Question

How to get close to Allah and what are the best things to do for this world and the hereafter?

Answer

The best things to do in order to attain closeness to Allah almighty are a number of things, and I shall start with the most important and obligatory ones: 

• To meticulously do all the obligatory (Waajib) duties appropriately,
• To vehemently abstain from all that is Haraam and prohibited,

These are of UTMOSTimportance in order to attain closeness to Allah and a Muslim must observe and resolutely adhere to.  There are numerous hadith from Rasulollah (S) and his Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) that emphasise the importance of the above and state that there is no other way to attain closeness to Allah Almighty better than the above, for adherence to the Halaal and Haraam prescribed by Allah and His Messenger (S) is mandatory, and one would be accounted for on the Day of Judgement.

The stage following the above is to observe the Mustahab (desirable, i.e. those acts or practises that are recommended but are not Waajib) and the Makruh (detestable i.e. those acts or practises that we have encouraged to refrain from, but are not haraam).  Although it is not Waajib, one should endeavour to adhere to the Mustahab acts as much as possible, and in the case of the Makruh, although it is not haraam, one is highly recommended to avoid and refrain from such acts as much as possible, if not always.

So as well as adhering to and performing ALL the Waajib duties meticulously, and stringently abstaining from ALL that is Haraam, it would be good for one to have a daily schedule for the Mustahab acts such as:

• To perform the optional Nafilah (meaning 'extra') prayers associated with each of the obligatory daily prayers;
• To read Qur'an on daily basis - say a quarter or half a Juz' a day - preferably with tafsir;
• To read the daily Du'a, the specific Du'a for each day of the week;
• To read the specific Du'a for each day of the month;
• To read Zeyaarat for the fourteen Ma'soom – the Infallible fourteen (AS), such as Zeyarat Ashura, Warith, Jaami'ah, Aminullah, etc. It is reported in hadith that one who recites Zeyarat Ashura is awarded one hundred million degrees in paradise.
• To read other Du'a in the Sahifah al-Sajjadeyyah, Mafaateeh-ul-Jinaan,
• To think about and contemplate about the creation of Allah Almighty, to thank Him for His mercy, blessing, and sustenance He has bestowed upon us, and to remember Him through various Dhikr.
• To help others with their problems and difficulties, to give to the needy, and to guide the people to the true path of Islam and Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS).

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