Every believer has the desire to enter paradise.
Even if a person may be weak in Iman he still possesses the desire to achieve Jannah as well as the fear and desire to be be protected from the Hell fire.
For a person to require these results it requires alot of effort.
It is mentioned in the Quran
"do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you?" (2:214)
E.g:
If you desire a big house, you are required to exert all your effort and wealth in constructing it/having it built.
Jannah is a place we cannot even try to think or comprehend about and attaining it, comes with effort. What will lead us to Jannah is our good deeds. The faraaidh ibaadah we perform, are our ticket to Paradise.
As well as our faraaidh worship, avoiding Allah's disobedience is also Fard, such as abstaining from sins, backbiting etc.
Therefore, if one is not capable of performing extra forms of voluntary (nafil) acts of worship, yet he performs the Obligatory (fard) actions and also obeys Allah, it is easy for such a person to recieve Jannah and will not prove difficult for him at all!
The voluntary worships such as nafl Salah and nafl sadaqah are a means to elevate our ranks in Jannah.
I present an example to help you understand.
For example - a group of people are travelling to Pakistan in an aeroplane and the plane consists of 3 different classes; economy, business and first class. These are the categories that separate and distinguish between the people. On this basis, everyone's experience in the aeroplane will be different. In economy class, everything is basic, but if you take a look at first class, you are treated extra well with comfort and luxury. This is despite the fact that the passengers are travelling in the same plane to the same destination.
Likewise, we may all enter Jannah but we will achieve different ranks.
If we take a look at the example again, those travelling in economy class, may wish they possessed more wealth to also experience business or first class. This is based on the knowledge that only those who are able to afford it and posses sufficient wealth, may travel in such a high-ranked class.
22nd Apr, 2020
Now this is similar to Paradise. The greater amount of good deeds you posses, the higher your ranks in Paradise will be.
Now imagine the regret one will experience in Jannah for not achieving more!
This is exactly why Allah has placed voluntary worships alongside the obligatory acts of worship. For example nafil rakats are followed by faraaidh rakat in salah.
These are placed as such, to raise our ranks which is why we should not leave these (nafil) out.
If one had a chance to chose economy or first class, would he not choose to travel in first class?
Thus, likewise, we should strive for the highest station in Jannah!
We should select those deeds that will give us the most benefits and reward and elevate our ranks in the Hereafter.
Nabi ﷺ has conveyed very easy and convenient routes for his Ummah to enter Jannah.
Abd-Allaah ibn Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: There are two qualities, no Muslim man acquires them but he will enter Paradise, and they are simple and easy. He should glorify Allaah (say Subhaan Allaah) ten times immediately after each prayer, and praise Him (say Al-hamdu Lillaah) ten times and magnify Him (say Allaahu akbar) ten times."
(To recite after each Salah, 10 x SubhaanAllah, 10 x alhamdulillah and 10 x Allahu akbar)
Upon going to sleep one should recite, Allahu akbar x 33
SubhaanAllah x 33
Alhamdulillah x 33
(This is excluding kalimaat of tasbih fatimah)
SubhaanAllah, Allah swt has made it extremely easy for all of us to enter Jannah!
22nd Apr, 2020
Nabi ﷺ mentioned this deed to be small in action, yet those who implement it, are also very few!
A Sahabi asked Nabi ﷺ the reason for this. (Based on understanding of the hadith) - when a person initiates a good deed and finds it an easy task, shaytan cannot bear it so he attacks him and makes him tired or lazy. Subsequently, one abandons the deed.
Or it could be that a person intends to perfom the righteous deed but shaytan distracts him with another task needed to be fulfilled. And this is how he snatches the opportunity of good deeds from us.
Thus, it becomes necessary upon us should we experience waswasa or tiredness or laziness upon beginning a new righteous habit/deed, we should not let it overcome us but we should fulfil that deed regardless! For It is shaytan who does not wish for us to carry out that deed and tries to prevent us.
In the Hereafter, the Angel's show amazement at such a person who had the opportunity to fulfil the easiest and simplest deeds yet was not firm on it.
The pious buzurg advise to fix a timetable for deeds and acts of worship. When the designated time arrives one should not allow other work to distract him from fulfilling his worship which he had set within that timeframe.
Even if one may perceive a loss in his worldly matters, he must not disregard his deed for something else, rather, he should focus on fulfilling that deed first!
I questioned someone once, "what time do you eat dinner?" They replied "when I become hungry" I became surprised at this answer with a lack of schedule being set in place.
Making a routine for deeds and dunyawi matters will help us to be steadfast on the deeds we wish to fulfil without shaytan getting in the way.
So we MUST act upon this hadith and make these kalimats a habit after salah and before sleeping.
We should aim to pray the entire Salah with all the sunan and nawafil so our ranks may he raised in the akhirah. Avoid the temptations and evil of shaytan and remain alert! Be steadfast and consistent upon even the smallest of deeds.
May Allah swt grant us the taufeeq. Ameen
