Dear brothers, we are discussing the 6^th lesson of this new series in which we will ponder over some Noble Ayaat starting with the phrase: "O you who believe".

Today we will reflect upon the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty says:

 (O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah and fear Him. Seek the means of approach to Him, and strive hard in His Cause as much as you can. So that you may be successful.."

[Al-Ma'idah, 35]

Actually, dear brothers, the ways and the means of nearness to Allah the Almighty are innumerable, and the word "Al-Wasilah" (the means) in Arabic indicates general meaning; Allah the Almighty says:

(O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah and fear Him. Seek the means (Al-Wasilah) of approach to Him).

[Al-Ma'idah, 35]

If you perform the acts of worship Allah the Almighty has imposed upon you, if you feed a cat, or if you give a dog some water to drink, like the woman from the Children of Israel who saw a dog that was about to die from thirst, so she gave it some water to drink, then these deeds are regarded as a means of nearness to Allah the Almighty. Regarding this point, it was said, "The ways to get closer to Allah are as many as the number of the creatures on the earth."

Accordingly, if you remove a harmful object from the road of people, if you bring up your children properly according to the Islamic principles, if you give sincere advice to others, and if you do your best to fulfill your duty perfectly; if you are an ideal parent, a faithful husband, a loyal hard-working employee, or an honest and faithful trader, teacher, physician, or lawyer, etc. Allah the Almighty will accept these righteous deeds, and you will be rewarded for them. Thus, the ways to get closer to Allah are as many as the number of the creatures on the earth.