The Beauty of Sincere Effort in Islam.
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In Islam, you don't need to be perfect or sinless to be worthy of Allah's mercy. Every little struggle or effort that you do, is rewarded greatly by Allah in ways we can't ever comprehend.
Allah states in the Quran:
It was not ˹proper˺ for the people of Medina and the nomadic Arabs around them to avoid marching with the Messenger of Allah or to prefer their own lives above his.
That is because whenever they suffer from thirst, fatigue, or hunger in the cause of Allah; or tread on a territory, unnerving the disbelievers; or inflict any loss on an enemy - it is written to their credit as a good deed.
Surely Allah never discounts the reward of the good doers.
(Surah Al Tawbah, Verse 120)
Be it in waking up on cold winter night, making wuzu and standing before Allah to pray Fajr.
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger as saying:The two rak'ahs at dawn are better than this world and what it contains. (Sahih Muslim 725a)
Be it holding your tongue from spitting out words that may cut through the heart of another, all for His sake.
Narrated Abu Huraira (RA):
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should not hurt his neighbor and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should speak what is good or keep silent." (Sahih Al Bukhari 6136)
Be it giving away a warm smile to someone even when your own heart feels heavy from the inside.
Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
"Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing for a man with bad sight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you." (Jami at-Tirmidhi 1956)
Be it offering a ride to a passerby in the scorching heat of the sun, even if that means you reach your own destination later.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
He who alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection...... (Sahih Muslim 2699a)
Be it keeping your gaze lowered when the opposite gender walks past by, even if temptations are building up.
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that is purer for them." (Surah An-Nur, 24:30)
Even that article of yours that you think didn't get enough views or reads, as if it wasn't worth it, but Allah viewed it, read it, and recorded it above in the Heavens.
The number of claps?
Not even a thousand in this dunya could fill your heart with the fulfillment that comes from His approval.
And the earning you will get from that?
The reward you'll receive for that outweighs every dollar, because it comes from the One who values sincerity over numbers.
"Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds." (Sahih Muslim, 2564)
For He is the One who sees all the hidden struggles of yours, the unseen tears of yours, the unspoken phrases you have never uttered, the quiet victories and the silent battles you fail to kep up with. Nothing you do goes unnoticed, every effort is recorded for you, both in this world and in the Hereafter.
Every act that you do over choosing comfort, only for the sake of Allah, you are growing closer to Him.
So, keep striving, even when no one sees you. Keep doing good, even when it feels small. Because the One who matters most, always sees you trying. 💎
