Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves} [Al-Ra‘d: 11]. He also says: {And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong} [Al-Nahl: 92].
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Allah Almighty also says: {And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened} [Al-Hadīd: 16]. And He says: {But they did not observe it with due observance} [Al-Hadīd: 27].
1) A person should maintain good deeds he performs habitually. This is the Prophet’s guidance. He said: “Goodness is a habit.” [Narrated by Ibn Mājah]
2) Acting differently from the People of the Scripture who used to do good, but when a long period passed over them, their hearts hardened and they abandoned the good deeds.
692/1 - ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: “O ‘Abdullāh, do not be like so-and-so. He used to offer Qiyām al-Layl (voluntary night prayer) and then abandoned it.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
“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.
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.
2) Abandoning good deeds is a clear fault, avoided by people of firm determination.
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.
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-Mīmiyyah fi al-Wasāya Wa al-Ādāb al-‘Ilmiyyah", he says:
it is established, and without knowledge it is not
Knowledge carries the weight of divine legislation whereby
from the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths
Knowledge, O companion, invokes Allah’s forgiveness for its seeker
I swear by the Almighty Lord that you have won
O seeker of knowledge, do not accept any alternative to it
in your words, actions, and manners
Revere knowledge and recognize its status
for if one knew the standing of knowledge, he would not sleep from it
Strive to attain it with relentless effort
and give precedence to the text, and take opinions with doubt
Start with what is more important to grasp it
with its light of guidance every ambiguity becomes clear
Knowledge is naught but the Book of Allah or the tradition (of the Prophet)
of Allah especially in the darkness of night
With contemplation and measured recitation read the Book
saved ones as explicitly revealed to the Messenger
Narrate Hadīth and stay with its people, for they are the
and shun any ill expectation or accusation against Allah
So work diligently until your term ends
and the late hours and the night with purpose and perseverance
Do your best, rejoice, and make use of the early hours
and the immoderate person is ever deprived by tedium
Nothing betrays the lazy person more than his resolve