When Good is Not Good Enough

When Good is Not Good Enough

الحمد لله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم اللهم تسليماً كثيراً، أما بعد

All praise is due to Allah, and His praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his messengers, his followers, and all the messengers and their followers until the Day of Judgment. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship, and Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is His last and final messenger.

The Spirit of Ramadan

My dear brothers and sisters, as Ramadan is approaching us, I thought it will be appropriate for me to remind myself and all of us of a concept that is important to keep in mind as we approach the month of Ramadan — a month where there are many opportunities for the believers to come much, much closer to Allah and to receive so many of Allah's bounties and gifts. A month of mercy, a month of rewards, a month where the gates of paradise are widely open and the gates of hell are closed.

Allah requires from the person to have the attitude of: when good is not good enough. When I strive not just to be good, but to be excellent. And this attitude should be your attitude in life in general. Many people will have this attitude when it comes to worldly matters — when it comes to money, when it comes to wealth. But also we should have that when it comes to our relationship with Allah, with our relationship with God, when it comes to doing good and we compete with one another in goodness.

You know, we have here in our own community, we have seen people taking the opportunity not just to watch and contribute and do a good job in helping our brothers and sisters, for example in Gaza and what is happening in Palestine. But you know what, there is another group of volunteers who put their lives at risk and went over there to serve — doctors and medical staff who put their lives at risk just to help their brothers and sisters over there. That is going above and beyond what is comfortable, convenient, or obligated.

When you go beyond what is obligated — when you go beyond just the five daily prayers and you pray extra prayers, beyond the fasting in the month of Ramadan when you fast more, when you recite more of the Quran, when you give more in charity, when you volunteer your service, when you go out of your way just to help others — having the zeal to do more, to work towards high level goals in all aspects of life. That's when good is not good enough.

Good or Great?

The question is: are you striving for good or for excellence? When you make the choice between good or great, between just surviving and passing by, or thriving and accelerating. Making a living or making a life. Is it about your résumé and what you gain in this life, or is it about what you give and the legacy that you build?

That extra mile that you take is so unique. As someone said once: there are no traffic jams on the extra mile. Very few people take those steps and go that extra mile, and we always appreciate such people.

The Command to the Prophet ﷺ

Allah says about Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:

Allah told Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — whose life was completely dedicated to Allah, to serve Allah and to serve the community and to serve the people — Allah says to him: So when you have finished your duties, then stand up for worship, and direct your longing to your Lord. In other words: exhaust yourself in the worship of Allah, do that extra mile, take that extra step.

The Prophet ﷺ in Prayer

That is why when Aisha, radiyallahu anha, was asked about how the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, prayed, she said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4837; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2820)

"Who among you can pray like the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? He used to stand in prayer until both his feet swelled from the long standing."

And he is the one — sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — whose all his sins were forgiven. He's the one Allah said would go to Jannah. He's the one who was guaranteed that. None of us is guaranteed that. Yet the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as Aisha described him, would stand up in prayer until both his feet swelled from the long standing.

Aisha, radiyallahu anha, also said that a person would recite fifty verses while the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was still in prostration or in rukū':

So for how long was his rukū'? Fifty verses from the Quran could be recited, and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was still bowing before his Lord.

Ibn Mas'ood's Night with the Prophet ﷺ

Abdullah ibn Mas'ood, radiyallahu anhu, who was a young man, said that he once prayed with the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, at night:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1135; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 773)

Ibn Mas'ood said: "He prolonged the standing so much that I was about to do something terrible." They asked: "What were you about to do?" He said: "I was about to quit — to leave the salah in the middle." He said: "I couldn't bear it. It was too long, too hard for me."

The Shirt of the Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, did not only take that extra mile in one area. A woman from the Ansar saw the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, wearing clothes that were not the newest or the most good-looking. So she decided to make a fresh, beautiful, handmade shirt for him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so that she could give it to the Prophet. And the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was happy with it — you could tell on his face. He was so happy and he appreciated the gift, to the extent that he went inside, put it on, and came out wearing it.

Then a man from the Ansar said: "Ya Rasool Allah, that looks so nice — would you gift it to me?" Now, I'm not talking about a person who has ten extra shirts. That was the only shirt he had. He said: "Hold on." He went inside, said: "Give me my old shirt," put it on, came out, and gave the new one to the man.

People said to this man: "That's not appropriate. You saw how the Prophet was so happy with it. You saw the whole thing in front of your eyes." He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1277)

"I do not ask for it because I want to wear it or keep it. I only asked for it because I want something that the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, wore — to keep with me, so that I will be shrouded in it when I am placed in my grave. So when I am resurrected on the Day of Judgment, the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, will see it and remember me by it."

And he did indeed die and was buried in that shirt. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was described in poetry:

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was described in this poetry: even if he had nothing left in his hand but his own soul, he would give it away. And when you come to him, you seem so happy — as if he is the one receiving from you — yet in reality, you are the one asking him for the gift. You see how happy he is when he gives, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. That extra mile, that extra step — that's how our Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was.

The Generosity of the Prophet ﷺ at Ṭā'if

When the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, received a huge amount of war spoils — Ibn Hisham reports that from the spoils of Ṭā'if, he received about 24,000 sheep, 7,000 camels, and a large number of cows. If you calculate this in modern terms, that is literally millions of dollars — a huge amount of wealth.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, turned to those who had newly accepted Islam and began distributing: "You take a hundred camels, you take a hundred, you take a hundred..." and he distributed all of it.

Then Hakim ibn Hizam was watching, and the Prophet said: "What about you, ya Hakim? What would you like to have?" He said: "What would you give me?" The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, looked and said: "Do you see this valley?" He said: "Yes." "Filled with sheep — you cannot see the end of them, they are so many." He said: "All yours."

Hakim came back to his people and said: "No, no, no — this man cannot just be a man. This man is a prophet."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3149; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2312)

"This man gives like someone who has no fear of poverty." Even though the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, was not a rich man — but behind him was something more powerful, which is Allah.

And he said to Hakim:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1427; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1033)

"Ya Hakim, always give — the upper hand is always better than the lower hand." Hakim said after that incident: "I never asked a human being for anything. I was always the one who gives."

Racing Towards Good

Allah says in the Quran:

For each there is a direction towards which he turns. Which direction are you walking in? Which direction are you heading in? Listen to the next word: so race to all that is good. Are you one who took the direction of competing in goodness and taking that extra mile?

Doing that extra effort, as Allah says:

In Surah Al-Mu'minun — the chapter of the Believers: And those who give what they give while their hearts are fearful because they will be returned to their Lord — it is those who hasten to good deeds and they outstrip others therein. And We charge no soul except with that within its capacity. And with Us is a record which speaks with truth, and they will not be wronged on the Day of Judgment.

The Sahabah: Following in the Footsteps

The Sahabah and the believers who came after them copied the footsteps of Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Hasan, radiyallahu anhu, said:

Whoever competes with you in religion and righteousness — compete with them. And if someone competes with you in the dunya — compete with them in the akhira. Make sure that there is no one who will be ahead of you on the Day of Judgment.

Look at your colleagues. If one of your colleagues prays more, or a family member learns more, or someone you know dedicates more time to the Quran — compete with them, if Allah gives you the ability to do so.

Abu Bakr and the Eight Gates of Paradise

One of my favorite hadith in this regard is when Abu Bakr, radiyallahu anhu, heard the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, saying that the gates of paradise are eight, and some people will be called from all eight gates of paradise. So Abu Bakr, radiyallahu anhu, asked: "Can somebody be called from all eight gates — invited to enter paradise from every gate, and every guardian of one of those gates will say: 'Come, enter paradise from my gate'?"

What a question. Then the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "Yes, and you will be among those people who will be invited to enter from any gate of paradise."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3666; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1027)

I was wondering — Abu Bakr knows he is going to enter from one gate. It's not like he enters from one gate with one hand and another gate with the other. He is going to enter eventually from one. But he is aiming so high. He is taking that extra effort to excel at every gate — one gate for charity, one gate for fasting, one gate for those who excel in prayer. He wants to excel in all of them, so he will be invited from all eight gates.

Compare this to us. If someone told me: "Enter Jannah," I'd say: "Yeah, Shaykh — I don't care, inshallah. Let me enter Jannah from the window. Slide me underneath the gate — I'm happy, as long as I enter." But that is not how Islam teaches us. Islam teaches that when you ask Allah for paradise, you don't just say: "O Allah, grant me paradise." You say: "O Allah, I aim for the highest level in paradise."

They say: aim for the moon, because if you miss, you're going to land on one of the stars. That is how you should be motivated.

Aisha and the Knowledge of the Companions

When you look at Umar, Abu Bakr, Uthman — the stories about them are unbelievable. Even Aisha and Umm Salama and others. They excelled. Aisha was a reference for all the men of Madinah when it came to knowledge of what the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said and did. Abu Musa, radiyallahu anhu, said: "Whenever the companions debated over an issue and could not find an answer, they would go to Aisha, and they would find the answer with her." And she was just a young woman at that time.

Masrooq and His Final Fast

That spirit carried on through generations after generations. One of her students was named Masrooq. She said to him: "You are like one of my children." Masrooq named one of his daughters after Aisha. This was his dearest daughter, the one he never said no to.

Upon his death, he was fasting. The doctor recommended that he drink some water to hydrate. He said no. When his beloved daughter came, he knew she would ask him to break his fast. He smiled, and she smiled, and she said: "You know what I'm going to ask you, Dad." He said: "I know. But why would you want me to break my fast? I'm fasting today because I want to make it easy for me on a day which is fifty thousand years long — the Day of Judgment."

Practical Steps: Going the Extra Mile

May Allah give us that zeal and strength to take that extra mile. May Allah bless our deeds and our souls.

The power to do hard work is not a skill — it is the best possible substitute for it. Absolutely. We need to develop this desire for going that extra mile, and remain conscious of one's progress and growth, especially when there are opportunities. Just teach yourself — maybe you cannot do this all the time, but there are opportunities that come to you. Grab them. Take advantage of them.

Sometimes you may say: "I'm worried about getting exhausted." You know what? I would rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out. And that's what happens to many of us — we rust out.

Always remember the reward that motivates you to go forward. Remember that this life is very short, and you don't know when you are going to depart. Time is limited. Remember what the purpose of your existence is. Always look at models — model those who are higher than you, better than you in religion especially. Be in the company of people who motivate you, who inspire you to be better.

Always say:

"O Allah, help me to perfect Your worship, to always remember You, and to always be grateful to You."

Take advantage of time, locations, and situations. Whenever you are inspired by something, take advantage of it. Learn how to take initiative. Don't overwhelm yourself — when a man said: "Ya Rasool Allah, I want to give all my money in charity," he said: "No." He said: "Half?" He said: "No." He said: "One third?" He said: "One third is a lot, but if you insist." It's not about the quantity — it's about that fire inside your heart.

Make sure that you take means that remind and encourage you. Some people have a reminder — one brother I know has a piece of paper in his wallet that always reminds him to give sadaqa. So every time he opens it, it reminds him of giving charity.

Reward yourself when you do something exceptional, so you keep that motivation going. Be aware of arrogance or showing off. And be consistent.

Closing Reminder

May Allah make these tips and points beneficial. Hopefully they will help us to be able to change our attitude towards our deen and towards our dunya, towards this life and towards the next life. To always keep in mind: it's not about being good, it's about being great. Not about just surviving, it's about thriving. Not to aim low, but to aim high.

May Allah bless you and bless your family. May Allah make it easy for those who are suffering around the world. May Allah protect our brothers and sisters who are suffering around the world, especially our brothers and sisters in Gaza.