"Do the ordered as much as you can "

“On the authority of Abu Huraira Abdul Rahman ibn Sakhr (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, ‘What I have forbidden you, stay away from. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. Verily, the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim)

“What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can.”

Similarly to the term ‘forbidden‘ or prohibition, the term ‘order’ also has two levels to it.

The first level is an order that is obligatory on the believer and, under normal circumstances, they are not excused from performing these acts. These are also known in Arabic as wajib and include prayers, zakat, fasting, pilgrimage if one has the means, fulfilling one’s oaths and promises etc.  If a person fails to do these things and they are within one’s ability, then in general, they are considered to have committed a sin.

The second level of order refers to the mustahabb or recommended acts, which include the sunnah prayers and spending in charity etc. If a person does these acts, Allah will be pleased with them and will reward them. But if they fail to perform these acts, then there is no sin upon them. These acts serve to draw us closer to Allah (swt) and make us more beloved to Him (swt). As the Prophet (s) said in a hadith Qudsi (hadith containing the direct words of Allah):

“Surely, Allah, The Exalted, said, “Whoever shows enmity to an ally of Mine, I have waged war upon him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have obligated upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me with the voluntary acts until I love him. Once I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask of Me, I would surely grant it to him. If he were to seek refuge with Me, I would surely protect him.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

SubhanAllah look at the Mercy of Allah (swt), He (swt) actually shows us the acts that will make Him love us. Our obligatory acts, performed with the correct intention and mindfulness,  draw us near to Allah, but the recommended acts performed with the same mindset, make us LOVED by Him (swt). When we have reached this stage, He (swt) will guide us in everything that we do, and if we ask Him (swt) for refuge, protection or otherwise, He (swt) will grant that to us.

We should therefore ask ourselves whether we are indeed striving to perform the obligatory and after that the recommended acts such as sunnah prayers, giving in charity, extra fasting, making Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) etc. How much effort are we investing in these important acts, when the reward is so great?