قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ ما من مسلم يغرس غرساً إلا كان ما أكل منه له صدقة، وما سرق منه له صدقة، ولا يرزؤه أحد إلا كان له صدقة‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏.‏ ‏)‏‏)‏ وفي رواية له‏:‏ فلا يغرس المسلم غرساً، فيأكل منه إنسان ولا دابة ولا طير إلا كان له صدقة إلى يوم القيامة‏.‏

وفي رواية له‏:‏ لا يغرس مسلم غرساً، ولا يزرع زرعاً، فيأكل منه إنسان ولا دابة ولا شىء إلا كانت له صدقة‏‏ وروياه جميعاً من رواية أنس رضي الله عنه

Jabir RA reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“When a Muslim plants a tree, whatever is eaten from it is charity for him and whatever is stolen is charity and whatever is subtracted from it is charity”. [Muslim].

A narration of Muslim has: “No Muslim plants a tree without him receiving the reward of charity until the day of Qiyamah for whatever a human, animal or bird eats from it.”

Another narration says: “If a Muslim plants a tree, or sows a field and men and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is charity from him”.

The Hadith indicates that planting a tree or vegetation, from which the creation of Allah may derive benefit, is a virtuous deed and one who does so will be rewarded even after his demise. This is termed Ṣadaqah al-Jariyah (perpetual charity). There are six such actions that earn perpetual reward. They are:

1. continuous charity

2. knowledge that benefits others

3. a pious child that supplicates for his parents

4. farming

5. planting of vegetation

6. ribaaṭ (guarding the borders of the Islamic state).

EASY GOOD DEED – Marital relationship

Mutual respect, love, understanding, courtesy and a mutual consideration of each other’s needs plus mutual tolerance are not only a must for marital and family bliss but also very meritorious and rewarding.

The exalted Messenger of Allah ﷺ has said:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال ‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏أكمل المؤمنين إيمانا أحسنهم خُلقا، وخياركم خياركم لنسائهم

Abu Hurairah RA reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The believers who show the most perfect Faith are those who have the best behaviour, and the best of you are those who are the best to their wives”. [At-Tirmidhi, who categorized it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

The beautiful Hadith teaches us that forget treating spouses well, just the morsel of food that you place in your wifes mouth with the right intention, will earn you much reward.

عن سعد بن أبي وقاص رضي الله عنه في حديثه الطويل الذي قدمناه في أول الكتاب في باب النية أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال له‏:‏ وإنك لن تنفق تبغي بها وجه الله إلا أجرت بها حتى ما تجعل في في امرأتك

Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas RA reported in a Hadith included in the chapter of Intention, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whatever you spend seeking thereby the Pleasure of Allah, will have its reward, even the morsel which you put in the mouth of your wife”. [Bukhari and Muslim].

Another Hadith goes a bit further and says that merit will even be attained on the sexual act of husband and wife.

وَفِي بُضْعِ أَحَدِكُمْ صَدَقَةٌ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيَأْتِي أَحَدُنَا شَهْوَتَهُ وَيَكُونُ لَهُ فِيهَا أَجْرٌ قَالَ ‏”‏ أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَوْ وَضَعَهَا فِي حَرَامٍ أَكَانَ عَلَيْهِ فِيهَا وِزْرٌ فَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا وَضَعَهَا فِي الْحَلاَلِ كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرٌ

And in man’s sexual Intercourse (with his wife, ) there is a Sadaqa. They (the Companions) RA said: Messenger of Allah, is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual passion among us? He said: Tell me, if he were to devote it to something forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to devote it to something lawful, he should have a reward. [Muslim]

Husband and wife are always together and pass a large portion of their lives in each other’s company, it is but natural for frictions to arise. If these normal misunderstandings and displeasures are allowed to degenerate into bitter quarrels and cruelty to each other, then not only are worldly pleasures destroyed but the Divine reward for mutual love is also lost. Hence Allah and his blessed Messenger ﷺ have formulated for us a perfect guideline for marital bliss: it can be summarized as follows:

Do not look at only those things which displease you; think too that the partner, who is displeasing you, has some good qualities as well. If you think of these good qualities, the good relationship with your spouse shall be restored”. Allah has said:

وَعَاشِرُوهُنَّ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ ۚ فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَيَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

Treat them with kindness even if you dislike them; it is quite possible that you dislike something in which Allah has placed much good. [Nisaa 4: 19]

In a hadith the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has directed as follows:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏ لاَ يَفْرَكْ مُؤْمِنٌ مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ كَرِهَ مِنْهَا خُلُقًا رَضِيَ مِنْهَا آخَرَ‏ أَوْ قَالَ غَيْرَهُ

Abu Huraira RA reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: A believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another. [Muslim]

If husband and wife follow this principle and live with mutual love and try their best to be good to each other, their marital life shall be enriched with happiness and they shall go on earning more and more merits and Divine rewards all their lives.