“Oh, believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger!”
(Surah An-Nisa’, 4:59)
“Say (Oh Muhammad); If you sincerely love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Surah Al-Imran, 3:31)
Loving Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is part of our faith, and to do that is to follow his footsteps, being the Sunnah. Here are 5 Sunnah acts that we can do easily in our daily life and when travelling. (P.S. If you’re interested in knowing more about how to love the Prophet, read more here).1. Greet others with a smile and positivity
“Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity.”
(Hadith by Imam Tirmizi)
The Prophet (pbuh) also encourages us to always be cheerful and greet others with positivity. In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said,“Do not disdain a good deed, (no matter how small it may seem) even if it is your meeting with your brother with a cheerful face.”
(Hadith by Imam Muslim)
2. Seek tranquillity in the mosque
“If one of you enters the mosque, do not sit until you pray two rakaats (of prayer).”
(Hadith by Imam Bukhari & Muslim)
P.S. Travelling anytime soon? You'll need these essential tips for Muslim travellers!3. Eat in moderation
“The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few morsels to keep him alive. If he must fill it, then one-third for his food, one-third for his drink, and one-third for air.”
(Hadith by Imam Tirmizi)
“Mention Allah's Name (i.e., say Bismillah before starting eating), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is near you.”
(Hadith by Imam Bukhari & Muslim)
Upon finishing eating, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught us,“He who has taken food and says at the end Al- hamdu lillahi-lladhi at'amani hadha, wa razaqanihi min ghairi haulin minni wa la quwwatin (All praise is due to Allah Who has given me food to eat and provided it without any endeavour on my part or any power),' all his past sins will be forgiven.”
(Hadith by Imam Tirmizi)
4. Explore and marvel at God’s creations
When we travel, we explore the vastness of God’s creations. We learn about other cultures and meet people who are different from us. In his article titled 2 Tips to Make Your Travel a Spiritual Experience, Ustaz Irwan Hadi shared that, “The trip that we will be or are already embarking upon would be an opportune time to ‘catch up’ with God and Rasulullah (pbuh).” According to him, “as we sit on the beautiful shores of beach resorts, or as we observe the sunrise or sunset atop the hills or mountains, let us not forget the Creator that has given us such beauty”. Indeed, while travelling, there are several Sunnah acts that we can observe. We are recommended to make various dua while travelling. The following is a dua that we can recite before we can embark on our journey:"Three supplications are answered without doubt. The supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveller, and the supplication of the parent for his son."
(Hadith by Imam Tirmizi and Imam Abu Dawud)
P.S. Looking for places to travel to next year? Here are 10 Islamic destinations you should visit!5. Safeguard the environment
In addressing the threats of climate change, global warming and other environmental degradation, let us turn back to the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) encourages us to keep green. He mentioned,“If the Day of Judgement comes to one of you, while he has in his hand a sapling, then let him plant it”
(Hadis by Imam Ahmad)
As a caring member of society, we are also told to keep our environment clean and safe. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) told us that,“Removing harmful things from the road is an act of charity (sadaqah)”
(Hadith by Imam Bukhari & Imam Muslim)
We are also told to prevent wastage in our consumption of natural resources, even in our spiritual activities. In a narration reported by Imam Ibn Majah,One day the Prophet (pbuh) passed by a companion by the name of Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqas (r.a). while he was performing wudu. The Prophet asked, “Why such a wastage? ”Sa’ad responded, “Is there wastage in wudu’ also?” The Prophet said, “Yes, even if you are (performing the wudu’) at a flowing river.
And Allah knows best. This article is written by Ustaz Ridhwan, a member of the Asatizah Youth Network in Singapore (Muslim SG).