says: "Hasten to good deeds," and seize opportunities before they pass you, and beware of fitnas before they distract you and divert you from these deeds. And good deeds are not only prayer, Zakat, fasting, and Hajj, but many and various: Visiting the sick is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Showing kindness to your neighbor is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Reciting the Noble Qur'an is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Giving to the poor and needy is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Relieving the distressed is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Upholding the rights of the oppressed is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Raising your children according to the methodology of Allah is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Rebuilding mosques is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Seeking knowledge is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Completing your work if you are an employee is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Deciding on complaints submitted to you if you are a manager in an institution or a head of a department is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away. Fulfilling your duties in every aspect of life is a good deed, so hasten to it and seize the opportunity before it slips away.