Intend To Perform Hajj, Umrah or Qurbani
'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) narrated: I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ saying, "Deeds are but (judged) by intentions, and for every person is what they intended. Whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or to marry a woman, his emigration was for that to which he emigrated." [Bukhārī]
Anas bin Malik narrated: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) returned from the Ghazwa of Tabuk, and when he approached Madinah, he said, "There are some people in Medina who were with you all the time, you did not travel any portion of the journey nor crossed any valley, but they were with you." They (i.e. the people) said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Even though they were at Madinah?" He said, "Yes, because they were stopped by a genuine excuse." [Bukhārī]
Imam Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī رحمه الله quoted Imam al-Bukhārī رحمه الله who said, “There is nothing in the narrations of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more comprehensive, richer in meaning, or more plentiful in benefit than this ḥadīth.” Imam al-Bukhārī mentions this ḥadīth seven times in his Ṣaḥīḥ. [Fatḥ Al-Bārī]
Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali رحمه الله said, “A servant may perform a small deed, but due to a sincere intention, it outweighs mountains of deeds done without sincerity.” [Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
Imam al-Ghazali رحمه الله beautifully said, “A wise person is the one who multiplies his rewards through simple means. If you must eat, do so with the intention of gaining strength to worship Allah. If you must sleep, do so with the intention of resting for the sake of performing good deeds. Thus, even the mundane becomes worship.” [Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din]
Imam Ibn Qudamah رحمه الله said, “A wise believer finds ways to earn rewards while doing what he would do anyway. He sleeps with the intention of gaining strength for worship. He eats with the intention of thanking Allah. In this way, even his rest and food become worship.” [Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin]
This is to show the importance of intention. Any action that is done needs to have an intention behind it. Without the proper intention, no matter how great the action, its value can be turned to dust. With the proper intention, the smallest of deeds can be turned into mountains.
The Power of Sharing The Khayr
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action." [Muslim]
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,"Whoever gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will have a reward like theirs, without that detracting from their reward in the slightest.” [Ibn Majah]
Based on this,
Getting Ready for The Masjid
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "If anyone goes out from his house after performing ablution for performing the prescribed prayer in congregation (in the masjid), his reward will be like that of one who goes for Hajj pilgrimage after wearing ihram. And he who goes out to say the mid-morning (duha) prayer, and takes the trouble for this purpose, will take the reward like that of a person who performs Umrah. And a prayer followed by a prayer with no worldly talk during the gap between them will be recorded in Illiyyun." [Abu Dawud]
Abū Umāmah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever goes out from his house for performing the prescribed prayer, his reward will be like that of one who goes for Ḥajj (and it is accepted). And whoever goes out to perform the optional prayers, will take the reward like that of a person who performs a complete ʿUmrah (and it is accepted).” [Ahmad]
Blessings of the Inheritance of the Prophet ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever goes to the masjid with the intention of learning knowledge or teaching it, then he will receive the reward of a completed and accepted Ḥajj." [al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr]
Stay Back After Fajr
Anas Ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, "Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits remembering Allāh until the sun has risen, then he prays two rak'ahs, then for him is the reward like that of a Ḥajj and ʿUmrah." He said, "The Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) said, 'Complete, complete, complete.'" [Tirmidhī]
Note: This Ṣalāh is prayed after the sun has risen to the height of a spear (approximately 1 meter or after the passage of 12 minutes from sunrise) when the time when it is disliked (makrūh) to pray has ended. This prayer is called Ṣalāh al-Ishrāq and it marks the beginning of the time for Ṣalāh al-Duḥá prayer. Some scholars opined that the reward equally applies for women praying at home who remain in their place of salah.
Come Early for the Friday Salah
Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said, “When it is Friday, the angels stand at every door of the masjid and record the people in the order of their arrival. When the Imām sits (on the pulpit for delivering the sermon), they fold up their scrolls and listen to the reminder. The one who comes early is like the one who offers a she-camel in sacrifice, the next like one who offers a cow, the next like one who offers a ram, the next like one who offers a hen, and the next like one who offers an egg.” [Muslim]
Note: Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī (رحمه الله) said, “The people of knowledge say, ‘We do not know of a hadith of the Prophet (ﷺ) which has more reward than this hadith.’” [Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ]
Umrah In Ramadan
Ibn ‘Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "‘Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent (in reward) to Hajj – or he said: equivalent to Hajj with me." [Bukhārī]
Praying in Masjid Quba
Sahl ibn Hunayf (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever purifies himself at home, then goes to Masjid Quba and prays in it, he will have the reward of ‘Umrah." [Ibn Mājah]
Jihad for Women
A’ishah (رضي الله عنها) reported that she asked, "O Messenger of Allah, is jihad obligatory for women?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, they must perform a jihad in which there is no fighting: Hajj and ‘Umrah." [Ibn Mājah]
Stay Within Your Limits
Abū Kabshah ʿAmr ibn Saʿd (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "I swear by Allāh for three (qualities) which I am going to tell you about. Remember them well:
1. The wealth of a man will not diminish by Sadaqah (charity).
2. Allāh augments the honour of a man who endures oppression patiently.
3. He who opens a gate of begging, Allāh opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it)."
And I shall narrate to you a statement, so remember it: The world is for four types of people:
1. A servant whom Allāh provides with wealth and knowledge, so he fears Allāh, maintains ties of kinship, and knows that Allāh has a right in it. He is in the best rank.
2. A servant whom Allāh provides with knowledge but not wealth. However, he is sincere in his intention, saying: ‘If I had wealth, I would act like so-and-so.’ If that is his intention, his reward is the same as that of the other.
3. A servant whom Allāh provides with wealth but not knowledge, so he spends it recklessly without knowledge, neither fearing Allāh nor maintaining ties of kinship, and he does not acknowledge Allāh’s right in it. He is in the most despicable rank.
4. A servant whom Allāh neither provides with wealth nor knowledge, yet he says: ‘If I had wealth, I would act like so-and-so.’ If that is his intention, his sin is the same as that of the other.” [Tirmidhī]
Note: Even if one cannot offer a sacrificial animal, one can still engage in charity according to one's means. This reassures one that any act of giving, no matter how small, is valued by Allāh and will not decrease one's wealth but rather bless it. The Sunnah also discourages resorting to begging or seeking financial assistance from others specifically for the Qurbani especially if it means compromising one's dignity or entering a state of dependency. Qurbani is obligatory only upon those who have the financial means to perform it. Simple.
Follow The Sunnah
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to a man: "I have been instructed to take the Day of Sacrifice as an Eid which Allāh has ordained for this Ummah." The man said: "What do you think if I can't find anything but a female sheep that has been loaned to me so that I may benefit from its milk—should I sacrifice it?" He said: "No. Rather, cut something from your hair and your nails, trim your moustache, shave your pubic hairs, and you will have a complete reward with Allāh, the Mighty and Sublime, as if you had offered the sacrifice." [Abu Dāwūd]
Taken from the Book: LIFE HACKS | 40 Ahadith with Immense Rewards
