When we think of barakah, we usually think of things that can increase barakah in our day, the coming week or even for the next year. We search for barakah to make our time on this earth more productive, more fruitful and to have the blessings of Allah 
with us in our day-to-day actions. But have you ever thought of how to have barakah in your good deeds?
‘Eternal barakah‘ is the kind that multiplies our deeds without the restrictions levied by the concept of time.
“But humans only live a short time!”, we all think to ourselves.
Yes, our days are limited, no human being will ever be eternal and our years in this dunya are fleeting. But our hasanah is not bound by time. Without any doubt, they can increase continuously and exponentially, even after our days on this earth come to an end. The Messenger of Allah 
said,
“When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things sadaqah jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).” [Muslim]
This is the ultimate barakah! A small deed that keeps multiplying our hasanah even after we have long forgotten it – what better barakah could there be?
The winners are those who start implementing
Prophet Muhammed made extremely clear how to gain good deeds for eternity. Sadaqah jariyah is basically a good deed, usually in form of charity, that once performed, will continuously add to our balance of hasanah. For example, let’s say we saved some money and contributed to the construction of a masjid. Every time the adhan is called – we will be rewarded. Every time someone prays in that masjid, we will be rewarded. Every time someone makes a heartfelt du’a or uses the space for a halaqah, again, we will be rewarded, and so on. The most remarkable thing about sadaqah jariyah is that it outlives us; every time someone worships Allah in the masjid after we pass away, it will still be recorded as a good deed for us. We will not be able to enumerate the shower of good deeds, because that contribution we made once, a long time ago, has established barakah into our scale of deeds. In addition, these actions will increase barakah in our daily life too, as Rasul-Allah said,
“Allah
said, ‘O son of Adam! Spend, and I shall spend on you.’ ” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Does sadaqah jariyah have to be a large sum of money? Absolutely not. This is a common misconception. There are many ways we can give sadaqah jariyah without breaking the bank. These cheap and affordable actions will ensure that we can consistently perform them and increase our good deeds innumerably.
Gift someone a Qur’an
One of best things a human being can do is to give someone a Qur’an, the speech of Allah , be it a hard copy (printed) or a soft copy (CD, app etc.). The Messenger of Allah said,
“Whoever recites a letter from Allah’s
Importantly, Rasul-Allah also said,
“Whoever leads to good, then for him is the same reward as the one who does it – or – who acts upon it.” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi]
From this, it is obvious that every time that person recites a letter from the Qur’an we gifted him/her, ten rewards will be written both for us and him/her. Long after we die, if that Qur’an is still being used, our rewards will still be stacking up, in sha Allah.
Another way to gain reward in this way is to gift a non-Muslim with a translated Qur’an, with hopes that s/he would be guided by Allah through us. In this case, we would be rewarded for each and every good deed this person does, if our gift led them to Islam. Prophet Muhammad said,
“…by Allah
Red camels were the Ferraris of that time! Scholars have agreed that this means, it would be better for us than everything in this dunya.
Buy something useful for a mosque
There are many charities that are building mosques all around the world, to which all of us can contribute the cost of a chosen number of prayer spaces. Another way we can get the similar reward is by donating necessary items to our local mosque. Take a trip to your mosque and discuss what is needed with the managers. Some ideas include:
- Comfortable prayer mats
- Prayer wears for women
- Adkhaar posters for after salah
- Signs for mosque entry and exit du’as
- Translated Qur’an
- Chairs for praying
- Fans or an air conditioner
- Water dispenser
- A microphone and speakers for calling the adhan
We must take care to distinguish between things that have a high rate of wear and tear to ensure that our donations are well looked after – a water dispenser may need regular cleaning; prayer wear will need washing and an automatic air freshener might need constant refilling. But surely no matter what is our contribution our reward is incalculable, all pouring into our scale of good deeds.
Spread beneficial knowledge
Do you remember the second thing in the hadith mentioned in the beginning? Some scholars say that “a knowledge which is beneficial” means any kind of knowledge that one leaves behind in any medium, or by teaching it to someone, as this person can implement it, and bear this knowledge to other people. While this could be any beneficial knowledge in the field of maths, science, literature etc., all scholars agreed that the most superior kind of knowledge is that of Islam.
We don’t have to be scholars or preachers to have this deed to our account. Anyone can leave behind “knowledge which is beneficial”. Here are some easy ways by which we can spread the knowledge of Islam:
1. Teach someone Surah al-Fatiha
Muslims recite Surah al-Fatiha at least seventeen times throughout the day. Multiply this by the number of letters in the Surah (over one hundred!), multiply then by ten (the reward of reciting the Qur’an) and lastly, multiply this by an average lifespan of prayer. I am sure the number will be fascinating. Now take a look at this hadith,
“The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
The reward is just endless! Let’s make this the knowledge we leave behind, teaching this easy and important surah to our children, our younger siblings, or a new Muslim. Our reward may even grow exponentially if that person teaches it to someone else – all of this on our scale of good deeds, unbound by our time on earth. Remember, Allah is Al-Wahhab and His ability to give is limitless!
2. Teach someone a prophetic supplication
When I was seven years old, an old man told me to make this du’a: ‘Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil ‘akhirati hasanatan waqina ‘adhaban-nar’. Back then, I did not know any form of dhikr and that this was a prophetic du’a. This supplication was the one most often recited by the Prophet . [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] For more than a decade now, I have been making this du’a, and that man passed away fourteen years ago – in sha Allah, it has been adding up to his deeds this whole time.
Remember, the winners are the ones who start implementing. Let’s not get lazy about it; before exiting this page, make sure to choose a sadaqah jariyah to do or some knowledge you want to pass on. Note them down and set a reminder for yourself to start it as soon as possible. Let’s not let our time on this earth end without us having some sort of barakah in our good deeds. All of these actions will not only put barakah in our scale of deeds, but will also bring our positivity to our life.
Do you have other simple ideas that people can capitalize on? Share them with us in the comments section below! Perhaps someone will implement your advice, and they will be the reason you find mountains of hasanah on the Day of Judgement on your log book!!
