Teensie-Weensie Reminder (Day 2): Remember that the “little things” add up

Assalamu Alaikum.

Imagine that you have 25 fils.*

[*The UAE currency is dirhams and fils. 100 fils = 1 dirham. AED = Arab Emirate Dirhams.]

It’s a miniscule amount right?

What if you saved 25 fils each day?

In one year’s time, you’d have AED 91.25.

In 10 years’ time, you’d have AED 912.25. Not bad at all. If you hadn’t saved  25 fils per day, you’d have AED 0 in 10 years’ time.

Okay, now imagine that you have a very clean room.

A small particle of dust floats in. It’s still a very clean room, right? After all, what is one dust particle going to do?

Another dust particle floats in.

And another.

And another.

Eventually, you’re going to have a dirty room.

What am I trying to say? Simple: little things add up. Little good things add up as do little bad things.

We should not think of anything as a “little” thing because if it is a good thing, then these little good things will be added to our good deeds. And if it’s a bad thing, then it’ll be added to our bad deeds.

So, remember the following:

1) Everything we do is written in our book of deeds. Nothing is left out.

“That Day mankind will proceed in scattered groups that they may be shown their deeds. So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.” [Surah Az-Zalzalah (99) : 6-8]

“And the Book (one’s Record) will be placed (in the right hand for a believer in the Oneness of Allah, and in the left hand for a disbeliever in the Oneness of Allah), and you will see the Mujrimoon (criminals, polytheists, sinners, etc.), fearful of that which is (recorded) therein. They will say: “Woe to us! What sort of Book is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it with numbers!” And they will find all that they did, placed before them, and your Lord treats no one with injustice.” [Surah Al-Kahf (18) :49]

2) That “little” good deed we do may be the thing that pleases Allah and gets us our house in Paradise.

Narrated Abu Hurairah : Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “A prostitute was forgiven by Allah, because, passing by a panting dog near a well and seeing that the dog was about to die of thirst, she took off her shoe, and tying it with her head-cover she drew out some water for it. So, Allah forgave her because of that.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 4, Hadeeth No. 538]

[Just a note: It states in another narration that she was from Banu Israil, implying that she was on tawheed (i.e. she directed her worship to Allah alone). Only the people of tawheed can enter Paradise. The people of shirk are prohibited from doing so.]

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihi wasallam) as saying: “A person suffered from intense thirst while on a journey, when he found a well. He climbed down into it and drank (water) and then came out and saw a dog lolling its tongue on account of thirst and eating the moistened earth. The person said: ‘This dog has suffered from thirst as I had suffered from it.’ He climbed down into the well, filled his shoe with water, then caught it in his mouth until he climbed up and made the dog drink it. So Allah appreciated this act of his and pardoned him.” Then (the Companions around him) said: “Allah’s Messenger, is there for us a reward even for (serving) such animals?” He said: “Yes, there is a reward for service to every living animal.” [Saheeh Muslim, Hadeeth No. 5577]

Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “While a man was going on a way, he saw a thorny branch and removed it from the way and Allah became pleased by his action and forgave him for that.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 1, Hadeeth No. 624]

3) That “little” bad deed we do may be the thing that angers Allah and gets us our house in the Hellfire.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “A woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of hunger.” Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihi wasallam) further said, “Allah said (to the woman), ‘You neither fed it nor watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the insects of the earth.'” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 3, Hadeeth No. 553]

Narrated Humaid ibn Abdur-Rahman: That he heard Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan (talking) on the pulpit in the year when he performed the Hajj. He took a tuft of hair that was in the hand of an orderly and said, “O people of Madinah! Where are your learned men? I heard the Prophet forbidding such a thing as this (i.e. false hair) and he used to say, ‘The Israelis were destroyed when their ladies practiced this habit (of using false hair to lengthen their locks).” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Volume No. 4, Hadeeth No. 674]

Hmmm…even nations before us were destroyed because of “little” things.

4)  It’s not  about how significant the deed is in your eyes, rather what matters is how significant that deed is in the sight of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “Indeed one of you says a statement pleasing to Allah, not realising that you have achieved what you have achieved. Then for it, Allah writes for him His Pleasure until the Day of meeting Him. And one of you says a statement angering Allah, not realising that you have achieved what you have achieved. Then for it, Allah writes for him His Anger until the Day of meeting Him.” [Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 2319. Graded “saheeh” by Shaikh Al-Albani in Saheeh Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 2319]

So do what you can and try your best. Start this Ramadan, keep piling up these “little” good deeds and try your best to stop all the “little” bad deeds.

Remember that every deed counts.