Ten qualities are the provision to the Day of Assembly

Dear reader, after reveiwing many books, I collected ten qualities for you, and whomever ponders over and acts according to them shall get the highest status of servitude and draw nearer to Allah the One and the Only and the Superior Force, gain higher ranks by the will of Allah, and become from the happy ones who are pious and pure.

I shall mention them in short:

The first quality is the fear of Allah which is the collective will for every goodness and the will of Allah to the former and the later. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And verily, We have recommended to the people of the Scripture before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allâh."

Piety includes every good deed and keeping away from every bad deed. Piety is only achieved by sincere monotheism, dedicating worship to Allah alone, freeing oneself from polytheism and its people, avoiding forbidden matters, and exerting oneself in righteous deeds especially obligatory matters: "Say (O Muhammad peace be upon him): "Allâh Alone I worship by doing religious deeds sincerely for His sake only (and not to show off, and not to set up rivals with Him in worship.)""

As a result of these righteous deeds, you shall get the reward from the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. It is enough for you to listen to Allah's Saying: "Verily, the Muttaqûn (the pious), will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers (Paradise). * In a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allâh, the One, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honor )."

The second quality is fasting: I mean voluntary fasting, for it generates piety because fasting is half patience and patience is half faith and the other half is gratitude which is translated in the acts of worship and obedience . `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to offer Salah at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack. I said: "O Allah's Messenger! Why do you do it since Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow? He said: Should not I love to be a thankful slave (of Allah )?" [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim in the book of doing frequent actions, exerting efforts in obedience, and others].

Patience is divided into three types: Observing patience for doing righteous deeds, observing patience for avoiding sins, observing patience for avoiding afflictions: "Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning."

So, if we ponder over, we shall find that the acts of worship serve one another and support one another until light fills the heart of a person, and a person draws nearer to the mercy and forgiveness of Allah.

The third quality is voluntary charity, for charities erase sins, lift degrees, and protect from bad deaths. Charities are a proof to the truthfulness of a person, therefore it is called "Sadaqah". "If you lend to Allah a goodly loan (i.e. spend in Allah's Cause) He will double it for you, and will forgive you. And Allah is Most Ready to appreciate and to reward, Most Forbearing." [Surat At-Tagabun: 17].

The fourth quality is voluntary night Salah, reciting the Glorious Qur'an, and beseeching Allah, shedding tears for Him, and seeking forgiveness, repentance, and regret. These tears wash off sins and erase worries and sadness. These three qualities came in a long Hadith that should be written in golden water in which Mu`adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:... Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Fasting is a screen (from Hell), charity extinguishes (i.e., removes) the sins as water extinguishes fire, and standing in prayers by a slave of Allah during the last third part of the night. Then he recited: Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Rubb in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah's Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do . (32:17,18)." [Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad (5/231), An-Nasa'y in his Sunan in the book of Allah's Saying : "Their sides forsake their beds ." [Surat As-Sajdah: 16 ] and At-Tirmidhy in his Sunan in the book of shyness is part of faith, and others].

Truly, these qualities carry the goodness of this world and the Hereafter, so ponder over them.

The fifth quality is maintaining the ties of kinship. Let me pause with you here to speak about filial obedience and good treatment which Allah (Glory be to Him) spoke about in His Book after speaking about creed, He says: "And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents ." "Dutiful" means to do all righteous deeds as was reported in the following Ayah: "It is not Al Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards the east and (or) the west (in prayers); but Al Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al Masâkîn (the needy), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, and performs As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and gives the Zakât, and who fulfil their covenant when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al Muttaqûn (the pious)." [Surat Al Baqarah: 177]. So, Al Birr includes benevolence, meeting the needs of the needy and the poor, cooperation for goodness and piety, and commending one another with the truth and patience.

The sixth quality is mentioning Allah (Glory be to Him) which is equal to Jihad, raises ranks, erases sins, makes a person firm in the world and in the Hereafter, makes the scale of deeds heavy, strengthens the heart, purifies the soul, and brightens the face. It is also the company of a person in the grave and the soil of heaven. The mention of Allah is your light on earth and your provision in heaven. The mention of Allah includes reciting the Qur'an, offering Salah, glorifying Allah, seeking forgiveness, and all good deeds. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers."

Allah (Glorified and Exalted be to Him) says: "Verily, the Muslims (those who submit to Allah in Islam) men and women, the believers men and women (who believe in Islamic Monotheism), the men and the women who are obedient (to Allah), the men and women who are truthful (in their speech and deeds), the men and the women who are patient (in performing all the duties which Allah has ordered and in abstaining from all that Allah has forbidden), the men and the women who are humble (before their Lord Allah), the men and the women who give Sadaqat (i.e. Zakat, and alms, etc.), the men and the women who observe Saum (fast) (the obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the optional Nawafil fasting), the men and the women who guard their chastity (from illegal sexual acts) and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues (while sitting, standing, lying, etc. for more than 300 times extra over the remembrance of Allah during the five compulsory congregational prayers) or praying extra additional Nawafil prayers of night in the last part of night, etc.) Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)."

Abu Ad-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I inform you of the best of your actions, which are the purest to your Lord, which exalt you to the high ranks, which are better than spending gold and silver, and better for you than you should encounter your enemies whom you will smite their necks and they will smite your necks?' They said: What is it, O Messenger of Allah? He said: The mention of Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted)." [Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad (5/195) and Al Hakim in Al Mustadrak in the book of invocation, and At-Tirmidhy in his Sunan in the chapter on Hadiths speaking about the excellence of Dhikr [Remembrance of Allah], and others].

The seventh quality is pondering over Allah's Creation. Contemplation always is followed by repentance and resorting to Allah then happiness and gardens of perpetual residence. And perhaps contemplation affects the heart and organs like offering voluntary Salah and fasting. So, a person should ponder over Allah's Creations for hours because pondering over Allah's Creation is one of the clearest evidence on His Lordship, Deity, Power and Mercy. Allah (Glory be to Him) praised a type of people whom He called the men of understanding which means reasonable and wise people because they mention Allah standing, sitting, and when lying at their sides, nevertheless they ponder over the creation of heavens and the earth and invoke their Lord saying: "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose, glory to You! (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners). Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire."  

The eighth quality is Seeking the forgiveness of Allah. A believer has to be careful not to make sins and faults and when he commits a sin or a fault, he should hasten to seeking Allah's Forgiveness by repentance, regret, and seeking forgiveness no matter how this guilt is, for who will forgive sins but Allah, the Affectionate, the Most Merciful. Of the benefits of asking for forgiveness are: Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever constantly seeks pardon (from Allah), Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress  and a relief from every anxiety,  and will provide sustenance for him from where he expects not." [Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad (1/248), Al Hakim in Al Mustadrak in the book of repentance and resorting to Allah, An-Nasa'y in his Sunan in the book of frequent seeking for forgiveness, Ibn Majah in the chapter on asking for forgiveness, and others].

So, asking for Allah's Forgiveness clears the heart, erases sins, increases sustenace, and removes distress. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord, Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; * He will send rain to you in abundance, * And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers."  [Surat Nuh: 10 - 12].

The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day." [Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad (2/282)

At-Tirmidhy in his Sunan (5/383), and others].

The ninth quality is good manners. Whoever is granted good manners is truly given the entire goodness, and a person is never given something better than good manners. By these good manners a believer gains the nearness of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the Day of Recompense because of the Prophet's saying: "The dearest and the closest of you to me on the Day of Resurrection  will be those who are the best in behavior." [Reported by At-Tirmidhy in his Sunan in the book of high manners].

By good manners a person reaches the rank of devout worshippers and by which the scale of deeds of a person becomes heavy on the Day of Recompense. It was reported in the Hadith: "Shall I inform you of the most perfect in faith? They are those who are the best in behavior, and the modest who get accustomed with people and people get accustomed with them." [Shu`ab Al Iman (8118)].

Good manners also include cheerfulness and glad tiding, smiley face, good treatment, humbleness, kindness and leniency, pardon and forgiveness.

The tenth quality is calling others to Allah which is the mission of Prophets, Messengers, and their followers. "And who is better in speech than he who [says: My Lord is Allâh (believes in His Oneness), and then stands firm (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allâh's (Islâmic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: I am one of the Muslims."

Good manners also include teaching people their religion, calling them to worship Allah alone, commanding them with goodness, forbidding evil, forbidding them from polytheism and the disobedience of Allah, rectifying the foolish, because calling to Allah and enjoing good and forbidding evil are the way for salvation. If enjoing good and forbidding evil is not applicable, sins shall spread, lewdness pervails, and the permission for inflicting people with a general punishment is close. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "The believers, men and women, are Auliyâ' (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma'rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islâm has forbidden); they perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give the Zakât, and obey Allâh and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Allâh will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise."

A caller should call to Allah based on knowledge and insight and by wisdom and good sermon, and he should train himself for paitence and enduring the harm for the call.

I ask Allah to guide you and us to the best way and to make us see our defects, for He is Sufficient for us and the best of Trustees! And Allah knows best! And peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad.