Nine Easy Sunnahs To Embrace in Our Daily Lives
“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.”
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), our last prophet, is the best example of a human that could ever be in existence. Allah (SWT) has given him the most exemplifying character as a guide to follow for the future generations of the Ummah.
Table of Contents
- The Importance of Following Sunnah
- The sunnahs we should follow
- Greeting people with Salam, whether you know them or not.
- Saying Bismillah Before Eating or Drinking.
- Give Charity, even if it is just a smile.
- Reading Ayatul Qursi after every obligatory prayer.
- Never criticize or degrade the food you are given.
- Do simple dhikr.
- Seeking Allah’s forgiveness constantly.
- Contribute to doing the household chores.
- Sleeping on your right side.
- Conclusion
The Importance of Following Sunnah
Adhering to the Sunnahs of Muhammad (SAW) is how we can raise our characters to the highest level possible. When we observe his actions, it teaches us the depth of his personality, increasing our love and respect for him. Furthermore, holding on to the sunnah of Muhammad (SAW) is a crucial factor in keeping us steady on the path of Islam. In a hadith from the book of Muwatta Malik, it was narrated that,
“Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I have left two matters with you. As long as you hold onto them, you will not go the wrong way. They are the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet.””
Moreover, following the Sunnahs also helps us to understand and correctly follow the commandments that Allah has given us in the Quran.
The sunnahs we should follow
When we take a look at the daily of Muhammad (SAW), as narrated in the hadith, we can find wisdom in everything – from the way we eat, and the way we drink to how to behave with others and how to sleep.
Nevertheless, these Sunnahs can be overwhelming to anyone who is just starting to practice them. Therefore, to make them easy to integrate into our lives, some of the easiest Sunnahs we can follow have been listed here.
1. Greeting people with Salam, whether you know them or not.
Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported:
A man asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “Which act in Islam is the best?” He (ﷺ) replied, “To give food, and to greet everyone, whether you know or you do not.”
2. Saying Bismillah Before Eating or Drinking.
Narrated by ‘Aishah (peace be upon her),
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was eating food with six of his Companions when a Bedouin came and ate it all in two bites. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If he had said Bismillah, it would have sufficed you (all). When any one of you eats food, let him say Bismillah, and if he forgets to say Bismillah at the beginning, let him say Bismillah fi awwalihi wa akhirih (In the Name of Allah at the beginning and at the end).’
3. Give Charity, even if it is just a smile.
A beautiful hadith narrated by Abu Dharr (peace be upon him) entails that Muhammad (SAW) said,
“Your smiling in the face of your brother is charity, commanding good and forbidding evil is charity, your giving directions to a man lost in the land is charity for you. Your seeing a man with bad eyesight is a charity for you, your removal of a rock, a thorn or a bone from the road is charity for you. Your pouring what remains from your bucket into the bucket of your brother is charity for you.”
4. Reading Ayatul Qursi after every obligatory prayer.
Ayatul Qursi is considered to be the greatest verse of the Quran. The merits of reading it regularly are also of such high scale. Narrated Abu Umamah (May Allah be pleased with him):
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi at the end of every obligatory prayer, nothing but death will prevent him from entering Paradise.”
5. Never criticize or degrade the food you are given.
Foods are one of the most tangible provisions of Allah, and should always be given utmost respect. Narrated Abu Huraira (peace be upon him):
“The Prophet (ﷺ) never criticized any food (he was invited to) but he used to eat if he liked the food, and leave it if he disliked it”
6. Do simple dhikr.
An easy dhikr is mentioned in a hadith reported by Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: ‘Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and) Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection]’.”
7. Seeking Allah’s forgiveness constantly.
Asking for Allh’s forgiveness can be done as easily as saying ‘Astaghfirullah’ (Trans. I seek forgiveness in God). However, it needs to be said thoughtfully and not in a heedless manner. It is to be noted that despite being Allah’s dearest servant, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) would ask for forgiveness more than seventy times a day! (Riyad as-Salihin)
Through this, we learn the importance of seeking repentance and how humble Muhammad (SAW) was despite his status as a Prophet.
8. Contribute to doing the household chores.
In our society, the idea of men doing chores around the house is seen as something Alien. But Muhammad (SAW), who has the highest honor among all prophets, would help around the house, showing men and women that it has nothing to do with gender roles; that it is a trait of a helpful family member.
Al-Aswad said, “I asked ‘A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, ‘What did the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, do when he was with his family?’ She replied, ‘He would do chores for his family, and when it was time for the prayer, he would go out.'”
9. Sleeping on your right side.
It has been narrated in a hadith Al-Bara ‘bin `Azib that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) told him to perform ablution as one would do for prayer before going to bed and to sleep on his right side.
(It is an excerpt from a longer hadith. The full hadith can be found here Sahih al-Bukhari)
Conclusion
All the Sunnah mentioned here are fairly easy to follow, allowing us to start with baby steps before trying on the harder Sunnah. Do keep in mind that It will take much trial and error before you have completely learned to follow even these simple Sunnahs. But do not quit and keep on trying; there are blessings in anything done with the intention of pleasing Allah (SWT).
