The Holy Quran and the Noble Hadith contains numerous verses and sayings with regards to the rewards and benefits of engaging in Good Deeds.

The Good Deeds we do throughout our lives is done solely for the Pleasure of Allah, once Allah becomes pleased with us, then we hope that through His Mercy and Grace, He will enter us into Jannah.

We thus find many verses of the Holy Quran wherein Allah promises Jannah for the performance of Good Deeds.

وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ كُلَّمَا رُزِقُوا۟ مِنْهَا مِن ثَمَرَةٍ رِّزْقًا ۙ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى رُزِقْنَا مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَأُتُوا۟ بِهِۦ مُتَشَـٰبِهًا ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَآ أَزْوَٰجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ ۖ وَهُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

Give glad tidings to those who believe in this Book and do good deeds in accordance with its teachings for them there will be Gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they will be given fruits to eat, they will say: “This is similar to the one we used to eat before on earth,” for the fruits will resemble the fruits on the earth for their easy identification and enjoyment; and for them there will be chaste virgin spouses, and they shall live therein for ever. [Al Baqarah 2: 25]

In giving these good tidings to those who believe, the Holy Qur’an adds a condition – that of good deeds -, for without good deeds, one cannot deserve such good tidings on the merit of “Imaan (faith) alone. Imaan itself can, no doubt, save a man from being consigned to the fires of hell forever, and every Muslim, even if he is a great sinner, will finally be taken out of Jahannum, once he has undergone a period of punishment. But no one can altogether escape the fires of hell unless he has been doing good deeds defined by the Shariah.

Teaching Religion

Teaching religion is far more meritorious an act than learning religion, provided one does not expound religious knowledge to show off his own erudition but teaches to benefit others.

Abu Umamah RA has quoted the following words of our Prophet ﷺ:

عن أبي أمامة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏”‏فضل العالم على العابد كفضلي على أدناكم‏”‏ ثم قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏”‏إن الله وملائكته وأهل السماوات والأرض حتى النملة في جحرها وحتى الحوت ليصلون على معلمي الناس الخير‏”‏ ‏

Abu Umamah RA reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “The superiority of the learned over the devout worshipper is like my superiority over the most inferior amongst you (in good deeds).” He went on to say, “Allah, His angels, the dwellers of the heaven and the earth, and even the ant in its hole and the fish (in water) supplicate in favour of those who teach people knowledge.” [Tirmidhi]

Sahl ibn Sa`d RA narrates that once the Prophet of Allah ﷺ, addressed Ali RA as follows:

عن سهل بن سعد رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال لعلي رضي الله عنه ‏:‏ ‏ “‏فوالله لأن يهدي الله بك رجلا واحدا خير من حمر النعم‏”‏ ‏

Sahl bin Sa’d RA reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said to ‘Ali RA, “By Allah, if a single person is guided by Allah through you, it will be better for you than a whole lot of red camels.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Red camels were highly prized among the Arabs. Thus, this hadith means that if your teaching benefits someone, it is better than all the wealth in the world. Hence, whenever one gets a chance to teach others, particularly one’s own wife and children, any aspect of religion, one should avail it and continue doing this good deed because it is a perpetual source of merit.