Simple Deeds Massive Rewards

Simple Deeds, Massive Rewards

Brothers and sisters in Islam, the title of our khutbah today is Simple Deeds, Massive Rewards. This is a reminder of how the greatest mercy of Allah Azza wa Jalla on this ummah is that He made Jannah attainable through simple actions and multiplied rewards beyond imagination.

The Power of Intention

To start off with, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim: whoever intends a good deed and does not do it, Allah will write it as a full deed. And if he does it, Allah Azza wa Jalla multiplies it tenfold up to 700 times or more.

Just from the beginning — just for having the intention — you get the reward. And if you don't do it, you get the reward just for the intention. That's free ajr. And you can dream, dream big, intend, and you will get the reward from Allah.

The Two Phrases Light on the Tongue

The famous hadith that we all know — the Prophet ﷺ said:

Two phrases — they are light on the tongue, they are easy to say, easy on the tongue. They are heavy on the scale. They are beloved to Ar-Rahman, beloved to Allah. سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ — and they have so much weight on your scale on the Day of Judgment.

A Hundred Times a Day Wipes Away Sins

Likewise, the Prophet ﷺ said:

Whoever says سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ a hundred times in one day — his sins will be erased, even if they were like the froth or the foam of the oceans.

If that was not inspirational enough, concerning the same phrase, the Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2692)

Whoever says سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ a hundred times in a day — no one will come on the Day of Judgment with something better than what he has brought. No one would have done anything better on the Day of Judgment than this person, except someone who said the same or more — except someone who also said it a hundred times, or said it more than a hundred times.

And we actually timed how long it takes you to say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ one hundred times at normal speed — because most people when they're making tasbeeh and dhikr, they go into superhuman speed. But at normal speed, it takes you from two minutes fifteen seconds to two minutes thirty seconds to say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ one hundred times. Two minutes fifteen seconds — and there'll be nobody on the Day of Judgment who's done anything better than you, except for the one who said it more.

I mentioned this in class one time and an older man came to me at the end of class. He said, "My father, rahimahullah, used to say it ten thousand times every single day." Ten thousand times.

It's not about whether we know the information or not. It's about whether we act upon it or not.

Trees Planted in Jannah

A single phrase gets you trees planted in Al-Jannah. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned that there will be a tree in Al-Jannah and you will travel for one hundred years and you're still under the shade of one tree. Another narration mentions that the trunk of the tree is like a hundred years in width. So these are the sizes of these trees.

And the Prophet ﷺ said, as reported in Sunan al-Tirmidhi:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3464)

This one in particular is about palm trees. Whoever says سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ — one palm tree will be planted for them in Al-Jannah.

In another hadith, whoever says سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ — and the scholars say they can be said in any order — a tree will be planted for them in Al-Jannah.

One of the brothers said: when I learned this, I started to make dhikr even when I'm with people. He got an electronic tally counter. He said, "My hand will be in my pocket — we'll be having dinner with brothers — and it will not disrupt my communication. I'm listening to what they're saying while I'm making dhikr. Then when they stop, I comment back to what they say. I'm functioning normally, but my hand is in my pocket and I'm just saying سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ." He said, "A normal dinner — and when I look at it at the end of the dinner — 5,000 times." 5,000 trees, insha'Allah. He said, "Immediately I felt upset at all the dinners I wasted." Just planting, day and night. And you're still functioning — responding to people, you can hear what they're saying — and you're making dhikr of Allah Azza wa Jalla.

The Reward of Wudu

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 245)

When a Muslim makes wudu, his sins will leave his body, even from beneath his fingernails. Sins are just dropping away. Everybody knows this, and everybody makes wudu. But most people make wudu when it's time for salah, or they need to do something that requires wudu. But there are people who took it to the next level — and they are always in the state of wudu, always refreshing their wudu. They're taking advantage of simple deeds, massive rewards.

Smiling Is a Charity

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1956)

Smiling is a charity. Everybody knows this one. And people say, "But we do that one — you should have taken that one out of the khutbah."

Mark my words, and pay attention when you leave here. Just be focused on this, and you will see how few people smile. I mean Muslims — and in the masjid, you smile at them and they don't smile back. And they'll say nice things to you, and they'll greet you and ask how you're doing, but no smile.

Imagine if you meet 10 Muslims a day and you smile in each one's face — that's 10 sadaqah per day. And in a year, times 365. And if you do that for 40 years, or 50 years, or 60 years — what is the reward there? So it's not about knowing the information, it's about applying it.

Pay attention, brothers and sisters. Very few people smile. Just pay attention to it, and you'll become aware of how people don't smile. Be attentive and see if you smile or not. Many people aren't even aware that they're frowning all the time. Be aware of how you come off to people as well.

Removing Harm from the Path

Removing harm and obstruction from the road — and this one is not just the action itself, but the consciousness of being aware to not harm the believers, and removing harm away from the way of the believers.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 652; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1914)

While a man was walking on a path or a road, he found a thorny branch on the road. So he removed it. Allah thanked him, appreciated what he did, and He forgave him.

In another hadith in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1914)

"I saw a man enjoying himself in Jannah because of a tree that he cut from the road — it used to harm people." Simple action. A tree used to harm people, and he cut it, and he's enjoying himself in Jannah. Small deeds, massive rewards.

But we also see — the Prophet ﷺ would forbid relieving yourself on the pathway, or in a place of shade, or where people gather, or under a tree that bears fruit. The concept of not putting harm in the way of the believers, or anything that will disrupt the day of the believer — this is a principle.

This concept — when someone wants to, for example, smoke — and you'll find people, and we had this issue in Ramadan: the person wants to smoke right in the pathway. This is where people will pass — kids, women, children — and they will smell this, and it doesn't smell good. Are you putting harm in the pathway? Or when people want to spit in the pathway — this is one of the strangest things. Or someone in Ramadan got sick and said, "I needed to vomit, so I'll force myself to vomit" — and where did he do it? Right in front of the main entrance. Because the concept of not putting harm in the path of the believers, or something disgusting in the way of the believers, didn't even occur to him. Please be aware of that.

Laa Ilaaha Illallah from the Heart

And it gets even easier than that. The Prophet ﷺ said, as reported in Musnad Ahmad:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 12352)

Whoever says لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ sincerely from their heart — enters Al-Jannah. It doesn't get easier than that.

The Reward of the Janazah

And the Prophet ﷺ mentioned one that might seem like it doesn't belong in this khutbah — that it takes some effort. But the Prophet ﷺ said: whoever attends a janazah until the prayer gets one qirat. And if he stays until the burial, he gets two qirats. Then he said: each qirat is like the Mount of Uhud.

But that's a little effort — to make it to the cemetery, especially if it's the one that's far away. That's a lot of effort. Why did you put this in a khutbah about simple deeds, great rewards?

The Mountain of Uhud in our modern terms today is not just a mountain — it's a mountain range. It continues for 27 kilometers and sometimes 7 kilometers wide. If you stood in front of the mountain range of Uhud today and someone told you, "You'll get mountains of reward twice this size — you just have to drive to that far cemetery" — now does it seem like a massive effort? Now it seems like it's free. And this is what it is — these opportunities that Allah has given us.

Consistency Is Key

Pick any of the actions — not necessarily from this khutbah — pick any of the actions and remain upon it. Not just a one-time thing. Why? Because in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ said:

The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are continuous or consistent, even if they are just a few.

We often think Jannah requires something huge, something impossible. But the Prophet ﷺ is teaching us that it could be a phrase, a smile, a moment, an intention — that can outweigh mountains. We're not lacking opportunities. We're just lacking attention.

Ask Allah Azza wa Jalla for His forgiveness indeed. Those who ask for His forgiveness will prosper.

Second Part of the Khutbah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْأَمِينِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

The tragedy is not that deeds are difficult. The tragedy is that they're easy and many neglect them. The Prophet ﷺ said in Sahih al-Bukhari:

Two blessings that many people are in loss over — that many people waste and don't take advantage of: health and free time.

Moments pass where we could be getting immense ajr by saying سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — so many things. But we scroll, we delay, we forget.

So let us start today. Say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ a hundred times a day. Smile intentionally. A short dhikr after the salawat — your sins will be forgiven even if they were like the foam of the sea. To say سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ and لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — 33 each and then the last one 34 — and your sins will be forgiven. A lifetime of minor sins forgiven, just for a few moments of dhikr.

Surah Al-Asr: The Warning of Time

And we know that in Surah Al-Asr, Allah swears by time — and Allah only swears by something great:

Indeed, mankind is in loss — except those who took advantage of their time: those who believed and did good deeds, and enjoined one another in truth, and enjoined one another in patience.

Allah swears by time that people are in loss — except for those who took advantage of their time. So the doors are open. They're on your tongue. They're in your daily habits. They're in your interactions. But many of us walk right past them.