Tuesday, January 13, 2009

A House in Paradise!

Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) said, "Allah will build a house in Paradise for whoever is diligent in observing 12 sunnah rakaat (as follows):
4 rakaat before and 2 after the Dhuhr Prayer,
2 after the Maghrib,
2 after the Isha Prayer,
and 2 before the Fajr Prayer
."

[Reported by Tirmidhi and others]

SubhanAllah! People work so hard here on earth for their houses, yet it's so easy to get one in Paradise insha'Allah. I haven't been strict about my sunnah, but after hearing this, I definitely want to work harder at maintaining all of it.

Of course, there are other incentives to doing your sunnah prayers:

1. Earning Allah's love:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said:
Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory (extra prayers-sunnah prayer) works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death and I hate hurting him.

It was related by al-Bukhari.

2. Fewer sins and better status: “Multiply your prostrations (prayer). Every prostration to Allah raises your status one degree and removes one of your sins.” Related by Thauban (R.A.)

Now tell me, who wouldn't want all these great things?

No comments: