Engage in Dhikr

“…Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do heart finds rest.” [13:28]

Remembering Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) through dhikr gives peace to the heart. It increases our taqwa and brings us closer to Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala). Some beneficial dhikr includes:

Subhan’Allah – Praise be to Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala)

Al-Hamdulillah – Thanks be to Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala)

Allahu Akbar – Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) is the Greatest.

And one recitation that is light on the tongue and heavy on the scales is:

SubhanAllahi Wabi Hamdihi SubhanAllahil Adheem – Glory and Praise be to Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) and Glory be to Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) the Almighty.

      Voluntary Fasting

There are innumerable benefits to keeping the nawafil fasts. Fasting helps us to be thankful to Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) for all the Bounties that He has bestowed upon us, it gives us discipline to control our desires and enables us to be compassionate to those who are less fortunate than us. Even though the month of ramadhan is drawing to a close, take benefit of doing 6 extra nawafil of shawwal and gain the reward of fasting for an entire year! 

Narrated Abu Huraira: 
…. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times."

      Carry out Good Deeds

Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) says in the Qur’an: “For those who believe and work righteous deed is a reward that will never fail.” [41:8] 

The first hadith in Sahih Bukhari refers to deeds and intentions:

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."

Types of good deeds that we can carry out include: acts of daw’ah, feeding a poor person or donating to charity. The deeds not only benefit the other person for whom the deed is being done but also benefits our own soul and thus increasing in our Eman. Carrying out good deeds leads to a feeling of satisfaction that you have done something good and therefore leads you to have the motivation to carry out more good deeds.