A Closer Steps to Allah

To be close to our Creator is a fundamental need of every human being and striving to achieve it can be the healing for our chaotic inner selves which, in turn, leads to:

1. Allah’s  love
2. Greater productivity
3. Confidence
4. Satisfaction and joy

Let’s first consider our worth to Allah . If you want to know your worth to Allah , then see what you are doing with your life. Are you pleasing Allah  or disappointing Him?

Don’t like your answer?

Well, there is good news. The fact that you are seeking closeness to Allah  means He wants you to remember Him. Being productive is very important as a Muslim. It is a sign of Allah’s  mercy that you have come to seek beneficial knowledge from websites like this one. A righteous deed is like a pearl necklace – when it breaks, all the pearls follow one another quickly.

Abu Huraira (RA) reported that the Prophet Muhammad  said that Allah , the Exalted and Glorious said, “I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his (remembrance), and if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by the cubit, and if he draws near me by the cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two hands. And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him.” (Sahih Muslim).

We need to struggle to achieve great things. The harder the struggle is, the better the outcome becomes. Getting close to Allah  takes time. We cannot expect everything to magically fall into place by doing a righteous deed. You need to depend on Allah  and trust that what He has planned for you is the best you can have, for this life and the hereafter.

Here are some tips to achieve closeness to Allah  :

We forget that we need Allah’s  help and strength to guide us. When we get too caught up with dunya (this life) we often think we can do it on our own without His help. We have to know that nothing changes without the strength and power of Allah . We need to ask Him for His help, even if it is to get closer to Him, or become better at worshiping Him. We need to seek refuge in Allah  in everything. It could be negative thoughts we have, our lack of productivity or even our lack of faith. We need to ask Allah  to help us and guide us to the Straight Path. Allah  says in the Qur’an:

”And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided”(2:186).

You need to get any poisons out of your life. Poison has many forms. Fix your heart, by staying away from anything that Allah  doesn’t love. If you are around friends that make you sin and make you disappoint Allah , then you need to get them out of your life.

The Prophet Muhammad  said: “A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Remembering Allah  is essential in achieving closeness to Him. You can remember him by engaging in dhikr (remembrance) and tasbeeh (praise). For example :

• Astaghfirullah - to erase your sins.
• Alhamdulillah - Allah will give you more.
• Subhan-Allah - about His beautiful creations.
• Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Greatest
• Laa ila ha illallah - There's no worthy to worship except Allah

The most elegant form of remembering Allah  is by looking at His creations. When you are in between tasks like driving or walking, remember Allah . Listen to Islamic lectures or Islamic poetry that talk about Allah’s  glory. Surround yourself with people who remind you of Allah . Attend halaqas or religious circles in masjids or you can even create your own gathering of remembrance. The more you remember Allah , the more He will remember you. See what happens when you are sitting in a gathering that is filled with Allah’s  remembrance.

Allah’s Messenger [SAW] said:

“Whenever some people gather in one of Allah’s houses (mosques) to recite the book of Allah and study it among themselves – then calmness (tranquility) descends upon them, the angels surround them, mercy covers them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him.” (Sahih Muslim)

How can you love Allah  and want to get closer to Him if you don’t know Him that well? We fall in love with people as we get to know them more and realize that they have a lot of beautiful qualities and characteristics. Of course Allah  is above any analogy, but you need know Him more. Wanting to get closer alone won’t do you any good without falling in love with your Creator. Start with the name of Al-Wadud, the Ever-Loving. Allah’s  love for you is unconditional. He does not need or want anything from you in return. He loves you so He keeps giving you even if you disobey Him. Ask Allah  with His 99 Names.

He is the One who is closest to you (Qareeb). So ask Him to bring you closer to Him. Call on Him using the name Al-Wadud and ask Him to love you more and make you love Him more. It’s as simple as that. We tend to overthink stuff and forget that if we seek refuge in Allah  , He will make everything easier on us.

Abu Huraira  narrates that the Prophet  said, “If Allah loves a person, He calls Gabriel saying, ‘Allah loves so and-so; O Gabriel! Love him.’ Gabriel would love him and make an announcement amongst the inhabitants of the Heaven. ‘Allah loves so-and-so, therefore you should love him also,’ and so all the inhabitants of the Heaven would love him, and then he is granted the pleasure of the people on the earth.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]

By following the Sunnah of our prophet  we will gain the love of Allah . When you gain the love of Allah, you will get closer to him. Following the sunnah of the Prophet makes you a better person. You will have better manners and ethics. Read more about the Prophet ; fall in love with your Messenger. After all, he was a mercy to all mankind. Allah says so in the Qu’ran:

“Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (3:31)”.

Sunnahs of Eating: 
* Sit and eat on the floor. 
* Spread out a cloth on the floor first before eating. 
* Wash both hands up to the wrists. 
* Recite "Bismillah wa'la barakatillah' aloud. 
* Eat with the right hand. 
* Eat from the side that is in front of you. 
* If a morsel of food falls down, pick it up, clean it and eat it. 
* Do not find fault with the food. 
* When eating, sit with either both knees on the ground or one knee raised or both knees raised. 
* Clean the plate and other utensils thoroughly after eating.. 
* By doing this, the utensils make dua for one's forgiveness. 
* Recite dua after eating. (Al hamdu lillahi lazi atamana saqana wo jaalna minal musalamin) 
* After meals wash both the hands. 
* Eat with three fingers if possible. 
* One should not eat very hot food. 
* Do not blow on the food. 
* After eating one should lick his fingers.

Sunnahs of drinking:

  * A Muslim should drink with the right hand. Shaytaan Drinks with the left hand.
* Sit and drink.
* Recite "Bismillah" before drinking.
* After drinking say "Alhamdullilah" .
* Drink in 3 breaths removing the utensil from the mouth after each sip.
* Do not drink directly from the jug or bottle. One should pour the contents into a glass first and then drink.

Sunnahs of Sleeping:

  * To sleep in the state of Wuzu.
* To make the bed yourself.
* Dust the bed thrice before retiring to bed.
* One should change into some other clothes (e.g.pyjamas ) before going to sleep.
* It is Sunnah to sleep immediately after Isha Salaah .
* To apply surmah in both the eyes.
* To brush the teeth with a miswaak.
* To sleep on the right hand side.
* To sleep with the right palm under the right cheek.
* To keep the knees slightly bent when sleeping.
* To face Qiblah.if possible.
* To recite Surah Mulk, before sleeping.
* To recite Ayatul Kursi .
* To recite Surah Ikhlaas, Surah Falaq and Surah Naas before sleeping 3 times and thereafter blow over the entire body thrice.
* Recite Tasbeeh-e-Fathima before sleeping.(33 Subhan Allah, 33 Alhamdulillah & 34 Allahu Akbar).
* To recite the dua before sleeping. (Allahumma bismika amutu wa ahya)
* To wake up for Tahajjud Salaah .

Sunnahs on Awakening:

* On awakening rub the face and the eyes with the palms of the hands in order to remove the effects of sleep.
* Thereafter recite the dua on awakening. (Al hamdu lillahi allazi ahyana badama amatana wo ilaihunushur)
* On awakening cleanse the mouth with a miswaak..

Sunnahs when wearing clothes:

* Rasulullah (S.a.w.) loved white Clothing.
* When putting on any garment Rasulallah (S.a.w..) always began with the right limb.
* When removing any garment Rasullallah (S.a.w.) always removed the left limb first.
* Males must wear the pants above the ankles. Females should ensure that their lower garment covers their ankles.
* Males should wear a "topee" or turban. Females must wear scarves at all times.
* When wearing shoes, first wear the right shoe then the left.
* When removing them first remove the left and then The right.

Sunnahs of the Toilet :

* Enter the toilet with your head covered.
* To enter the toilet with shoes..
* Recite the dua before entering the toilet.(Allahumma inni auzbeka minal qubs wal qabaes)
* Enter with the left foot.
* To sit and urinate. One should never urinate whilst Standing.
* To leave the toilet with the right foot.
* To recite the dua after coming out of the toilet ( i.e.. Ghufranaka )
* One should not face Qiblah or show his back towards the Qiblah.
* Do not speak in the toilet.
* Be very careful of the splashes of urine (being unmindful in this regard causes one to be punished in the grave).
* After relieving oneself, to cleanse oneself using water.

Sunnahs of the Home:

* To recite the dua before entering the home.
* To greet those that are in the house with " Assalaamu Alaikum ". Even though it may be your own house.
* To announce ones arrival by coughing, greeting, etc.

Other Sunnahs of High Importance:

* Using a miswaak is a great Sunnah of Rasulullah (S.a.w.) One who makes miswaak when making wuzu and thereafter performs salaah will receive 70 times more reward. It will also enable one to easily recite the kalima at the time of death.
* To take a Ghusl bath on a Friday.
* To apply itar (applies to men only)..
* To show mercy to those that are younger than you.
* To respect your elders.
* It is sunnah to ponder over Allah Ta'ala and His Creation.
* For men to keep a beard that is one fist in length.
* To visit a Muslim when he is sick.
* To be good towards ones neighbour.
* To meet a Muslim with a cheerful face.
* To care for the poor and the needy.
* To keep good relations with all your relatives.
* To honour a guest even though he may not be of a very high position.
* To greet all Muslims by saying " Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu" .
* To keep the gaze on the ground whilst walking..
* To speak softly and politely.
* To command people to do good.
* To forbid them from doing evil.
* To carry ones shoes in the left hand.
* To make wuzu at home before going to the Masjid.
* To enter the Masjid with the right foot.
* To leave the Masjid with the left foot.
* To recite some portion of the Quran Shareef daily.
* To be hospitable towards one's guest....
* To exchange gifts with one another.
* To make dua to Allah Ta'ala for the fulfillment of one's needs in what ever language one desires.
* To consult with one's parents, teachers or elders before doing any work.
* To respect one's parents.

Reading or memorizing the Qur’an alone is not enough. Understand it and act upon it. Try your best to act the way we were asked to in the Qur’an. Strive for the best. Reflect on its meanings; it will give you answers to your daily life’s complications. When you read the Qur’an and understand it more you will be more likely to reach the level of ihsan. You will want to do everything right. In the form of a man, Gabriel/Jibreel  once entered a gathering where the Prophet  was sitting. One of the questions the angel asked was to elaborate on the term “ihsan”, Prophet Muhammed  said, “That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you don’t see Him then truly He sees you.”(Bukhari and Muslim)

Be productive, seek knowledge and take action. The more you love Allah , the more you will do to get closer to Him. The more you get closer to Him, the more He will get closer to you. The more you will want to learn about the sunnah and the Qur’an and want to get even closer to Him, the closer you will become to reaching the level of ihsan. When you reach that level you will feel Allah’s  love and you will be satisfied with everything He gives you. You will be productive because you won’t want to waste time without pleasing Allah . You will be confident in anything that you do in your life, because you will have full trust in Allah . May Allah  guide us to the path that takes us closer to Him. Ameen.

*Credit to : http://productivemuslim.com/6-steps-to-get-you-closer-to-allah-swt/

                 : http://steps2paradise.blogspot.my/2009/09/sunnahs-of-our-prophet-muhammad.html