Some Exceptionally Beneficial Deeds

In this sub-section,we shall discuss certain acts of devotion which,if performed constantly and conscienciously,are expected to be helpful in enabling one to do other deeds of piety.
First and foremost among such deeds comes the acquisition of Religious knowledge,wether through study of books or through the company of the Ulama(scholars of Divine Sciences).The fact is that,even after a thorough study of books,one needs to benefit from the companionship of the Ulama.It is noteworthy that the Ulama,who are really worth the name,must possess the following qualities:
1)They should practise what they teach or preach to others;
2)They should possess an enlightened understanding of the Shariah,Tariqat and Haqiqat;
(Shariah is the complete Code of the revealed Law of Islam for individual and society.Haqiqat is an in-depth in view of the subtleties and profundities of Shariah.Tareeqat is the observance of Shariah with fuller measure of devotion and purity of intention,thereby purifying one's Innerself and attaining to spiritual qualities par excellence,with the sole purpose of winning Allah's pleasure)
3)They should value above anything else,following the Sunnah of Rasulullah Salam;
4)They should be moderate in all matters and they should not be inclined towards extremes;
5)They should be compassionate towards Allah's creatures(especially towards humanity);
6)They should refrain from intolerence,bigotry,blind prejudices and maliciousness towards others.
By the special Favour of Allah,there do exist,in our own times,many Ulama and spiritual leaders who possess these qualities par excellence.And there will ever continue to remain a considerable number of such Ulama in the world,as foretold by Rasulullah Salam in the following Hadith:
"There will continue to remain among my Ummah(followers)a considerable number of the righteous divined,ever favoured by Allah's Succor;they will always hold fast to what is right;whosoever tries to disgrace them,will not suceed ih his designs"(Muslim)
At this point,the author considers it worthwhile to mention the names of a few such Ulama and spiritual leaders,with a view to invoking the blessings associated with their illiustrious names,so that our readers should be able to judge others(not mentioned in our list)by comparison and contrast with those mentioned here.Thus they will be able to reap benefits from the companionship of other Ulama who resemble the illustrious personages listed below:
1)In Makkah Muazzamah,my patron and spiritual guide,Maulana Al-Hajj Shaikh Muhammad Imdadullah(May Allah grant us our share of everlasting blessings associated with his sacred person)
2)In the town of Gangoh,Hazrat Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Muhaddith(May Allah grant us our share of everlasting blessings associated with his sacred person)
3)In Saharanpur,Maulana Abul Hasan,Dean of the Madrasa housed in Jamia Masjid Saharanpur
4)In Deoband,Maulana Mahmud-ul Hasan,Dean of Darul Uloom Deoband and Haji Muhammad Aabid living in Masjid Chatta Wali,Deoband
5)In Ambala,Hazrat Saeen(Wali)Tawakkal Shah(May Allah grant us our share of everlasting blessings associated with his sacred person)
(Note:All these personages have now passed away to Allah's Blessed Vicinity)
One should value an opportunity to sit with such great divines and to listen to their enlightened discourse.If it should not be possible to pay daily visits,one should arrange to devote at least half an hour every week for this purpose.After the visits,one should easily realise the extent of the benefit of such blessed opportunities.
Another act of obedience to be perticular about is offering one's Fardh Salaat(Obligatory prayers five times daily)regularly and punctually.One should try one's utmost to join the congregation(Jamat)in all prayers.However if someone has some valid excuse for not joining the congregation,he should at least try to offer hia Salaats regularly.So long as one goes on offering Salaat regularly,one's connection with Allah is maintained and Salaat will reform a person's Inner Self and,Insha Allah,keep him devoted to Allah in all matters.Allah Ta'ala says:"Verily Salaat preserveth from lewdness and iniquity"(Al-Ankabut:45)
Another such virtue is being restrained in speech(i.e refraining from idle talk),thinking well before saying something and avoiding too much familiarity with people.This is a very effective tool against numerous evils.
Stil another essential virtue is the performance of Muraqabah and Muhasabah.Muraqabah is making a review of past deeds and bearing in mind,on all occassiona,that Allah,the Most Vigilant,watches all our activities,listens to every word of speech and knows all our states of mind.Muhasabah is examination of one's conscience,for instance a person,at bed-time when he is alone,imagines himself standing in the presence of Allah Ta'ala for Reckoning on the Day of Judgement with the Scroll of his deeds unrolled,finding himself utterly helpless and unable to offer any excuse for expiation.
Still another fundamental virtue is making Taubah(repentance)and Istighfar(begging forgiveness of Allah).If you fall into a sin,or there occurs a lapse in any religious matter,you should,without delay,resort to a place of seclusion,lie in humble prostration(Sajdah)and beg Allah for His Forgiveness,with tears and deep-felt remorse.If you are not moved to tears,then at least try to whimper and cry(in the manner of a person tormented by feelings of remorse,crying in repentance to Allah)
To sum up,there are five virtuous deeds of fundamental importance:
1)Acquiring (Divine)knowledge and companionship with the Ulama;
2)Offering Salaat five times a day;
3)Restraint in speech and avoiding too much familiarity with people;
4)Muraqabah and Muhasabah(defined above);
5)Taubah and Istighfar(Repentance and begging forgiveness of Allah)
By the grace of Allah Ta'ala,perseverance in the performance of these deeds,which it is not difficult to achieve,will open up for you new vistas of virtuous behaviour and it will become easier for you to perform all other deeds of obedience to Allah.
(Extract from Jazaa Ul A'maal by Hakeemul Ummat Hazrat Maulana Asyraf Ali Thanwi Rahimahullah)