5 Simple Sunnahs You Ought To Be Doing
Are you ready to become a better Muslim? Do you think you can be a much better Muslim and a stronger believer than you currently are?
If you’re ready to take your faith to the next level, then take a few minutes to ponder this hadith: “Allah said, ‘My servant does not draw nearer to Me with anything more beloved to Me than with the obligatory actions (in Islam). And my servant continues to draw near to me with voluntary acts so that I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing that he hears with, his seeing he sees with, his hand he strikes with, and his foot he walks with. Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to seek refuge in Me, I would surely give him refuge.”
Allah loves it when we fulfill the obligatory things He has ordained for us. These are things like:
- The five daily prayers.
- Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
- Paying the Zakah.
- Making Hajj at least once in a lifetime.
- Returning the greetings.
- Obeying the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
This is not an exhaustive list. There are many other things that Allah has ordained upon us. And a Muslim who is trying to get closer to Allah will do his or her best to fulfill these obligations. However, we all experience our weak moments of faith. When these weak moments happen, we may slack off on these mandatory Islamic duties. That’s why we should also perform some voluntary (Sunnah) acts as well. That way, when we go through these weak moments, we’ll slack off on the voluntary acts and continue doing the mandatory ones.
With this in mind, here are 5 simple Sunnahs you can do that will, Inshallah, bring you closer to Allah. It should go without saying that before we attempt to implement these Sunnah acts, it is essential that we are already fulfilling all the mandatory acts in Islam.
1. Doing Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah after the mandatory prayers.
The Messenger of Allah has recommended that we say:
* Subhanallah (Glory to Allah) 33 times.
* Alhamdulillah (Thanks and praise be to Allah) 33 times.
* Allahu Akbar (Allah is greater) 33 times.
2. Making two Rakah (units) of prayer before Salatul Fajr (the Dawn prayer).
It is actually highly recommended that we make two rakat before the Dawn prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to make this prayer as well.
3. Return the Salam (greetings) with something greater.
As mentioned above, it is mandatory to return the greetings of peace in Islam. So when someone says “As-Salaamu Alaikum,” you must reply “Wa Alaikum Salaam.” But that is the minimum. It is better if we go a step beyond that. So you can return the greetings by saying “Wa Alaikum As-Salaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.” This is a very easy action to do that spreads love among the Muslims and only takes a few seconds.
4. Clipping the fingernails
Keeping your fingernails short and neat is a general measure of cleanliness. Even many non-Muslims do their best to maintain short, clean fingernails. Therefore, it is even more incumbent upon us Muslims to practice this simple sunnah. You should clip your fingernails every two weeks, and at the very most, once every forty days. Like the other actions listed above, this is a simple act that only takes a few minutes and doesn’t have to be done often.
5. Say Bismillah before eating.
Eating is something we do every day. In fact, we often eat several times a day. It is such an easy thing to simply recite the name of Allah before eating and gain a few extra blessings. Therefore, before you start to eat any meal, even if it’s just a date, say ‘Bismillah” (in the Name of Allah). The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to do this all the time, and it doesn’t take much work. This is such a simple act that we have no excuse not to do it.
There are many more really simple sunnahs (traditions) of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that we can work into our daily lives. Some may be a little more difficult. The important thing is to do the ones that are easy for you and stick with them.
Inshallah, with time you’ll be able to move towards the more difficult sunnahs.