Becoming one of Allah’s special people is a desire every one of Muslims wishes for. However, to make this wish come true, it is imperative to do special things that Allah the Almighty has ordered human beings. When you start doing the things that your Lord has ordered you to perform, you start getting the blessings of being special to Him. Therefore, to attain the special status, everyone is encouraged to look at things that will please Allah and prevent you from breaching the rules He has established for human beings to live on earth. Allah says:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“And when ask you My servants about Me, then indeed I am near. I respond (to the) invocation (of) the supplicant when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me and let them believe in Me, so that they may (be) led aright.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:186)
Every human who wants to go to heaven must be close to Allah. Because, the closer a servant with Allah SWT, it will create stronger faith and more obedient worship. By knowing Allah, keeping His commands, and away from His prohibitions, we can become closer to Allah. Also, Allah will give all the things that we want if we are close to Him. Allah says:
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
“Is prescribed upon you [the] fighting while it (is) hateful to you. But perhaps [that] you dislike a thing and it (is) good for you; and perhaps [that] you love a thing and it (is) bad for you. And Allah knows while you (do) not know.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:216)
When we are faced with a problem, the thing to do is think of a good prejudice to Him. Allah never gives a problem that can’t be solved by His servant. Also, bad prejudice can produce sin. Qur’an is a guide to human life that gives many benefits to those who read it. Even one letter is rewarded with 1 goodness that is folded into 10 goodness. Moreover every time we increase our reading, then the reward from Allah also increases. It will increase noble and great when reading in prayer. Allah says:
الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“Those who spend their wealth by night and day secretly and openly, then for them (is) their reward with their Lord, and no fear on them and not they will grieve.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:274)
it is mentioned that every property that we give sadaqah in the way of Allah, will be repeatedly multiplied. This practice is one of the most beloved practices of Allah SWT. So, of course, the perpetrators also get a noble position in the eyes of Allah SWT.
Five Pillars – Do the Basics Right
The five pillars of Islam are the fundamentals to which the basis of Religion is established. These five pillars are known as:
- Tauheed / Shahadah – This refers to the fact that there is no god, but Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is God’s Last Messenger. Anyone who refrains from accepting this fact is excluded from the circle of Islam. Hence, he/she can never attain a level of being special to Allah.
- Salat / Prayers – Every Muslim must offer his prayers five times a day at particular times. On the day of resurrection, the foremost question will be asked about the prayers. Therefore, to pass out the accountability process successfully, everyone must offer prayers with humble gratitude to Allah.
- Zakat – Charity rewards and the easiest way to be the beneficiary is to give Zakat and Sadaqa. To purify your savings and assets, it is mandatory (only those who are eligible) to give Zakat to the poor and needy. This does not only purify your possessions and trade but also creates a level of peace and ultimate satisfaction deep down inside the heart.
- Fasting – Fasting in the month of Ramadan is another act of worship, which is being made obligatory for all Muslims. This month is considered among the holiest months in which Allah (SWT) has blessed Muslims to seek His nearness and forgiveness.
- Hajj / Pilgrimage – Kaabah, the Holy Home of The Lord, is the place where every able body is encouraged to visit during the month of Dul-Hajj and perform the Hajj. Hajj is a special Ibadaat and expression of loyalty to Allah. When you be loyal to Him, The Almighty will give you a heart and eye to look at the universe differently i.e. in a more beautiful way.
One of the obligations of every Muslim in the world is to perform fast. In addition to mandatory fasting in the month of Ramadhan, there are many Sunnah fasting that is recommended to do. By fasting either mandatory or Sunnah fasting, then not only can draw closer to Allah SWT but many other virtues can be obtained. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O you who believe[d]! Is prescribed for you [the] fasting as was prescribed to those from before you, so that you may (become) righteous.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 183)
As we know, prayer is mandatory worship. Also, prayer is a pillar of religion. So, to draw closer to God then the first step he has to do is to perform the prayer on time. Besides being loved by Allah SWT, he will also be guarded by the angels and later on, he will go through the Shital Mustaqim bridge-like lightning and be saved from the punishment of hellfire. Allah says:
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
“Certainly, is for you in (the) Messenger (of) Allah an excellent example for (one) who has hope (in) Allah and the Day the Last, and remembers Allah much.” (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21)
Here is presented some ways how to be closer to Allah
- Doing sacrifice during Eid al-Adha
- Love friends and other Muslims
- Be friends with shole people
- Practice righteous to others
- Good prejudice to Allah
- Read the shahadah
- Be a trusted person
- Feel grateful to Allah
- Always be patient
- Tawakkal to Allah
- Become hajj
- Perform Zikr
- Read Qur’an
- Give sadaqah
- Perform Fasting
- Not making sins
- Keep away from Satan
- Do Daily and Sunnah prayer
- Follow the actions of the Prophet
- Increase our knowledge about Islam
- Always say istigfar when making mistakes
- Participate in tausyiah or recitation regularly
- Carry Allah’s command and keep away from Allah’s prohibitions
Every human will get trials or problems from Allah SWT in life. However, only human beings who are patient in trying to complete the trials will be glorified. Allah says:
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ
“Except those who (are) patient and do the good deeds, those for them (will be) forgiveness and a reward great.” (Surah Hud 11:11)
Tawakkal to Allah must be done when we have done everything according to the ability to possess. Allah is the only one who understands what is best for His servant. Allah says:
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
“And for Allah (is the) unseen (of) the heavens and the earth, and to Him will be returned the matter, all (of) it, so worship Him, and put your trust upon Him. And your Lord is not unaware of what you do.” (Hud 11:123)
Zikr is a practice of oral worship through thayyibah sentences, by always praising and mentioning the name of Allah. We can perform zikr anywhere and anytime, when we stand, sit or lie down. Allah says:
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا
“Glorify [to] Him the seven heavens and the earth and whatever (is) in them. And (there is) not anything except glorifies His Praise, but not you understand their glorification. Indeed, He is Ever-Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.” (Surah Al-Isra 17:44)
Piety means carrying out the whole command of Allah and avoiding all his prohibitions. If we love God and expect His mercy, we must be able to keep away from all the prohibitions that can keep us from His good pleasure. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek towards Him the means and strive hard in His way, so that you may succeed.” (Surah Al-Mai’dah 5:35)
Of course, we need to do good things for other people. Allah does not want us to become a man who has been zikr for a long time without associating with other human beings. We can approach Allah by practising good deeds to fellow human beings. Allah says:
وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُم بِالَّتِي تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِندَنَا زُلْفَىٰ إِلَّا مَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَاءُ الضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَهُمْ فِي الْغُرُفَاتِ آمِنُونَ
“And not your wealth and not your children [that] will bring you close to Us (in) position, but whoever believes and does righteousness, then those, for them (will be) reward two-fold for what they did, and they (will be) in the high dwellings secure.” (Surah Saba’ 34:37)
As Muslims, we must understand Islam thoroughly. We can do it by adding Islamic knowledge in various ways, including reading books, reading on the internet (about Islamic knowledge, Islamic articles, tausyiah etc.), looking at Islamic videos that can improve our faith. Hope we can do these ways and hope this article will give us benefits.
