Hastening Towards Good Deeds in Islam

The Importance of Hastening Towards Good Deeds in Islam

In the nature of humanity, Allah has instilled hastiness, and we can observe this trait in human life, especially in acts of disbelief and sin. Allah grants a delay to sinners, for He does not hasten to punish them, as He is Most Forgiving and Merciful. Allah says:

وَرَبُّكَ الْغَفُورُ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ ۖ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُمْ بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابَ ۚ بَلْ لَهُمْ مَوْعِدٌ لَنْ يَجِدُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ مَوْئِلًا(الكهف:58)
Translation: Your Lord is Most Forgiving, Full of Mercy; if He were to take them to task for what they have earned, He would certainly hasten their punishment, but for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape.

Although hastiness is a natural trait, it can sometimes be praiseworthy and at other times blameworthy. Hastiness in sinful acts is condemned, while hastening towards good deeds is encouraged.
It is also worth noting that while hastiness in some good deeds is encouraged, some actions prohibit rushing. For instance, we are commanded to rush for Jumu’ah prayers, but we are advised against rushing for the regular five daily prayers. The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا أُقِيمَتِ الصَّلَاةُ، فلا تَأْتُوهَا تَسْعَوْنَ، وأْتُوهَا تَمْشُونَ، عَلَيْكُمُ السَّكِينَةُ(صحيح البخاري:908)
Translation: When the prayer is called, do not come rushing, but come walking with calmness.

Similarly, hastiness in performing prayer, rising before the Imam, and rushing through supplications are prohibited, as any action not performed with proper decorum is impermissible. However, the Prophet ﷺ has encouraged hastening in performing good deeds, which is the focus of this discussion. This command from Allah is a noble trait of the believers and the prophets.

Allah commands us to hasten towards goodness, saying:
فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ(البقرۃ:148)
Translation: So race toward all that is good.

Allah describes the believers:
أُولَٰئِكَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ (المؤمنون:61)
Translation: They are those who hasten in doing good deeds, and they are the foremost in doing so.

Allah speaks of the prophets:
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ(الانبیاء:90)
Translation: They (the prophets) used to hasten in good deeds, calling on Us in hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.

These verses indicate that hastening towards good deeds is a trait of the prophets and the believers, and it is also a command from Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Therefore, we must adopt this trait. Hastening in good deeds does not mean completing them all at once, but rather it refers to not delaying or procrastinating in performing any good action. It should be done immediately and without hesitation. The wisdom behind this is that delay may result in an obstacle preventing the completion of the good deed.

It is well known that in today’s time, doing good is difficult, while committing sins is easy. Hastiness in sinful acts comes from Shaytan, and there is no hindrance in this, while the path to righteousness is full of obstacles. To prevent good deeds, there is the inner self (nafs), Shaytan, bad surroundings, bad company, laziness, weakness, illness, distractions, and death lurking at every turn.

The Prophet ﷺ advised us to value five things before five others: youth before old age, health before sickness, wealth before poverty, free time before being busy, and life before death. Hence, a good person is one who consistently acts and hastens in performing righteous deeds.

Let us reflect on the following Hadith to further encourage us towards hastening good deeds. The Prophet ﷺ instructed us to hasten in doing good deeds before the onset of trials because once trials appear, it will be difficult to perform righteous deeds.
بَادِرُوا بالأعْمَالِ فِتَنًا كَقِطَعِ اللَّيْلِ المُظْلِمِ، يُصْبِحُ الرَّجُلُ مُؤْمِنًا وَيُمْسِي كَافِرًا، أَوْ يُمْسِي مُؤْمِنًا وَيُصْبِحُ كَافِرًا، يَبِيعُ دِينَهُ بعَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا(صحيح مسلم:118)
Translation: Rush towards good deeds before the trials, which will be like pieces of dark night. A man will wake up a believer and end the day as a disbeliever, or he will go to bed a believer and wake up a disbeliever, selling his religion for worldly gains.

In another Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ mentions six events that should prompt one to hasten in performing good deeds:
بادِرُوا بالأعْمالِ سِتًّا: الدَّجَّالَ، والدُّخانَ، ودابَّةَ الأرْضِ، وطُلُوعَ الشَّمْسِ مِن مَغْرِبِها، وأَمْرَ العامَّةِ، وخُوَيْصَّةَ أحَدِكُمْ.(صحيح مسلم:2947)
Translation: Hurry and do good deeds before the six things: the emergence of the Dajjal, the smoke, the beast of the earth, the rising of the sun from the west, the general command (of the people), and the personal fate of each individual.

These Hadiths do not imply that we should hasten in good deeds only due to the appearance of trials, but this instruction is general, as evidenced in the previous verses describing the qualities of the believers and prophets. We can also gauge this from the Prophet’s actions:

A companion, `Uqbah bin Harith, narrates:
صَلَّيْتُ مع النبيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ العَصْرَ، فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ قَامَ سَرِيعًا دَخَلَ علَى بَعْضِ نِسَائِهِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ ورَأَى ما في وُجُوهِ القَوْمِ مِن تَعَجُّبِهِمْ لِسُرْعَتِهِ، فَقالَ: ذَكَرْتُ وأَنَا في الصَّلَاةِ تِبْرًا عِنْدَنَا، فَكَرِهْتُ أنْ يُمْسِيَ – أوْ يَبِيتَ عِنْدَنَا – فأمَرْتُ بقِسْمَتِهِ(صحيح البخاري:1221)
Translation: I prayed the Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ. After the prayer, he quickly stood up, entered the room of one of his wives, and came out. Noticing the astonishment on the faces of the people due to his haste, he explained that during the prayer, he had remembered some gold that was with him, and he did not want it to remain until evening or night. Therefore, he ordered it to be distributed immediately.

This Hadith shows that even in distributing charity, the Prophet ﷺ did not delay at all, even though it was a small amount, highlighting the importance of hastening to perform good deeds. This is an excellent example of rushing to do good deeds.

The Prophet ﷺ also emphasized hastening in fulfilling rights and obligations. For example, regarding writing a will, he said:
ما حقُّ امِرئٍ مسلمٍ ، له شيءُ يُوصي فيه ، يَبِيتُ ليلتين إلا ووصيتُه مكتوبةٌ عندَه.(صحيح البخاري:2738)
Translation: It is not right for a Muslim who has something to bequeath to let two nights pass without having his will written.

Similarly, regarding funerals, the Prophet ﷺ said:
أَسْرِعُواْ بالجنازةِ ، فإن تَكُ صالحةً فخيرٌ تُقَدِّمُونَهَا ، وإن يَكُ سِوَى ذلكَ ، فشَرٌّ تضعونَهُ عن رقابكم .(صحيح البخاري:1315)
Translation: Rush with the funeral, for if the deceased is righteous, you are bringing him closer to goodness, and if not, then you are removing a burden from your necks.

These two Hadiths encourage hastening in good deeds, as by rushing, we ensure the rightful person receives their rights or the deceased is quickly buried to benefit from the good deeds.

The Prophet’s companions also demonstrated a quick rush to do good deeds. Here are two examples that truly moved me:

First incident: Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) narrated:
قالَ رَجُلٌ للنبيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ يَومَ أُحُدٍ أرَأَيْتَ إنْ قُتِلْتُ فأيْنَ أنَا؟ قالَ: في الجَنَّةِ فألْقَى تَمَرَاتٍ في يَدِهِ، ثُمَّ قَاتَلَ حتَّى قُتِلَ(صحيح البخاري:4046)
Translation: A man asked the Prophet ﷺ on the day of Uhud, “If I am killed, where will I be?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “In Paradise.” The man immediately threw the dates he was holding and fought until he was martyred.

Lesson: This incident shows the companion’s rush to fulfill the duty of jihad and seek Allah’s pleasure, even throwing away a small handful of dates without hesitation.

Second incident: Abd al-Aziz bin Suhaib narrates:
فإنِّي لَقَائِمٌ أسْقِي أبَا طَلْحَةَ، وفُلَانًا وفُلَانًا، إذْ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ فَقالَ: وهلْ بَلَغَكُمُ الخَبَرُ؟ فَقالوا: وما ذَاكَ؟ قالَ: حُرِّمَتِ الخَمْرُ، قالوا: أهْرِقْ هذِه القِلَالَ يا أنَسُ، قالَ: فَما سَأَلُوا عَنْهَا ولَا رَاجَعُوهَا بَعْدَ خَبَرِ الرَّجُلِ(صحيح البخاري:4617)
Translation: I was standing, pouring drinks for Abu Talha and others, when a man came and said, “Do you know the news?” They asked what news, and he replied, “Wine has been prohibited.” Immediately, they said, “Pour out these vessels, O Anas.” They did not ask about it nor reconsider after hearing the news.

Lesson: SubhanAllah! This event shows how the companions immediately rushed to abandon what was prohibited upon hearing the command, not hesitating for even a moment.

When we assess ourselves in light of these incidents, we see that we rush in the pursuit of worldly gains and sins, but we do not hasten towards good deeds. Allah has promised great rewards for good deeds, yet we are not drawn to them as we should be. If we were told that a large sum of money would be given to those present at a certain time and place, we would hasten to be there. This indicates the weakness of our faith, which needs to be strengthened. Let us resolve today to rectify our faith and adopt the noble traits of the prophets and the righteous. In sha’ Allah.