Best and righteous deeds a Muslim May Do According to Quran and Teachings of Islam

“The real righteousness is not this that you turn your face towards East or West; yes, the real virtue is this that one has faith in Allah and the Last day and the angels and the Book and the Prophets and gives his dear wealth for love of Allah to kindred and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for re-deeming necks, and establishes prayer and pays poor due (Zakat); and the performer of their promises when make promise and the patients in tribulation and adversity and at time of crusade;-These are they, who proved truth of their talks and they are only God-fearing.”(2:177)

The best and righteous deeds are enumerated in the above verse of Quran as under:-

1. This is a basic belief of a Muslim that there is no God but Allah. He is the only to be worshiped. He is Independent, Carefree. He begot none' nor was He begotten. And nor anyone is equal to Him.

2. Believe in the end of days (Qayamah) is also part of faith. End of the days is the moment when all the universes will parish and only the Almighty will prevail. On that day the Almighty will call in question each and every human being for his deeds he performed in his life. The righteous will be rewarded paradise and evil souls will taste the damnation of hell fire. In other words, a Muslim believes that every human should be questioned about his deeds. Pious will be rewarded Jannah and sinners and infidels will have to go to hell on account of their mischievous deeds.

3.A human being will not be a Muslim unless he believes in angels. According to Islamic perception, Angels are the creature of Almighty made of light. A human eye cannot see them but they perform their duties according to the commandments of Almighty. They cannot deviate from the duties assigned to them by Lord. Four heads of angels are Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael.

4. There are four books revealed by the Almighty known as Bible, Torah, Zendavesta and Quran. It is necessary for a Muslim to believe that all books were revelations from the Almighty. However, only Quran is available in its original form whereas the remaining books were tempered and not available in original form.

5. Believe in the prophets means that all prophets e.g. Adam, Moses, Christ, Joseph, Ishaque Yaqoob, Ibrahim Ismail and all others (about 140,000) were sent by the Almighty. They were all righteous and free from sins. All teaches their fellowmen that God is one and only one; there is no one else to be worshiped except Him. Hazrat Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the last prophet of Almighty. There will be no prophet-hood after him.

6. Saying prayers five times a day is obligatory for a Muslim. So discharging this obligation is also one of the best and righteous deeds in Islam. In Qayamah the first question will be about Salah. In
Quran the Almighty persuaded the Muslims to say their prayers according to the time specified.

6. Islam give immense importance to the mutual affairs of human beings that is why the Almighty likes it the most that one give his dear wealth for love of Allah to kindred and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for re-deeming necks, and establishes prayer and pays poor due (Zakat). Islam teaches the ways of doing good to humanity. It may be done physically, morally, economically, mentally and spiritually. At another place the Almighty says in Quran that one shall not attain true piety unless he spend on others out of what you cherish yourselves; and whatever you spend - verily, God has full knowledge thereof.

7. Performing Hajj is another righteous deed made obligatory by the Lord for the persons who have sufficient sources and strength to do so. In this regard the Quran says: For Hajj are the months well known. If any one undertakes that duty therein, Let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good ye do, (be sure) Allah knoweth it. And take a provision (With you) for the journey, but the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, o ye that are wise. (2:197)

7. Islam made it obligatory for a man to perform his duties towards his parents, offspring, relatives, neighbors etc. Parents have great rights. So the Quran says: “You shall worship none but God; and you shall do good unto your parents and kinsfolk, and the orphans, and the poor; and you shall speak unto all people in a kindly way; and you shall be constant in prayer; and you shall spend in charity. ”And yet, save for a few of you, you turned away: for you are obstinate folk (2:83). At another place the Quran says: “they will ask you as to what they should spend on others. Say: "Whatever of your wealth you spend shall first be for your parents, and for the near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer; and whatever good you do, verily, God has full knowledge thereof.”

8. Performing promises is another one of the best righteous deed mentioned in Quran. In verse 17:34 the Almighty says : And be true to every promise - for, verily, [on Judgment Day] you will be called to account for every promise which you have made.

9. In the righteous path a man has to face many hardships and troubles. In such a state if someone show patience the Lord will please with him. This is the one of the best righteous deed liked by the Lord.

10. Martyrdom means sacrificing one’s life in the name of Almighty. Martyrdom is also one of the best righteous deeds a Muslim may perform. So the Almighty says: “exulting in that [martyrdom] which God has bestowed upon them out of His bounty. And they rejoice in the glad tiding given to those [of their brethren] who have been left behind and have not yet joined them, that no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve. (3:170)”

11. Truthfulness also has a great value in Islam. Islam teaches a Muslim to be truthful even in dire circumstances. There are examples in Islamic history that Muslims prefer death but did not compromise over truthfulness. So the Quran promise a great reward for the truthfulness:

Allah said, 'this is the day in which their truthfulness will benefit the truthful, for them, are Gardens beneath which rivers flow, they shall abide therein for ever. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah. This is the great success.

In short, every deed that is done to please Allah is righteous. It should be the duty of every Muslim to try his best to live his life in accordance with the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. Each and every aspect of life of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) should be followed by a Muslim and in this way he will be reward for each and every task he performs; whether he is walking, talking, eating, sleeping, working in the office or whatever he is doing will be a virtuous task in the sight of Almighty.