This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahi Fazail-e-Amaal.
إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ﴾
Reference: (3-Al Imran:102)
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا﴾
Reference: (4-An Nisa:1)
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا. يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا﴾
Reference: (33-Al Ahzab:70,71)
أما بعد: فإن خير الحديث كتاب الله وخير الهدي هدى محمد ﷺ وشر الأمور محدثاتها فإن كل محدثة بدعة وكل بدعة ضلالة والضلالة فى النار. وبعد !
The religion of Islam is a collection of many beliefs, actions, and morals. The affirmation of all these matters depends on the clear evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ. Just as it is necessary for the affirmation of any issue that it be explicitly stated in the Quran and Hadith, similarly, the knowledge of the virtue, reward, and recompense of every matter is also established and permanent based on the evidence of the Quran and Hadith. The virtues of deeds are a very important aspect of religion. Along with this, certain places such as Masjid al-Haram, Masjid an-Nabawi, Bayt al-Maqdis, and Masjid Quba, and certain times such as Laylat al-Qadr, the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah, the first ten days of Muharram, and the Day of Arafah, hold special significance in relation to the performance of some deeds.
◈Evidence of the virtue of prayer in Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi:
صلاة فى مسجدي أفضل من ألف صلاة فيما سواه، إلا المسجد الحرام ، وصلاة فى المسجد الحرام أفضل من مئة ألف صلاة فيما سواه
"Prayer in my mosque is superior to prayer in other places except for the Sacred Mosque by a thousand times. And prayer in the Sacred Mosque is superior to prayer in other places by one hundred thousand degrees."
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapters on Establishing Prayers and Sunnah in it, Hadith No: 1406.
Allama Albani has authenticated it.◈Evidence of the Virtue of Al-Quds (Jerusalem):
لا تشد الرحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجد: مسجد الحرام ، ومسجد الأقصى، ومسجدي
"Do not set out on a journey except to three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and my mosque."
Reference: Arwa al-Ghaleel: 146/40 Hadith No: 1129. At-Taleeq ar-Ragheeb: 2/136.
◈Evidence of the Virtue of Visiting Masjid Quba and Praying in it:
كان النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يأتى قباء راكبا وماشيا
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to visit Masjid Quba on foot or horseback every week.
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of the Virtue of Prayer in the Mosque of Mecca and Medina, No: 1193.
In the narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) from Ibn Numair, these words are added:
فيصلى فيه ركعتين
"And he used to offer two rak'ahs of voluntary prayer therein."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of the Virtue of Prayer in the Mosque of Mecca and Medina, No: 2326
Furthermore, the Noble Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
صلاة فى مسجد قباء كعمرة
"Praying in Masjid Quba is equal in reward to performing Umrah."
Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah, Chapters on Establishing Prayers and Sunnah therein, No: 1411
Al-Albani has declared it "Sahih".The evidence for the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr is Allah Almighty's statement:
﴿إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ﴾
"Indeed, We sent it (the Quran) down during the Night of Decree."
Reference: (97-Al-Qadr:1)
And the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
من يقم ليلة القدر ايمانا واحتسابا غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
"Whoever stands (in prayer) on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and seeking reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Faith, No: 30.
◈ Evidence for the virtue of worship in the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah:
ما العمل فى أيام العشر أفضل من العمل فى هذه قالوا: ولا الجهاد؟ قال: ولا الجهاد إلا رجل خرج يخاطر بنفسه وماله فلم يرجع بشيء
"Worship on any other day is not superior to worship during these ten days."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of the Two Eids, Number: 969.
The Companions asked: Not even Jihad? He said: Not even Jihad, except for the person who goes out with his life and wealth in the way of Allah and does not return with anything.
◈Evidence for the virtue of fasting on the ten days of Muharram and the Day of Arafah:
صيام يوم عرفة ، احتسب على الله ان يكفر السنة قبله، والسنة التى بعده، وصيام يوم عاشوراء ، أحتسب على الله ان يكفر السنة التى قبله
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "I hope that the fast of the Day of Arafah will be an expiation for the sins of the past and coming year, and the fast of the Day of Ashura will be an expiation for the sins of the past year."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting, No: 2746
However, the virtue of every act related to place or time is dependent upon the Quran and Hadith, and the Hadith must be one that, according to the principles and methodologies of the Muhaddithin, is classified as authentic or good.
Imam Abu Muhammad al-Ramhramzi, in his book "Al-Muhaddith al-Fasil bayn al-Rawi wal-Wa'i"
Reference: p. 320
, quotes the special teacher of Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, Ali ibn al-Madini, who said:التفقه فى معاد الحديث نصف العلم ، ومعرفة الرجال نصف العلم
"That is, repeatedly reading the text of the Hadith and deriving its jurisprudence is half of knowledge. And knowing the chain of narration of this Hadith is the other half."
This statement is the best expression and reflection of the Muhaddithin. Thus, along with understanding the Hadith, knowledge of the narrators and recognition of the authenticity of the source is the hallmark and characteristic of the group of truth and sincerity. In other words, the Muhaddithin consider a Hadith acceptable for argument and proof only after it has passed through rigorous scrutiny and investigation. Accordingly, Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
لا يحل لأحد أن يقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، إلا بعد النبت والعلم به
"It is not permissible for a person to say: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, except after verification and knowledge."
Reference: Juz' al-Juwaybari, pp. 227-228
According to the Muhaddithin, for any Hadith to be acceptable, it must meet the following criteria:
● All its narrators must be of the highest level of memorization, precision, and reliability; if even a slight weakness in precision or reliability is reported for any narrator, the narration will not be accepted without corroboration from a follower.
● The chain of narration must be continuous from beginning to end, with no interruption in any generation.
● The narrator of the Hadith, though personally trustworthy (just and precise), must not contradict a more reliable narrator in the narration of this Hadith.
● Sometimes, a Hadith’s apparent chain or text seems sound and safe, but it contains a hidden defect that causes weakness. It is necessary that the Hadith be free from such hidden defects as well. (Information about hidden defects is only possible through the knowledge of the Muhaddithin.) These strict conditions reflect the meticulousness and diligence of the methodology of the Muhaddithin. But alas! Today, this methodology is being deliberately undermined under a conspiracy.
Yunus ibn Yazid al-Aili, one of Imam Zahri’s most reliable students, used to say:
ليس شيء أغرب من سنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وأغرب منها أهلها
"There is nothing stranger than the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and nothing stranger than the people of Hadith."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, No: 372
This is the analysis of a scholar from the second century Hijri about his era. If he were to see today’s era, what would his words be? The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, truly said:
بدأ الإسلام غريبا وسيعود كما بدأ غريبا
"Today, some groups pay special attention to the virtues of deeds, but their scholars, leaders, and preachers’ speeches and writings are full of weak, fabricated, false, and concocted Hadith."
فانا لله وانا اليه راجعون.
Reference: Fada'il al-A'mal, p. 876, Story No: 43, published by Maktaba Rahmaniya Lahore
It is recorded that: "After the death of a usurer, his head (face, etc.) became like a pig’s, but the Prophet, peace be upon him, restored his head and face upon the recommendation of Alim."Whereas the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, cursed the one who wrote the usury and the one who witnessed it:
لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وشاهديه وكاتبه
But in this fabricated incident, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is recommending usury himself.
العياذ بالله
Reference: Sunan Tirmidhi, Book of Sales, Hadith No: 1206
Al-Albani declared it authentic.What is the legal warning for one who attributes false statements to the Prophet, peace be upon him? Reflect on this:
كفى بالمرء كذبا أن يحدث بكل ما سمع
"It is sufficient for a person to be considered a liar if he narrates every heard statement without investigation."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Introduction, No: 7
He further said:
من كذب على متعمدا فليتبوأ مقعده من النار
"Whoever deliberately lies upon me, let him prepare his place in Hell."
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
لا تكذبوا على فإنه من يكذب على يلج النار
"Do not lie upon me, for whoever lies upon me will surely enter Hell."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Introduction, No: 1; Musnad Abu Dawud Tayalisi, No: 107
This practice of attributing false statements to the Prophet, peace be upon him, is extremely harmful to Islam. Think deeply.
The Ahl al-Hadith group, whose existence until the Day of Judgment is proven by the Hadith of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, is extremely fortunate and blessed for the entire universe. Imam Abu Bakr ibn Ayyash, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
إنهم خير الناس
"The people of Hadith are the best of people."
Reference: Ma'rifat 'Ulum al-Hadith by Al-Hakim
And Imam Hafs ibn Ghiyath, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
هم خير أهل الدنيا
"The people of Hadith are the best group in the whole world."
Because the scholars of Ahl al-Hadith are always ready to refute and reject such trials, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
لا تزال طائفة من أمتي ظاهرين على الحق ، لا يضرهم من خالفهم
"A group from my Ummah will always remain steadfast on the truth, and those who oppose them will not harm them."
Reference: Sharaf As'hab al-Hadith, No: 9
He further said:
يحمل هذا العلم من كل خلف عدوله، ينفون عنه تحريف الغالين ، وانتحال المبطلين، وتأويل الجاهلين
"This knowledge (Quran and Hadith) will always be acquired by just people of every era (they will read and teach, learn and instruct, act and cause others to act). They will eliminate the distortions and alterations of those who exaggerate, the support of falsehood by its lovers, and the misinterpretations of the ignorant."
Reference: Sharaf As'hab al-Hadith, p. 40, No: 10
Praise be to Allah! The Ahl al-Hadith have been fulfilling this duty from that time until today, and the prophecy of the Prophet, peace be upon him, applies to them. Imam Bukhari’s teacher of 'Ilal, Ali ibn al-Madini, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
هم أصحاب الحديث
"This refers to the people of Hadith."
Reference: Al-Hujjah fi Bayan al-Mihjah: 1/98, 246
Imam Abu Dawud, may Allah have mercy on him, used to point to the Ahl al-Hadith group and say:
لولا هذه العصابة لاندرس الإسلام
"If this group did not exist, Islam would have been destroyed."
Many scholars have considered the refutation and rejection of trials to be superior to Jihad.
There was a strong need for a book containing only authentic and proven Hadith regarding the virtues of deeds, places, and times. Our very dear companion and friend Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi, may Allah preserve him, fulfilled this need excellently by Allah’s grace. The book titled "Sahih Fada'il al-A'mal for the Promotion of Dawat-e-Islami" is a living proof of this. فجزاه الله عني وعن المسلمين خير الجزاء
Respected brother Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi, may Allah preserve him, is a true servant of the scholars enlightened by the methodology of the pious predecessors and the category of Muhaddithin. He is passionate about the propagation of Hadith and, being endowed with sincerity and piety, ﴿ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ﴾
Reference: (57-Al-Hadid:21)
thus, his words directly enter the hearts of the readers. اللهم زد فزد!
Our highly respected companion, Fazilat al-Sheikh Hafiz Hamid Mahmood al-Khudri, made some vigorous additions, researched, extracted, and tirelessly arranged the book, enhancing it with research and annotations.
Respected Hafiz Hamid Mahmood has been blessed by Allah with deep knowledge and practice, and he is engaged in the service of knowledge, especially the Hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him, with great dedication, effort, and diligence. He is the author of many Arabic and Urdu books, with many more under publication and composition. In today’s troubled times, those who are granted the opportunity to engage with the Sunnah and focus on beneficial knowledge are highly distinguished people, and the entire effort and endeavor of respected Hafiz Sahib revolves around this point. May Allah open more doors of beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds for him and fill his heart with piety and sincerity. وجعله سندا لخدمة الاسلام والمسلمين وحفظه ورعاه وسدد خطاه.
Since the epidemic of narrating and adopting weak and fabricated narrations in the virtues of deeds has spread widely in Pakistan and India, these highly respected friends have relied only on authentic and good narrations in this book and, along with scholarly explanations and statements of the Salaf, have greatly enhanced the book.
May Allah reward the author, the narrator, the researcher, and all the helpers and contributors abundantly, make this book a treasure of their good deeds, and make its benefit widespread. Ameen!
وأصلي وأسلم على نبيه وخليله محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وأهل طاعته أجمعين.
وكتبه
Reference: Abdullah Nasir Rahmani
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على خير خلقه محمد و على آله وصحبه وبعد
Allah, the Lord of Glory, created this human being and attached various kinds of desires and inclinations to him.
The desire to gain benefit and the desire to avoid and stay away from harm are very important parts of the human self. Choosing the means of benefit and avoiding the causes of harm is the result of this instinct. Therefore, when Allah, the Lord of Glory, sent Adam and Eve down to the earth, He addressed them with encouragement and warning:
﴿قَالَ اهْبِطَا مِنْهَا جَمِيعًا ۖ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُم مِّنِّي هُدًى فَمَنِ اتَّبَعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشْقَىٰ . وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَن ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنكًا وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ.﴾
“Descend, being to the earth, for to you will come guidance from Me. Whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor suffer. But whoever turns away from My remembrance—indeed, he will have a constricted life, and We will raise him blind on the Day of Resurrection.”
Reference: (20-Taha:123,124)
One of Allah’s great mercies is that He sent the Prophets, peace be upon them, in every era as bearers of glad tidings and warnings so that people may be called to the Divine religion. Finally, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was honored with the titles of bearer of glad tidings and warner, inviting people to accept the Shariah he brought until the Day of Judgment in both these senses.
The mention of Paradise and Hell, punishment and reward, good deeds in this world and the Hereafter, all serve the purpose that Muslims believe in them, seek Allah’s pleasure, and strive to adopt the means to attain Paradise and avoid the causes of Allah’s punishment.
In the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, people have been invited to reform through the method of encouragement and warning at various places.
It is a fact that when a laborer works, it is because he will earn a livelihood. If he were certain that no benefit would come from his effort and toil, why would he exhaust himself? Belief in Allah’s pleasure and wrath, then belief in the accountability in the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell—this is faith in the unseen. The stronger this faith is, the more it acts as a guardian over a person, keeping him away from evil. He does not need a human guard or police. He is certain that Allah’s eye is watching him, and Allah’s angels are recording all his deeds.
It was this faith that compelled Hazrat Mu'adh bin Malik Al-Aslami, may Allah be pleased with him, to present himself before the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, confess the sin of adultery, thereby subjecting himself to the punishment of this world to save himself from the punishment of the Hereafter. Neither a relative nor a witness saw him, but the fear of the Hereafter brought him to that point where he gave his life.
In Islam, the virtues of deeds and sayings have great importance because a person seeking Allah’s pleasure wants to perform them to earn maximum reward and please Allah, and then obtain Allah’s mercy and blessings to make his worldly and Hereafter life good.
Therefore, efforts should be made to spread the virtues and rewards of deeds to as many people as possible.
Islam is a reality; all its deeds and beliefs are based on reality, and this reality has no connection with imagination, superstitions, or delusions. Allah, the Lord of Glory, has confined all aspects of Islamic Shariah within the Quran and authentic Sunnah. To acquire any aspect, it is obligatory for a Muslim to seek it in the Quran and Sunnah. Allah has preserved the Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
If anyone wants to explain the virtue of any saying or deed, it is obligatory for him to seek it in the Quran and authentic Sunnah. In the matter of encouragement and warning, many false hadiths have been fabricated and attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. These fabrications, whether with good or bad intentions, have been done to attract the emotions of simple Muslims. They know that the poor ignorant Muslim can be deceived by the name of the Prophet, peace be upon him. And then, encouragement and warning will especially interest him. Therefore, by fabricating the virtues of deeds, the liars have tried to introduce something internal to Islam which is not part of the religion. To make something that is not religion a part of religion or to present it as such is a great sin. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, warned against this and said:
من كذب على متعمدا فليتبوأ مقعده من النار
“Whoever knowingly and deliberately attributes a lie to me, let him prepare his place in Hell.”
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Knowledge, No. 110.
Therefore, weak hadiths should not be accepted in Shariah. Affirming the virtue or reward and punishment of something without authentic evidence is unlawful. Just as denying or rejecting what is established in Shariah is not permissible, affirming something without proof is also not permissible. The most famous book related to the virtues of deeds is the Tablighi Jamaat’s syllabus book, but Allah knows how freely weak and fabricated hadiths have been included in it. Not only that, but stories and tales contrary to correct belief have also been collected and accepted under the name of miracles. May Allah forgive their compiler, author, and those who believe in them.
About eighteen or nineteen years ago, there was a training course in Hail in which Maulana Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, may Allah have mercy on him, also participated. I also attended those programs. There, we both made a verbal agreement to collect authentic virtues of deeds together, but it was a matter of Allah’s will. Due to engagements, nothing was done. That desire remained and was renewed, until suddenly a book appeared titled "Sahih Fada'il al-A'mal" authored by Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi, arranged and supplemented by Hafiz Hamid Mahmood Salma.
I received this book through my brother Abdul Salam Salma, residing in Makkah. The learned author sent it as a gift along with his other writings. جزاه الله خيرا
Receiving these writings brought great joy, especially seeing Sahih Fada'il al-A'mal made my heart glad. I pray from my heart for the author and compiler that Allah grants him health, safety, and leisure to serve the pure religion further. He has atoned on behalf of the Salafi group. جزاهما الله خيرا
The book compiles the virtues of deeds through the Quran and authentic hadiths, with references provided. May Allah reward the author, compiler, and publisher with His blessings. I respectfully request the author to also include authentic stories of the Companions and predecessors in their appropriate places to make the book even more beneficial.
For the people of goodness and seekers of good, there is a great opportunity for reward and blessing to distribute this book freely among people and thus become deserving of Allah’s pleasure. This is also a great part of serving Allah’s religion. Allah will make the book beneficial for the public because it is a collection of the words of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger. A reasonable price should be set for general sale.
Wassalam
Reference: Wasiullah bin Muhammad Abbas
المدرس بالمسجد الحرام جامعة أم القرى مكة المكرمة
