Qur'an is the best Dhikr

Abu Sa'eed radia Allahu Anhu narrated that the Prophet salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam said,
"Allah the Most High says, 'When engrossment with the Qur'aan preoccupies a person from making Dhikr and asking from me, I grant him better than what I grant to those who ask from Me.' The Rank of the Word of Allah over other forms of speech is like the rank of Allah over all His creation." (narrated by Tirmidhi, ad-Daarimi and al-Bayhaqi)

Many Ulama' like Sheikh Albaani, Ibn Hajar RahimahumAllah have termed this hadeeth as weak. Sh Yasir Qadhi came to the conclusion that this is Hasan li-ghairih (weak hasan). Sh Jamal hasn't come to this conclusion.

Allah says in the Qur'an:

ص وَالْقُرْءَانِ ذِى الذِّكْرِ
Saaad. By the Qur'an full of reminding. (Surah Saad: 1)

Weight of "La ilaaha illa Allah" on the scales

Narrated Anas bin Malik Radhiyallahu anh:
"Once Mu'adh was along with Allah's Apostle as a companion rider. Allah's Apostle said, "O Mu'adh bin Jabal." Mu'adh replied, "Labbaik and Sa'daik. O Allah's Apostle!" Again the Prophet said, "O Mu'adh!" Mu'adh said thrice, "Labbaik and Sa'daik, O Allah's Apostle!" Allah's Apostle said, "There is none who testifies sincerely that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is his Apostle, except that Allah, will save him from the Hell-fire." Mu'adh said, "O Allah's Apostle ! Should I not inform the people about it so that they may have glad tidings?" He replied, "When the people hear about it, they will solely depend on it." Then Mu'adh narrated the above-mentioned Hadith just before his death, being afraid of committing sin (by not telling the knowledge).

Narrated Anas Radhiyallahu anh:
I was informed that the Prophet had said to Mu'adh, "Whosoever will meet Allah without associating anything in worship with Him will go to Paradise." Mu'adh asked the Prophet, "Should I not inform the people of this good news?" The Prophet replied, "No, I am afraid, lest they should depend upon it (absolutely)."

(Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Lessons:

- The believer who testifies to the Shahada (Ash'hadu an La Ilaaha Illa Allah, Wa Ash'hadu anna Muhammedan Rasoolullah) should do so with Uttermost sincerity, Knowledge, Submission and Obedience to Allah SWT, Love for Him and His Rasool, complete acceptance and 100% certainty with truthfulness and by negating any other Lord besides Allah.

- Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwassalam was afraid that if people knew this, they would lag in striving towards excelling more in doing righteous deeds and acts of worship. This shows that we have to do act upon our shahada too.

- The value of the speech of Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwassalam that the sahaba Mu'adh Ibn Jabal had, is subhanAllah a big lesson for us to learn from. The sahabahs and the scholars were so afraid that knowledge would be lost. Do we sincerely pass on what we learn?! Are we selfish when it comes to sharing ilm?!

- And most importantly, the fact, that this hadeeth was preserved even though Muhammed Sallallahu alaihiwassalam was feeling skeptical to let his Ummah know of this- to me, this shows that Allah Azza Wajal has preserved of His Dheen everything that we need to know, the dheen is perfect, there is no need for us to add anything, or bring in any new traditions (which are termed as bid'ah- innovations) If we do try to bring in any new practice, thinking it is for good, then it is like saying that The Prophet could have added it to our religion.

And Allah knows best.

The Greatest Blessing of Allah upon the people of Jannah

On the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Radhiyallahu anh), who said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alihiwassalam) said:
Allah will say to the inhabitant of Paradise: O inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then He will say: Are you contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then He will say: Would not like Me to give you something better than that? And they will say: O Lord and what thing is better than that? And He will say: I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you.

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Muslim, At-Tirmidhi)

SubhanAllah, the Greatest Blessing and reward that the believers will experience in Jannah will be when Allah Azza Wajal will say: I shall cause My favour to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you. (InshAllah, may He grant us all this gretest Blessing, aameen) and when we will be able to see Our Lord, The Most Majestic, The Most Gracious.

Qur'an- The Miracle

Narrated Abu Hurairah Radhiyallahu anh:
The Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwassalam said, "Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection."

(Sahih Al-Bukhari)

This hadeeth signifies the power of the Speech of Allah SWT. That the unlettered Prophet was the one chosen to be given the Divine Inspiration itself is the greatest miracle among all other miracles (Mu'jizath) given to him, and all other Prophets. Qur'an is the only miracle that has no constraints of place or time. All the other miracles were witnessed only by the people who were present then. But Qur'an will be continue to be a miracle till the end of this world, for all the people, no matter where they live, as there is no place in the world, where the Qur'an is not being recited. And, because The Qur'an is the greatest miracle of all times, Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwassalam hoped that he will have the greatest number of followers on the Day of Resurrection. And this will be so, inshAllah, as we know from other ahadeeth.

All other miracles given to other Prophets and our Prophet (May Allah be pleased with them) were miracles shown to prove or strengthen the true message, but the Qur'an is a miracle in itself to prove what is says. SubhanAllah...

And Allah knows best.

Respecting and honoring the scholars

'Abadah ibn As-samit narrated, RasulAllah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, "He who does not respect our elders, and is not merciful with our children, and does not honor our scholars is not one of my Ummah."

(Ahmad; at-Tabaraani; al-Haakim)

SubhanAllah...especially the last line of the hadeeth...

Very often, people like to point out the flaws and weaknesses of the scholars rather than take good lessons from them. Allah SWT and Rasoolullah has given such a high status for the one who is learned and scholarly in regards to Our Dheen. And we, the students of knowledge or the laymen try to act as their judges, as though we have achieved more than them, and criticise them. SubhanAllah, this is such a grave mistake. We should always respect and honor our scholars. (This goes for anyone who is learning the Dheen, and giving Da'wah, we should never look down upon them.) They are the ones who are actually obeying the teaching of Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam of passing on and spreading of knowledge. In his Khutbah- last sermon during his Hajj, he said, "Listen to what I am saying very carefully, and take these words to those who could not be present here today". Allah SWT will preserve the Sunnah of Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam, and it is through our scholars that the religion is preserved.

Abu Bakr's interpretation of dream

Narrated Abu Hurayrah Radhiyallahu anh:
A man came to the Prophet Sallallahualihiwassalam and said: I saw (in my dream) a piece of cloud from which ghee and honey were dropping. I saw the people spreading their hands. Some of them took much and some a little. I also saw a rope hanging from Heaven to Earth. I saw, Apostle of Allah, that you caught hold of it and ascended by it. Then another man caught hold of it and ascended it. Then another man caught hold of it and ascended it. Then another man caught hold of it, but it broke, and then it was joined and he ascended it.
Abu Bakr said: May my parents be sacrificed for you, if you allow, I shall interpret it.
He said: Interpret it. He said: The piece of cloud is the cloud of Islam; the ghee and honey that were dropping from it are the Qur'an, which contains softness and sweetness. Those who received much or little of it are those who learn much or little of the Qur'an. The rope hanging from Heaven to Earth is the truth which you are following. You catch hold of it and then Allah will raise you to Him. Then another man will catch hold of it and ascend it, Then another man will catch hold of it and it will break. But it will be joined and he will ascend it. Tell me. Apostle of Allah, whether I am right or wrong.
He said: You are partly right and partly wrong. He said: I adjure you by Allah, you should tell me where I am wrong.
The Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam said: Do not take an oath.

(Sunan Abi Dawood)

Lessons:

- Our Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam and Abu Bakr Radhiyallahu anh were so close that the sahabi felt free to make the dream interpretation. This shows that Rasoolullah did not make his companions fear him like how in today's time, people fear people who are in high positions. The teacher-student relationship is amazing.

- Abu Bakr As-Siddeeque's respect for the Prophet (seeking permission)- "if you allow, I shall interpret it". This is also an etiquette that we should have when asking doubts to our Sheikh, or if we want to make a comment.

- The reality of the dream. Allah will guide us more and raise our level if we take hold of the rope of the truth, and love Qur'an, and embrace its sweetness. Even if we err in between, Allah will give us a chance to ascend again, through seeking repentance.

- We should not take oaths such as "may my parents be sacrificed for you" etc. This was a custom that was present among the Arabs during the period of Jahiliyyah(ignorance).

Be good to people even if they do not reciprocate the same

Narrated by Hudhayfah Radhiyalahu anh:
Allah's Messenger Sallallahu alihiwassalam said, "Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well and that if they do wrong you will do wrong; but accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil.

(Tirmidhi)

SubhanAllah, this is exactly how we think.

Lessons:

- We should be good to others and treat them well, regardless of how they treat us. Because, our intention in being good is to please Allah SWT. We often complain that so-and-so treated us bad, and so we do the same to them. What is the difference between us and them then?

- "They didn't visit me when I was ill", so "I won't visit them now"- Check your intentions then.

- Forgive, forget and do good to the one who hurts you: these are the three levels of forbearance. As Allah SWT says in the Qur'an:

وَالْكَـظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَـفِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

"(those)Who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves the Muhsinin (the good-doers)." [Surah Aal Imran: 134]

And Allah knows best.

Be careful "little" tongues and hands, and Trustworthiness

Narrated byAbu Hurayrah Radhiyallahu anh: Allah's Messenger Sallallahu alihiwassalam said: A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe from, and a believer is one in whom people place their trust in regard to their life and wealth.

(Recorded by Tirmidhi and Nasa'i)

Lessons:

- Be careful and cautious of what you speak. Be empathetic to the feelings of others. Our tongue, even though boneless, can cause a lot of fitnah, hurt feelings etc. to others. Speak less, if you fear that you will say something wrong and hurtful. Always analyse what is at the tip of your tongue. This rule is inclusive of all the people you deal with, be it kids, spouse, parents, friends, neighbors, strangers etc. We should not take even the closest of people for granted, as this sometimes causes us to hurt others.

- We should keep a check on our actions too, when dealing with people.

- One of The Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam's best qualities was trustworthiness. We should keep our promises, speak the truth, protect the dignity of our brothers and sisters. If someone places a trust in us, regarding any matter, especially with their wealth, we should live up to their expectations.

- All the above is possible if we inculcate the virtue of being cautious when we are about to do or say something, and if think before we leap, inshAllah.

And Allah knows best.

Swearing

Narrated Abu Hurayrah Radhiyallahu anh:
The Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam said: Do not swear by your fathers, or by your mothers, or by rivals to Allah; and swear by Allah only, and swear by Allah only when you are speaking the truth.

(Sunan Abi Dawood)

I remember when I was in school, and I did not know about this then, and I used to say, "Mother promise" etc, hearing my peers say the same. Only Allah has the right to swear by His creations, like وَالضُّحَى, وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ , وَالْعَصْرِ etc. We should swear only by Allah Azza Wajal.

Types of hearts

Imam Ahmad recorded Abu Sa`id saying that the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alihiwassalam said: The hearts are four (types): polished as shiny as the radiating lamp, a sealed heart with a knot tied around its seal, a heart that is turned upside down and a wrapped heart. As for the polished heart, it is the heart of the believer and the lamp is the light of faith. The sealed heart is the heart of the disbeliever. The heart that is turned upside down is the heart of the pure hypocrite, because he had knowledge but denied it. As for the wrapped heart, it is a heart that contains belief and hypocrisy. The example of faith in this heart, is the example of the herb that is sustained by pure water. The example of hypocrisy in it, is the example of an ulcer that thrives on puss and blood. Whichever of the two substances has the upper hand, it will have the upper hand on that heart.

SubhanAllah, I have nothing to add to this. This hadeeth is so clear even though very eloquent and filled with parables. InshAllah we should try to be the possessor of the heart that is polished as shiny as the radiating lamp. And we should not allow ulcer to grow in us. Wouldn't all of us love to STAY HEALTHY AND DISEASE-FREE?!

Joining ties of relationship with your Muslim brothers

Abu Huraira radhiyallahu anh reported Allah's Messenger Sallallahu alaihiwassalam as saying: Don't nurse grudge and don't bid him out for raising the price and don't nurse aversion or enmity and don't enter into a transaction when the others have entered into that transaction and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. The piety is here, (and while saying so) he pointed towards his chest thrice. It is a serious evil for a Muslim that he should look down upon his brother Muslim. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for his brother in faith: his blood, his wealth and his honour. (Saheeh Muslim)

Lessons:
- We have no right to judge our brothers and sister in Islam. Allah is the Best Judge.
- Piety is in the hearts, and only Allah knows what is in every one's hearts. So, we cannot make conclusions of others just based on what we think and feel about a person's actions.
- Our brother's/sister's (in faith) life, possessions, dignity and honour should be protected, we should not humiliate one another and compete with each other except in 2 things: gaining knowledge and spending in charity.
- We should always try to strengthen bonds of relationship, not nurse enmity between each other. Always, forgive and forget.

Wa Allahu A'lam.

Haram, Halal and what is in between/ purification of the heart

On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man bin Bashir, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say: "Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart."

(Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Lessons:

- It is very important to stay away from doubtful matters, as one could fall into the forbidden, if he loiters in the grey area. We cannot justify by thinking and saying that since we are ignorant of the ruling, whether it is permissible or prohibited, we can practise it.

- Imam Bukhari Rahimahullah mentioned this hadeeth in the "Book of trade". When it comes to trading there are many matters that are doubtful, matters which existed then and even now, e.g. where cheating is done professionally. Therefore we have to be careful if the matter related to trading is clear and evident, permissible or not permissible, or if it is doubtful, in which case we have to avoid it.

- The relationship between the heart and the rest of the hadeeth: if one's heart is strong and firm in Tawheed, and sound with clear understanding and wisdom, then he will be able to stay away from doubtful matters from fear of falling into the prohibited area. But if the heart is not so firm in Tawheed, then he will take matters lightly, and thus, be more prone to slowly and gradually fall into the haram. So, the main issue of this hadeeth is the purification of the heart, which all of us need to keep working on.

Wa Allahu A'lam.

Five things we will questioned about

Ibn Mas’ood Radhiyallahu anh Narrated: The Prophet (SAW) said: “The son of Adam will not be dismissed from before his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he has been questioned about five things:
1. His life and how he spent it.
2. His wealth and how earned it.
3. How he spent his wealth.
4. His youth and how he used it.
5. How he acted upon what he acquired knowledge.” (Tirmidhi)

Lessons:

- Life is the time period of our stay in this world- this shows the importance of time management, and balancing our time between affairs of the world and affairs which will benefit us in our Hereafter. Each breath we take is a Blessing and Mercy of Allah, Alhamdulillah. And so we should be grateful for it, and remember Him Azza Wajal.

- We all love money, and its OK to be rich too. But we should not earn or spend our wealth in non-halal ways. The difference between the rich and poor, on the Day of Resurrection is this: the rich will be questioned about their wealth majorly, whereas the poor won't have these questions. In order to make our questioning and weighing of our deeds (related to our wealth and how we spend it) easy, we should use it in the way Allah SWT has prescribed and Prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam has taught us. So our wealth is a responsibility upon us, a trust from Allah SWT. We should spend more and more from our wealth for giving in charity, and in the way of Allah (whether to give during fund-raising for the construction of a masjid or an Islamic Center or to seek knowledge of the dheen of Allah etc.)

- Our healthy years in our life will be questioned the most, the period of our youthful days. This is the most challenging period, because one has to fight his nafs of desires the most. We should remember Our Lord (and this hadeeth) at all times, in order to be able to fight Shaytan (la'nathullahi alihi).

- Our Sheikh Waleed Basyouni(may Allah preserve him) gave us a very good comparison on how knowledge affects different people. He demonstrated 3 cases. The first: he dropped a tablet into water. The water did not show any effect. The second: when he dropped a tablet into a bottle of Pepsi, the drink just oozed out leaving the bottle half empty. The third: liquid slowly and gradually turn pink when he dropped a tablet into it. The first is similar to one when he gains knowledge, it does not change him. The second case categorises many people, they gain knowledge and momentary emanrush, which makes them excited about the ilm they gained, and then slowly die away, and sometimes when the excitement dies down, they even end up in a lower level than before. The third example is the most significant, and all of us should try to be like that. We should gain knowledge and change our lives and thoughts accordingly, for the better, enlightening our souls and everything around us. For Allah will question us about how we used our knowledge, or whether we allowed it to become rotten and worthless.

May Allah SWT make us among those who will be able to enter Paradise with ease.

And Allah knows best.

Good manners

Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:
"Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day either speak good or be silent. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his neighbour. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his guest."

(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Envy to attain good characters

Ibn Mas'ood Radhiya Allahu anhu said that RasulAllah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, "Let there be no envy except in two things; a man to whom Allah gave wealth and guided him to spend it in a righteous way and a man to whom Allah gave wisdom and he acts wisely and teaches it to others."
(Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)

Lessons:
-Shows importance of spending your wealth in the way of Allah, and to please Him alone. We will be questioned about each and every penny. And this is the difference between the rich and the poor. The poor will not be questioned as much as the one who Allah had blessed with wealth. We should always remember that the wealth we have is a trust from Allah SWT, and that Allah has given it to us so that we give to others, and spend on good things. Possession of wealth is a big responsibility.
-Also shows the importance of seeking beneficial knowledge. The difference between knowledge and wisdom is that one can have knowledge and still not have wisdom if he does not act according to it. Da'wah (teaching others) is a very important branch of the duties of a Muslim.
- Envy is not a good quality to possess. But still, it is allowed to be envious for the above reasons, in a healthy manner, that will encourage us to excel in both these fields.

Disputation of The Qur'an

'Abdullah ibn 'Umar Radhiyallahu anh reported: I went to Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu alihiwassalam) in the morning and he heard the voice of two persons who were having an argument with each other about a verse. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) came to us (and) the (signs) of anger could be seen on his face. He said: Verily, the people before you were ruined because of their disputation in the Book.

Lessons:
- It is natural to have difference of opinion in everything. Even the best among people (the companions of the Prophet had). You can share and discuss your difference of opinions, but not get into arguments.
- Do not cause evil to make your point of view clear, even though you maybe be on the "right" side.
- In matters of religion, unless you are a scholar, it is better to refrain from giving conclusions regarding certain rulings, Instead we should try to seek advice or opinion of scholars, and turn to the Qur'an and Sunnah. We should always concentrate on seeking more knowledge that will benefit us in increasing our emaan, and not argue with the little knowledge we have.
- We should always remember that Allah knows best in all matters, and show humility.
- And to help us to stick to the above qualities, we should remember that the people of the book were ruined because of their nature of delving into such situations which will cause fitna.

And Allah knows best.

How to free oneself

On the authority of Abu Malik al-Harith bin 'Asim al-Ash'ari, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:
"Purification is half of iman (faith). Saying 'Al-Hamdulillah' (Praise be to Allah) fills the scales. Saying 'Subhanallah wa al-Hamdulillahi' (Exhalted be Allah and Praise be to Allah) fills the space between the heavens and the earth. Salah (prayer) is a light. Sadaqah (charity) is a proof. Sabr (patience) is a shining glory. The Qur'an is an argument either for you or against you. Everybody goes out in the morning and sell themselves, thereby setting themselves free or destroying themselves."
(Sahih Muslim)

SubhanAllah, one of the most beautiful ahadeeth I have heard in my life.

Lessons:
- Purification is through ablution(wudu) as it nullifies minor sins. When you are in wudu, you also feel guilty to disobey allah SWT. We should make it a practice inshAllah to be in wudu most of the time. It was the sunnah of Our prophet Sallallahu alihiwassalam to go to sleep in a state of wudu.
- Importance of Dhikr (remembrance of Allah at all times). Alhamdulillah (Praise and Gratitude be to Allah) fills the scales, showing gratitude not only in our speech but also in our actions by showing obedience to Him SWT. The reward of saying "SubhanAllahu wabihamdihi" is magnanimous. Dhikr with speech will help increase our emaan, and help us become better Muslims, by keeping our minds focused on the remembrance of The Lord, and thereby, away from sinning and disobedience. Dhikr of Allah also includes the specific duahs we say during every act.
- Salah is the coolness of the eyes of the believer. He finds comfort, satisfaction and enlightenment of his heart through Salah, and Salah is a dialogue with Allah SWT.
-Sadaqah(charity) is a proof that reflects the emaan of the believer. People usually love wealth and money and if they challenge this love and overpower their greed for the sake of Allah, they indeed have strong emaan.
- Being patient is a very difficult and painful experience. It requires a lot of effort and struggle within. So when people control themselves and overcome impatience, they develop a good habit of self-control and become masters of their own selves. When we have a disagreement with someone, or someone says something against you, we feel very tempted to say things back, to prove our point, and we try to make our voice heard louder, as though that will prove a point. And it gives us a false kind of satisfaction and a sense of victory. But in reality, true victory is when we are able to control ourselves. Sabr is also the patience one shows in perseverance in doing acts of worship and righteous deeds and in abstaining from acts of disobedience to Allah SWT. Patience is also being patient with the Qadr(decree) of Allah SWT and not complaining about it.
-Quran is a proof for you if you recite it, reflect and act upon it. It is a proof against you if you ignore it completely, or recite it, and have the knowledge, but do not enact it.
- Every morning we sell ourselves either by freeing ourselves from the punishment or leading ourselves into punishment and hence destroying ourselves. If they work for Allah and obey Him they are winners, but if they violate the rules of Allah and disobey Him then they gain nothing but loss after loss.

(Explanation taken from Imam Nawawi Rahimahullah's commentary.)

And Allah knows best.

Modesty- Character of Islam

Yahya related to me from Malik from Salama ibn Safwan ibn Salama az-Zuraqi that Zayd ibn Talha ibn Rukana, who attributed it to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Every deen has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty.'

(Imam Malik's Muwatta)

Three acts of worship advised by Our Beloved Prophet

Narrated By Abu Huraira Radhiyallahu anh: My friend (the Prophet Sallallahu ailiwassalam) advised me to do three things and I shall not leave them till I die, these are: To fast three days every month, to offer the Dhuha prayer, and to offer Witr before sleeping .
(Sahih Bukhari)

- The three days are the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month of the Hijri calender.
- Dhuha prayer is the prayer to be offered after sunrise and before midday.
- Witr means "one", it is the odd raka'h that is to be offered at night. We can either pray it as 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 etc.

And Allah knows best.

Consistency when doing acts of worship

'A'isha Radhiyallahu anha is reported to have said that the Messenger of Allah Sallallahu alihiwassalam was asked about the act most pleasing to Allah. He replied: That which is done continuously, even if it is small.
(Sahih Muslim)

Lessons:
- When we start doing an act of worship, we should observe steadfastness and continuity.
- Allah SWT loves the acts that are done continuously even it they are small. For example, reciting a page from the Qur'an or reading 2 Ayahs from the Qur'an with tafseer and contemplating on it, on a daily basis.
- For example, if we keep the niyyah of fasting "nafl" fasts, on the 13th, 14th and 15th (or on Mondays, and/or Thursdays of every month, then we should try to keep up with it. This requires some struggle in the beginning, and then Allah will make it easier for us each time.
- One lesson I got from this is, the importance of steadfastness, because we never know when our death is. InshAllah may Allah bless us to die in the high state of emaan. And for this to be possible inshallah, we should keep doing good deeds and acts of worship. We should not think of stopping it for a while. What if we die at that time?!

May Allah SWT always keep us on Hidaya, and inshAllah lets all strive to be consistent with our actions.

And Allah knows best.