Fazail E Amaal (Dewsbury version)

Title: Fazā’il-e-A‘māl (also spelled Faza’il-e-Amal or Virtues of Good Deeds)
Author: Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhalwi (1898–1982)
Original Language: Urdu
English Title: Virtues of Good Deeds (Bestseller) 
Written: Mid-20th century, India
Publisher: Maktaba Tablig-ul-Islam, Delhi (later reprinted globally)
Length: Around 700–900 pages, depending on edition
Audience: Ordinary Muslims seeking spiritual growth and guidance

Purpose and Theme

Fazā’il-e-A‘māl was written as a spiritual and moral guide rather than an academic or legal text.
Its main purpose is to inspire Muslims to act upon the core principles of Islam — to perform prayers regularly, remember Allah, recite the Qur’an, give charity, and purify their hearts.

Maulana Zakariyya wrote the book to revive faith and morality among Muslims who had become distant from religious practice. He uses Qur’anic verses, sayings of the Prophet (hadith), and stories of the Prophet’s companions and early pious Muslims to motivate readers toward good deeds and moral discipline.

Structure and Contents

The book is divided into several major sections, each dealing with specific virtues or aspects of religious life:

1. Virtues of the Qur’an – The importance and blessings of reading, memorizing, and following the Qur’an. Stories of how the Qur’an changed people’s lives.

2. Virtues of Prayer (Salah or Namaz) – The central place of prayer in a believer’s life, the spiritual benefits of consistent worship, and examples from the Prophet Muhammad and his companions.

3. Virtues of Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah) – The power and peace that come from remembering Allah through recitation, praise, and repentance.

4. Virtues of Tabligh (Inviting to Islam) – The duty of calling others to goodness, spreading the message of Islam, and following the example of the Prophet and his companions in outreach and teaching.

5. Virtues of Charity (Sadaqah) – The moral and social benefits of giving in charity, with examples of generosity from the Prophet’s companions and warnings against greed and attachment to wealth.

6. Virtues of Ramadan – The spiritual rewards of fasting, the significance of the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr), and how early Muslims honored and benefited from Ramadan.

7. Virtues of Hajj – The deeper meaning of pilgrimage, its moral lessons, and inspiring stories of sacrifice and devotion.

8. Muslim Degeneration and its Cure – A reflection on the moral and spiritual decline of Muslims after the early generations, and a call to return to sincerity, simplicity, and missionary effort.

Style and Approach

The book is written in a heartfelt and accessible style. It is devotional and narrative in tone, intended to touch the heart rather than debate legal or theological issues.
It uses simple Urdu, later translated into plain English, making it easy for ordinary readers to understand. The content is based on Qur’an, hadith, and historical examples, presented in a way that inspires spiritual reflection and action.

Importance and Influence

Fazā’il-e-A‘māl is one of the most widely read Islamic books of the modern era.
It is considered the central text of the Tablighi Jamaat movement and is recited regularly in study circles and gatherings around the world.
The book has been translated into many languages including English, Arabic, Bengali, Malay, and Swahili.
It has influenced millions of Muslims as a practical manual for reviving faith, sincerity, and moral behavior.

Scholarly Notes and Criticism

Some scholars have noted that the book includes certain hadith that are weak or not fully authenticated.
Maulana Zakariyya himself acknowledged this and clarified that such narrations are acceptable for topics of virtue and encouragement, not for deriving legal rulings.
While some modern critics suggest reading certain stories symbolically, most agree that the book’s spiritual impact and positive influence outweigh these issues.

Core Message

Fazā’il-e-A‘māl teaches that faith and action are inseparable: good deeds strengthen belief, and sincere belief motivates righteous action.
Even small acts, if done purely for the sake of Allah, carry great reward.
It emphasizes following the example of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions as the key to personal and communal reform.