and He says, “Indeed, they used to hasten to all kinds of good deeds.” (Al-Anbiyāʾ 21:90). This shows that righteousness is not a single act but rather a variety of paths.

The author then cites further verses that point to this multiplicity of good: “Whatever good you do, Allah knows it.” (Al-Baqarah 2:197); “Whatever good you do, Allah is fully aware of it.” (Al-Baqarah 2:215); “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good shall see it.” (Az-Zalzalah 99:7). Many other passages bear the same meaning, confirming that good deeds are not one lone category, individual, or genus.

Our claim is also supported by observation: some people naturally gravitate toward prayer—you will find them praying often; others are disposed to reciting the Quran, so they read it frequently; others favor dhikr, tasbīḥ (glorifying Allah by saying “Subḥān Allāh”), tahmīd (praising Him by saying “Al-ḥamdu lillāh”), and similar forms of remembrance, and thus engage in them abundantly. Still others are generous and open-handed, loving to spend; you see them continually giving in charity and providing for their families, expanding their provision without extravagance.

There are also those who long for knowledge and pursue it—a pursuit that, in our own day, may be the best bodily act of all. People today are in dire need of sacred learning, for ignorance is widespread and pretenders to scholarship are many. They claim to be scholars while possessing only meagre wares. We therefore need students of knowledge whose understanding is deep-rooted and firm, grounded in the Book and the Sunnah, so that they can stem the chaos now spreading through villages, towns, and cities. Anyone who happens to know one or two hadiths of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ rushes to issue legal verdicts, treating the matter lightly, as though he were Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah or Imām