This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَاذْكُرِ اسْمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا﴾
"And keep mentioning the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with complete devotion."
Reference: (73-Al-Muzzammil:8)
Dr. Luqman Salafi, may Allah preserve him, writes in the commentary of this noble verse:
Allah Almighty commanded the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to always remain engaged in the remembrance of his Lord, in glorification and praise, saying Takbir and Hamd to the Exalted, in prayer, recitation of the Holy Quran, and teaching people Islam, and to purify his soul from impurities, and with complete sincerity remain engaged in the remembrance of his Lord, who is the Lord of the East and the West, there is no deity except Him, and to place trust only in Him in all matters, not to consider anyone else as a helper, He will be sufficient for you, and in every situation He will be your supporter and helper, and be patient with the harm caused by the disbelieving Quraysh to you and your companions in the way of Dawah, and do not respond to their words.
Reference: (Taysir ar-Rahman: 2/1658)
That is, whatever the matter is, connect with Allah Almighty and desire His nearness, as it is stated in another place:
﴿وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَب﴾
"And turn your desire towards your Lord."
Reference: (94-Al-Inshirah:8)
Dr. Luqman Salafi, may Allah preserve him, writes:
Allah Almighty advised the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) that when you are free from Jihad and other worldly matters, and achieve focus, then stand for the worship of your Lord, and strive hard in prayer, supplication, glorification, and seeking forgiveness, and detach yourself from all worldly attachments and engage solely in seeking the pleasure of your Lord, and do not be among those who spend their free time in amusement and become heedless of the remembrance of their Lord. وبالله التوفيق
Reference: (Taysir ar-Rahman: 2/1752)
Some people think that Allah Almighty grants wealth and children to those He loves or who are close to Him, so that because of wealth and children they attain a status in this world. Therefore, this is a proof of their closeness to Allah Almighty. However, the matter is the opposite. Wealth and children cannot bring nearness to Allah; rather, righteous deeds are the means of nearness to Allah. As it is stated:
﴿وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُم بِالَّتِي تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِندَنَا زُلْفَىٰ إِلَّا مَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَاءُ الضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَهُمْ فِي الْغُرُفَاتِ آمِنُونَ﴾
"And your wealth and your children are not that which bring you nearer to Us, but he who believes and does righteousness - those will have a double reward for what they did, and they will be in the upper chambers [of Paradise], safe [and secure]."
Reference: (34-Saba:37)
The qualities of Allah’s close servants, through which nearness to Allah can be attained, are mentioned in the following verse:
﴿ وَمِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَيَتَّخِذُ مَا يُنفِقُ قُرُبَاتٍ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَصَلَوَاتِ الرَّسُولِ ۚ أَلَا إِنَّهَا قُرْبَةٌ لَّهُمْ ۚ سَيُدْخِلُهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
"And among the Bedouins are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend in the cause of Allah as a means of nearness to Allah and of [good] supplication for the Messenger. Indeed, it is they who will be the successful."
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:99)
In light of the above noble verse, the necessary matters for attaining nearness to Allah are:
➊ Faith in Allah Almighty.
➋ Faith in the Day of Judgment.
➌ Spending wealth in the way of Allah Almighty.
Besides this, a servant can also attain nearness to Allah through voluntary acts of worship (Nawafil). As it is stated:
﴿كَلَّا لَا تُطِعْهُ وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِب﴾
"No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allah]."
Reference: (96-Al-Alaq:19)
Benefit: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that we prostrated with the Prophet (peace be upon him) in ”اقراء باسم ربك “ and ”اذا السماء انشقت “.
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Mosques, Hadith No: 1301.
This is mentioned in the Hadith as follows. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
” أقرب ما يكون العبد من ربه وهو ساجد ، فاكثروا الدعاء“.
"The servant is closest to his Lord during prostration, so increase supplication in it."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Prayer, Chapter on what is said in bowing and prostration, Hadith No: 482.
عن عبادة بن الصامت رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ” من أحب لقاء الله أحب الله لقاءه، ”ومن كره لقاء الله كره الله لقاءه.
Sayyiduna Ubada bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, and whoever does not love to meet Allah, Allah does not love to meet him."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Softening the Hearts, Chapter: Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, Hadith No: 6507 – Sahih Muslim, Book of Remembrance, Chapter: Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him, Hadith No: 2683.
