Good Deeds That Bring One Closer to Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

Earn Good Deeds

Good deeds that bring one closer to Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم

Shahzad Yunus Attari Madani

Allah, our merciful Lord, has created many deeds by means of which we can gain proximity to Him and His Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. A hadith explains how sending ṣalāt upon the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم will bring us close to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in this world and the next - اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه. Even Allah and His angels send ṣalāt upon him.

اِنَّ اللہَ وَ مَلٰٓئِکَتَہٗ  یُصَلُّوۡنَ عَلَی النَّبِیِّ ؕ یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا صَلُّوۡا عَلَیۡہِ  وَ سَلِّمُوۡا  تَسۡلِیۡمًا )۵۶(

Allah and His Angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings upon him and much salutations.[1]

Proximity to the beloved on the Day of Judgement

ꜤAbdullāh b. MasꜤūd رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ narrates that the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “The closest person to me on the Day of Judgement shall be he who sent the most ṣalāt upon me in the world.”[2]

Commenting on this hadith, Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Raˈūf al-Munāwī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes:

On the Day of Judgement, those closest to the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and deserving of his intercession will be those who sent the most ṣalāt upon him in the world. Sending abundant ṣalāt upon the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is a sign of one’s true love for and connection with him. A person’s closeness to or distance from the Prophet    صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on the Day of Judgement will be based on their copious sending of ṣalāt upon him, or lack thereof.[3]

Scholars of hadith and their rank

Imam Ibn Ḥibbān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه explains: “This indicates how hadith scholars will be closest to the Prophet   صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on the Day of Judgement, as nobody in this Umma sends more ṣalāt upon him than them.”[4]

Sending ṣalāt upon the Prophet ﷺ 50 times

The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم declared, “Whoever sends ṣalāt upon me fifty times in a day; I shall shake hands with him on the Day of Judgement.”[5]

This hadith bears great glad tidings for those who send much ṣalāt upon the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, as they will attain proximity to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on the Day of Judgement, and this is undoubtedly an immense blessing.

We mistakenly consider it a source of pride to shake hands with and be close to people of worldly status, and do not tire of boasting about this. Instead, if we attain the true honour of sending huge amounts of ṣalāt upon the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم today, we can be close to him tomorrow.

Love leads to closeness

The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated, “A person shall be with the one he loves (on the Day of Judgement).”[6]

If a person has true love for the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and proves this love as sincere, he will be in the Prophet’s company on the Day of Judgement.

Good character

A deed that draws one closer to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is having good character. In fact, displaying good conduct towards everybody one meets is a trait of the Prophets عَـلَـيْـهِمُ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّـلَام. Following is a hadith in this regard, which we should attempt to implement into our lives. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Indeed, the one of you most beloved to me and who shall be extremely close to me on the Day of Judgement, is he who possesses good character. The one of you most disliked by and distant from me is the foul charactered.”[7]

Commentary

As a person of good character generally carries out plenty of good deeds, he commits fewer sins. Good character here refers to Muhammadan conduct; being firm against disbelievers, extremely gentle towards believers, being trustworthy, fulfilling promises, and one’s interactions being upright. These are actions of good character.[8]

Here are two more hadith on the virtues of possessing good character and displaying amiable conduct towards others:

(1) A believer’s nobility is his good character: The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “The honour of a believer is his religion. His nobility is his good character. His chivalry is his intellect.”[9]

(2) Good character is best: Usāma b. Sharīk رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ narrates, “Some Bedouins came to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and asked, ‘From everything a person is granted, what is best?’ The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم replied, ‘Good character.’”[10]

O Allah! Allow us to do good deeds which bring us closer to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! We ask You to bless us with the ability to send abundant ṣalāt upon the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and allow us the honour of treating people kindly.

اٰمِیْنْ بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّٖن صلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہ ِوَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ