عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ ‏ “‏يبعث كل عبد على ما مات عليه

Jabir RA said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Everyone will be raised in the condition in which he dies”. [Muslim].

Based on this Hadith, scholars explain that a person who passes away in Hajj will be resurrected reciting the Talbiyah. In addition, one who dies with a musical instrument in his hand, in a state of intoxication or while committing adultery will be resurrected in the very same condition. اللهم احفظنا

The Hadith, therefore, encourages us to engage in praiseworthy actions and speech at all times so that we are resurrected accordingly.

We will end this discussion on doing Good Deeds in one`s latter life with this Hadith because it encourages one towards perfection, especially towards the end of one’s life when death is imminent. As the end result is decisive and conclusive, it is hoped that one who engaged in good deeds towards the end of his life will have glad tidings of goodness for the Hereafter.

What we learn is:

· A person should adhere firmly to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah in his worship, character and every aspect of life.

· One should increase in good deeds especially during old age and illness.

· One is encouraged to adopt good company in the form of friends, colleagues and social groups.

EASY GOOD DEED – Performing Salaah in the First Row

عَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ الصَّفَّ الْأَوَّلَ عَلَى مِثْلِ صَفِّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَلَوْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا فَضِيلَتُهُ لَابْتَدَرْتُمُوهُ وَإِنَّ صَلَاةَ الرَّجُلِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ وَحْدَهُ وَصَلَاتُهُ مَعَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ وَمَا كَثُرَ فَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى

Ubay ibn Ka’b RA reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, the first row of prayer resembles the rows of angels. If you knew its virtue, you would compete for it. The prayer of a man with another man is more purifying than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two men is more purifying than his prayer with one man. The more people there are, the more beloved it is to Allah Almighty.” [Abu Dawud]

Jabir bin Samurah RA reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came out to us (once) and said, “Why do you not stand in rows as the angels do before their Rubb?” We asked: “O Messenger of Allah! how do the angels stand in rows before their Rubb?” He ﷺ replied, “They complete each row beginning with the first and filling all the gaps.” [Muslim].

Abu Hurairah RA reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “If people came to know the blessings of calling Adhan and the standing in the first row, they could do nothing but would draw lots to secure these privileges.” [Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Hurairah RA also reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best of the men’s rows (in Salat) is the first row and the worst is the last; but the best of the woman’s row is the last and the worst of their rows is the first.” [Muslim].

Islam has strongly condemned the association of men and women and enjoined women to keep away from mixing with men and observe Hijab (veil). The merit and demerit of place, in the rows in prayer, mentioned in this Hadith is with reference to this background because in the days of the Prophet ﷺ women used to perform Salaat in the Prophet’s mosque and their rows were at the end of the gathering. There was no gallery nor a separate section for them. Thus, for men the best place for performing Salaat in congregation is the first row because it is farthest from women. The best place for women in Salaat in congregation is the last row because it is farthest from men. On the contrary, the last row of men was near the first row of women and for this reason it was regarded as the worst one. Every row of the people performing Salaat is good but due to the reason just mentioned, the first row of men and the last row of women are more meritorious, while the last row of men and the first row of women have a lesser merit.

Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri RA reported: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ perceived a tendency among his Companions to stand in the back rows, he said to them, “Come forward and be close to me and let those who come after you, follow your lead. If people continue to fall behind (i.e., in acquiring virtues), Allah puts them behind.” [Muslim].

This Hadith tells us that the Prophet ﷺ disliked those who occupied a place in the rear rows in Salaat offered in congregation, and exhorted people to find a place in the front rows for the reason that by virtue of that place they could closely observe his manner of offering Salaat and emulate him, while people in the rear rows could emulate those who were in front of them.