“Whoever does good shall have ten times the like thereof   …” (6:160)

Ibn Umar Radhi-Allahu anhu narrates that “Nabi Sallallahu   ‘alayhi wasallam has said: “Your term compared to the term of nations before   you is the time between Asr Salaah and Maghrib Salaah. Your parable and the   parable of those before you is like a man who (wants) to employs workers and   says: “Who will work for me till midday for one qirât?” The Jews took up the   offer and worked till midday for one qirât, He then said: “Who will work till   Asr Salaah for a qirât?”

The Christians took up the offer and worked till Asr   Salaah for a qirât. He then said: “Who will work for me from Asr to Maghrib   for two qirâts?” “You are the people who work from Asr to Maghrib for two   qirâts.” Most certainly your reward is double! The Jews and Christians became   angry and said: “How is it that we work longer and receive less? Allah   responded by saying: “Have I oppressed you in anyway?” They said: “No.” Allah   replied: “That is my grace that I bestow upon those that I will.” (Bukhari)

The Ummah of Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam has been   blessed in two particular ways to compensate for their shorter life span.   Allah has accorded us certain opportunities through which we could achieve   far more than those before us.

Laylatul Qadr is a classical example of how we can   achieve more than 80 years of ibâdah in just one night! Nabi Sallallahu   ‘alayhi wasallam has said: “When one of you perfects his Islam, he is   rewarded for each deed that he does from ten to seven hundred folds. Yet each   sin he commits is recorded as a single sin” (Bukhari & Muslim)

“Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of pleasing   Allah and therein utters no word of evil, nor commits any evil deed, shall   return from it as free from sin as the day on which his mother gave birth to   him.” Haj has the potential of wiping out sins of a life time!

Even though all of us cannot go for Haj….even though all   of us cannot be standing on the plains of Arafat, Allah has out of His   special mercy, offered us the opportunity to reap the rewards of Haj through   a number of virtuous deeds that are within the reach of almost every Muslim.

1. HONOUR YOUR   PARENTS: “There is no obedient son who   looks at his parents with kindness but that Allah grants him the reward of an   accepted Haj in lieu of every glance.” The Companions asked: “(What) If he   does so 100 times every day?” Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam said: “Allah   is greater and purer than the limited perception you have of him.” (Bayhaqi)

2. FULFIL THE NEED OF   A FELLOW MUSLIM: Imam Hasan Al-Basri (ra)   said: “Your proceeding to fulfill the need a fellow Muslim is better for you   than one Haj after another!” (Sharhul Ihyâ)

3. PERFORM WUDHU AT   HOME: “One who purifies himself (i.e.,   makes wudhu) and leaves his home to attend the fardh salaah in congregation   receives the reward of a Haji in the state of Ihram, And if he leaves for the   Salâtu-Dhuhâ [Chaast] he gets the reward of ‘Umrah” (Abû Dawûd)

4. SALATUL ISHRAQ: “Whoever offers his Fajr Salaah in congregation, and then   remains seated making the dhikr (remembrance) of Allah until (approximately   15 mins after) sunrise after which he offers two rak’aats of salaah   (Ishraaq), will receive the reward of one complete Haj and one complete   ‘Umrah” ( Tirmidhi)

5. GOING TO THE MASJID   TO ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE:
“Whoever goes to the Masjid for the purpose of learning   or teaching Knowledge, receives the reward of a Haji whose Haj was perfect.”   (Tabarani)

6. RECITE   “SUBHAANALLAH” 100 TIMES IN THE MORNING AND EVENING: “He who recites Subhaanallah 100 times in the morning and   another 100 times in the evening is like one who performed Haj 100 times!”   (Tirmidhi)

7. UMRAH IN RAMADHAN: “Umrah in Ramadhan equals the reward of Haj with me”. (Muslim)

May Allah give us the taufeeq to take advantage of the   special position that we enjoy as the Ummah of Nabi Sallallahu ‘alayhi   wasallam.