Good deeds are a true witness to the stability of faith in the heart. We should be grateful that Allah Almighty keeps us from bad things. Life in this world would be in vain and only a wastage of time, if we didn’t spend every second to please Allah Almighty. We should behave in a good way and always do good deeds as it is very important for every Muslim. God has an equal relation to all existent beings, there remains no reason for a good deed to be accepted by one person and not by another. Allah says:

مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْهَا وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَى الَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ.

”Whoever brings good, he shall have better than it, and whoever brings evil, those who do evil shall not be rewarded (for) aught except what they did.” (Surah Qasas 27:84)

Good deeds make us live in a better manner, and because we do it for the sake of Allah Almighty, it will also bring us closer to Him. Every single thing we do must be contained with good things and good intentions. Doing more good deeds and less bad deeds brings positive outcomes to us. Islam is so powerful that it can bring change to the behaviour of its believer. The advantages of being noble far outweigh the negatives. Every individual in this society must feel his responsibility not to let society become degenerate. Allah says:

وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًى وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ مَّرَدًّا

“And Allah increases those who accept guidance, (in) guidance. And the everlasting good deeds (are) better near your Lord (for) reward and better (for) return.” (Surah Maryam 19:76)

Good deeds carry a double punch – we simultaneously make a positive impact and feel great. The Allah Almighty could be a good shield whenever we are about to do bad deeds and become our motivation to do good deeds. Whenever we are about to do bad deeds, we are quickly reminded of Allah Almighty and do good deeds instead. By doing good deeds, not only do we please other people but also please our Creator, Allah Almighty. A good deed is a good form of charity that will bring us benefits in the Hereafter.

The kinds of good deeds that a person can do every day include the following:

1. Good deeds serve as a divine guard against the trials
2. Good deeds remove the fear of failure in our chores
3. Good deeds  follow up a bad deed with a good one
4. Good deeds encourage goodness and forbid evil
5. Good deeds are the fruit of doing good actions
6. Good deeds strive for the pleasure of Allah
7. Good deeds indulge in all sorts of vices
8. Good deeds avoid that which is wrong
9. Good deeds to obtain blessings of Allah
10. Good deeds are one of the pillars of Faith
11. Good deeds remove the fear of enraging
12. Good deeds are always better to make note
13. Good deeds find inspiration and motivation
14. Good deeds keep away from lying and deceit
15. Good deeds set goals based on your definition
16. Good deeds seek the companionship of others
17. Good deeds mean to cleanse or purify the heart 
18. Good deeds practising towards worship of Allah
19. Good deeds create habits surrounding your goals

A good deed will be rewarded, and a bad deed will be held responsible, the Quran, reminds and prompts us to make the right decisions in life. Our natural inclination as humans is in fact to engage good. Faith provides a firm basis for morality and character, upon which can be built the edifice of pure life, whereas the truth is that without such Faith, the life of man.

Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead:

• Faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless
• Faith and his actions worked together,  our actions made our faith complete
• Faith and good deed to be accepted by God on the day of Judgement
• Faith without good deeds is useless, show faith and good deeds
• God count us on good deeds and faith in all fields
• Belief is an abstract or hidden notion but deeds are seen
• We are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone
• Good deeds help us to grow to sustain our faith in all kinds of situations
• Good deeds come after belief and deeds are judged according to intention

Good deeds come naturally to those of us who have the correct manners, along with increased taqwa (fear of Allah SWT). Intention also plays a significant role in our deeds. There are those amongst us who attempt to eradicate a bad deed with a good deed, and there are those of us who genuinely repent for the bad deed and carry out good deeds regardless. Allah says:

إِنَّ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا

“Indeed, this, the Quran, guides to that which (is) most straight and gives glad tidings to the believers – those who do the righteous deeds, that for them (is) a reward great.” (Surah Al-Isra` 17:9)

A good deed means a good, beautiful and beneficial act, and to act in accordance with Allah’s content and pleasure. If we do not correct our intention before doing a good act or deed then we will not get rewarded our deeds even if it is a great one, while we can magnify our humble deeds by a sincere intention. None of us makes any loss while carrying out a noble act as this one good deed will be greatly loved by our Creator.

Here are some of the verses in this regard Allah says:

• “Lower your voice and talk moderately.” (Quran 31:19)
• “Don’t let hatred cause you to be unjust.” (Quran 6:108)
• “..If you are thankful, I will give you more ..” (Quran 14:7)
• “Don’t ask too many favours from people.” (Quran 2:273)
• “And establish worship for My Remembrance.” (Quran 20:14)
• “Preach to others in a good and wise manner.” (Quran 16:125)
• “Whosoever does a good deed, it is for his self…’‘ (Quran 45:15)
• “And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.” (Quran 3:86)
• “Allah has promised those who believe and do the righteous deeds – for them (is) forgiveness and a reward great.” (Surah Al-Ma`idah 5:9)

Islam is the religion of goodness and righteousness. It orders Muslims to do good deeds so that others may follow them. The most important condition for a deed to be righteous is sincerity, to expect only God’s pleasure as a result of that act, and not to look after another benefit. The intention should be pure and it should not be to seek material benefits or to gain appreciation.

Seven good deeds that have the same reward as Hajj:

• Going to the masjid for congregational prayer
• Remembering Allah from Fajr to sunrise
• Performing Friday prayer
• Performing Eid prayer
• Being good to your parents
• Learning and teaching in the masjid
• Fulfilling the needs of your Muslim brother or sister

Guiding to good deeds and doing them is part of cooperation on piety and righteousness while guiding to evil deeds and doing them will make one bear the burden of sins. If a Muslim starts relying on Allah, calls Him regularly, shows kindness towards others, avoids backbiting and understands that whatever troubles come in life are a test from Allah, then his or her life will surely change for the better in all respects from all perspectives. Allah says:

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

“Except (he) who repents and believes and does righteous deeds, then (for) those Allah will replace their evil deeds (with) good ones. And is Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah Al-Furqan 25:70)

Good deeds not only bring us closer to Allah Almighty, but it also has many benefits. Our ultimate goal in this world is to reach the Day of Judgement with far more good deeds than bad; as we all know, we are currently responsible for our own consequences on this day. According to the Quran, no act can be a good act unless it is based on Faith and is performed in obedience to the guidance given by Allah and His Messenger. May Allah ease our task, and keep searching for truth and guidance.