<b>Guidance from the Hadith:</b><br> 1) When Allah Almighty, out of His grace, enables someone to do good, he should not slacken and drag his feet in doing it. Performing good deeds on a regular basis was part of the Prophet’s guidance.<br> 2) Abandoning good deeds is a clear fault, avoided by people of firm determination.<br> Note:<br> One of the best pieces of advice with regard to the performance of good deeds is to seek knowledge on a persistent basis. A person should not start to seek knowledge and then when Allah Almighty helps him in this area, he abandons it. This constitutes ingratitude towards Allah. So, if you embark upon pursuit of knowledge, keep on, unless you are temporarily distracted by something necessary. Apart from this, seek knowledge persistently and rejoice, for the pursuit of knowledge is a collective duty, for which a person is given the reward for an obligation, which is greater than rewards for supererogatory deeds.<br> How beautiful are the lines of poetry composed by the erudite scholar Hāfizh Hakami (d. 1377 A.H.) on the merit of the pursuit of knowledge. In his poem "Al-Mimiyyah fi al-Wasāya Wa al-Ādāb al-‘Ilmiyyah", he says:<br> it is established, and without knowledge it is not<br> Knowledge carries the weight of divine legislation whereby<br> from the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths<br> Knowledge, O companion, invokes Allah’s forgiveness for its seeker<br> I swear by the Almighty Lord that you have won<br> O seeker of knowledge, do not accept any alternative to it<br> in your words, actions, and manners<br> Revere knowledge and recognize its status<br> for if one knew the standing of knowledge, he would not sleep from it<br> Strive to attain it with relentless effort<br> and give precedence to the text, and take opinions with doubt<br> Start with what is more important to grasp it<br> with its light of guidance every ambiguity becomes clear<br> Knowledge is naught but the Book of Allah or the tradition (of the Prophet)<br> of Allah especially in the darkness of night<br> With contemplation and measured recitation read the Book<br> saved ones as explicitly revealed to the Messenger<br> Narrate Hadith and stay with its people, for they are the<br> and shun any ill expectation or accusation against Allah<br> So work diligently until your term ends<br> and the late hours and the night with purpose and perseverance<br> Do your best, rejoice, and make use of the early hours<br> and the immoderate person is ever deprived by tedium<br> Nothing betrays the lazy person more than his resolve<br> <br> <br> <br> <b>Words in the Hadith:</b><br> “Fulān” (so-and-so): it refers to an unidentified person. This word might have been said by the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) himself, as he wanted to keep the intended person anonymous to conceal his faults, for what mattered was the deed itself, not the doer. But it is also possible that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) identified the person, but ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr did not name him.