In Islam, Muslims believe God is a loving and benevolent Supreme Being. This is not a contrivance of the human imagination. It is taught to us by God through the Angel Gabriel to the prophets who taught humanity who God is and how He is to be worshiped. The Quran, again and again and again, declares that Allah delights in exercising mercy. While He is certainly capable of great wrath, He will more likely choose benevolence and pardon to punishment and destruction. He is always willing to forgive any sinner who is truly sorry. In fact, He has willed that each good deed be multiplied by ten, while each misdeed is counted singly. He decreed that the intention of doing good will count towards a good deed; so too will the intention of doing wrong and then not doing so (because one could not or forgot to do so), will similarly count as a good deed.

There are countless Quranic passages and hadith detailing the paths and deeds through which a believer can increase the rewards of their good deeds, sealing their place in Paradise. We’ll be looking at some of our favorite ones in this article. Here are five ways you can multiply your good deeds in the eyes of Allah. 

1. Walk To The Mosque

Do you have trouble finding a parking space at your local mosque during Friday Prayers? While such a challenge is certainly frustrating, you should consider it a blessing in disguise. Walking to the mosque is a little-known way a Muslim can increase their good deeds in the eyes of Allah. This teaching has its roots in multiple hadith. In Sahih Muslim (one of the highest grade sources for authenticity), for example, Abu Huraira reported the Prophet Muhammadﷺ saying:

“Whoever purifies himself for ablution in his house and he walks to a house among the houses of Allah in order to fulfill an obligation among the obligations of Allah, then one step of his will expiate his sins and another step will elevate his status.”

This is a particularly noteworthy hadith because not only did the Prophet Muhammadﷺ declare that walking to the mosque will increase the value of one’s good deeds, but it will also decrease the stain of their sins. In fact, one sin will be eliminated for every second step a believer takes to the mosque. Therefore, the longer you must walk to the mosque, the cleaner your soul will be by the time you arrive.

Another saying of the Messenger of Allahﷺ recorded by Burdah Al-Aslami reaffirms this teaching and expands upon it, adding further detail on how a believer can multiply their good deeds by walking to the mosque. In Sunan At-Tirmidhi (one of the six books knowns to be the most authentic sources of hadith) Burdah Al-Aslami remembers Prophet Muhammadﷺ saying:

“Give glad tidings to those who walk to the mosque in darkness, for it will become fully light on the Day of Resurrection.”

From this hadith, we Muslims should consider walking to the mosque, even if we must begin our journey well before the Friday Prayer begins. If the distance and/or walk to your frequented mosque is near impossible, then consider starting from a friend’s home who lives a more manageable distance and suitable walking path to the same mosque or a different one. If the distance is doable only if done rarely, then dedicate pleasant days where your time and health permits. We know this isn’t something the mass of Muslims in the West can do regularly. That being said, doing so even once will increase the reward of this good deed exponentially.

2. Give To Charity 

Almsgiving is required of all Muslims through the pillar of zakat. However, those who continue to give to charity outside of their zakat obligations can expect their supererogatory donations to stand in their favor when faced with judgment on the Last Day. The advantages of charitable donations are discussed in a number of hadith, such as the following record from Abu Huraira:

“Non gives charity from what is good, for Allah only accepts what is good, but that the Merciful takes it with His right hand. Even if it is a date, it is nurtured in the hand of the Merciful until it becomes greater than a mountain, just as one of you nurtures his young horse or camel.”

From this teaching, we learn that even the smallest act of charity will yield massive rewards for the giver. Donating something as minute as a date to somebody in need will be multiplied by Allah until its significance is “greater than a mountain.” Imagine what you could achieve by giving a handful of dates!

A similar teaching is recorded in Sahih Muslim. According to Abu Mas’ud, the Prophet Muhammadﷺ warmly received a bridled camel from a man who wished to donate it to the cause of Allah. Commending the man for his act of charity, the Prophetﷺ said:

“You will have for it seven hundred camels on the Day of Resurrection. Each of them will be bridled.”

Now perhaps we shouldn’t take this literally. After all, what use would 700 camels be in the afterlife, bridled or otherwise? The Messenger of Allahﷺ was speaking metaphorically in regards to the act of giving itself and equating its value to something the man would understand. The act of a charitable donation is marked as a good deed, whether the giver donated a camel or money or something else. When the donation is made outside the realm of zakat, it is recorded as 700 good deeds.

3. Fasting

Much like almsgiving, fasting during Ramadan is a pillar of Islam and so is required of all Muslims. Although you are not required to fast outside of Ramadan, doing so can seriously elevate your status in the eyes of Allah. In Sahih Muslim, a hadith from Abu Huraira records the Prophet Muhammadﷺ as saying:

“Every deed of the son of Adam is multiplied from ten to seven hundred times. Allah the Exalted says: Except for fasting, for it is done for my sake and I will reward it.”

Contemporary Islamic scholars agree that this hadith tells us that all of our good deeds will be multiplied to some extent. Fasting, however, is the most noble of acts and as such will be multiplied far greater than “ten to seven hundred times.” Of course, it is important to remember that the hadith makes it clear that the fasting must be done for Allah’s sake. Fasting ahead of a hospital appointment or in an attempt to lose weight will not increase your standing on the Day of Resurrection. 

4. Be A Generous Host 

Arabs are famous for their hospitality. Even in pre-Islamic Arabia, a great deal of emphasis was put on the importance of being a welcoming and generous host. This was one of the few attributes of pre-Islamic Arab culture which the Quran reaffirmed. In fact, Prophet Muhammadﷺ himself was known to be the most kind and courteous host and encouraged his followers to replicate his actions in their own homes.

In a hadith found in Sahih Bukhari, Aisha bint Abi Bakr, a wife of the Messenger of Allahﷺ recalls her husband saying:

“When a woman spends in charity from her house’s meal without wasting it, then she will have a reward from what she spent. Her husband will have a reward from what he earned and the storekeeper will have a similar reward. Their rewards will not decrease each other in anything.”

By providing ample food to their guests – or even by sharing available food among themselves – the occupants of a home can ensure rewards for multiple people. According to the above hadith, the woman who prepared the meal will be rewarded by Allah for her dedication to providing her guests with a quality meal. Her husband will also be rewarded, for partaking in earning the money that paid for the meal and hosting alongside his wife. 

Even the storekeeper from whom the contents of the meal were purchased will see his good deeds multiplied for his role in the process. In fact, it is the Muslim storekeepers of the world who benefit the most from the above hadith. While the man and woman will only see their blessings multiplied if they host the feast, the storekeeper will see his good deeds increased every time he sells food to anybody planning to host another. A one-hour shift on a Saturday morning could give a storekeeper all the blessings they need to enter Paradise!

5. Send Blessings Upon The Prophetﷺ

If you are a non-Muslim, you may be confused by the persistent appearance of the icon “ﷺ” immediately follows a reference to Prophet Muhammadﷺ. This icon stands for “peace and blessings be upon him.” Muslims say this after mentioning the Prophetﷺ and say عليه السلام after mentioning the other prophets of Islam. This is primarily a means of showing respect to important figures of the religion, but also serves as a means of bringing blessings upon oneself. According to Abu Hurayrah in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet Muhammadﷺ stated:

“Whoever sends blessings upon me once will have Allah send blessings upon him ten times.”

A similar story was reported by Imran ibn Hussein, who recalled the Prophet ﷺ responding to a man who placed blessings upon him by saying simply: “Ten good deeds.” When a second man approached the Prophetﷺ and said “Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah,” he replied by saying, “Twenty good deeds.” A third man then arrived and placed blessings upon the Prophet, saying “Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.” Prophet Muhammadﷺ responded, “Thirty good deeds.” And perhaps the most well-known hadith regarding this parenthetical after-phrase is the following: “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.” (Tirmidhi)

Islamic scholars have long cited these narrations as reason to always include the term “Peace be upon him” or the appropriate icon while speaking or writing about Prophet Muhammadﷺ. Just think of the number of good deeds we’ve racked up by writing this article–and you by reading it!