Allah says in Holy Quran about righteous deeds:
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُۥ حَيَوٰةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“Whoever works righteousness whether male or female while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment, and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)” [An Nahl 16: 97]
From the above verse, we can see that when we perform good deeds for the sake of Almighty Allah, then from among the many favours that Allah will grant us is He will enter us into Paradise as a reward. Therefore, the doing of good deeds has a dual benefit, on the one hand it helps them make their life better in this world, but at the same time it also helps Muslims to become closer to Allah.
Dhikr of Allah
Dhikr i.e. mental or verbal remembrance of Allah is so consoling, pleasant and is a very easy form of worship that one can perform it continuously at all times and with great benefit. Allah has enjoined His Dhikr in the Quran in the following words:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا
O believers! Remember Allah as a frequent remembrance, [Ahzab 33: 41]
Obviously, dhikr does not benefit Allah, Who has no need of us, rather the benefit is for Allah’s bondsmen since dhikr strengthens the bond between Allah and His bondsmen, is food for the soul which invigorates it. And with an invigorated soul it becomes easy to overcome one’s base instincts and to vanquish the Devil. Thus one is able more easily to avoid sins and the good deeds increase. Someone asked our blessed Prophet ‘Which worship is highest, in the Eyes of Allah and which shall be reckoned weightiest on the Day of Judgement?” The Prophet ﷺ replied “Dhikr of Allah” (Jami’al Usul, p. 475 Vol. 4).
A companion once submitted to the eternally blessed Prophet ﷺ ‘0 Messenger of Allah! Good deeds are many and I do not have the strength to perform all of them. So please tell me one thing that I may always remember. Please do not tell me many things as I would forget them.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “Your tongue should be moistened with dhikr of Allah”. (Jami Tirmidhi, Dawat Bab Fadl al Dhikr).
The famous companion Abu Musa Ash’ari RA has been quoted as follows: The blessed Prophet said “A house wherein Allah is remembered and a house wherein He is not remembered are like living and dead bodies” (Bukhari and Muslim).
Another hadith quotes our Prophet ﷺ as follows: “People who leave a meeting or conclave without mentioning and remembering Allah are like those who get off from a dead ass, and such a meeting they would repent (for time misspent] on the Day of Judgement” [Abu Dawud] That’s why a hadith tells us what to even recite at the end of every meeting as this atones for the shortcomings of the meeting.
In spite of the great merits of dhikr. Allah has made it very easy. There are no preconditions attached to it. If someone performs ablution and then sits facing Qibla and performs dhikr it is all for the best. But if there is no time or occasion for it then one can perform dhikr while engaged in other works, even ablution is not required and dhikr is permitted even when unclean after coition or while menstruating. However, one should not perform it verbally when unclothed or when in some unclean place like lavatory. However even their dhikr can be done without intoning or moving the tongue. Thus, the merits of this worship can be reaped at all times without any difficulty. However, it is appropriate to fix a particular time in the night or the day when one can perform dhikr after ablution and facing the qiblah; dhikr at other times would be an added boon.
