Today’s Quranic Word is Khayr = خَيْر

The word khayr (خَيْر) means good.

Its plural is khayraat (خَيرَات), which means goodness.

As we have seen in the video, khayr literally means goodness. It is what all people with sound and healthy intellect crave, just like Jannah, honour and justice. Every human being has been created to love and act with goodness. It is what Islam teaches and preaches. Even Islam itself is khayr as mentioned in the hadith of Hudhayfa ibn Yamman in Sahih Muslim:

قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا كُنَّا فِي جَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَشَرٍّ فَجَاءَنَا اللَّهُ بِهَذَا الْخَيْرِ

[Sahih Muslim]

I said: O Messenger of Allah, we were in a state of ignorance and evil, and then Allah brought us this good (Islam).

Allah informed us in the Quran ways in which He wants us to perform acts of goodness.

To do good

Allah says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

[Quran 22:77]

O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good – that you may succeed.

When hastening towards goodness

Allah says:

يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

[Quran 3:114]

They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous.

In competing for goodness

Allah says:

فَاسْتَبِقُواالْخَيْرَاتِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

[Quran 5:48]

So race to [all that is] good. The return of you (all) is to Allah; then He will inform you about that in which you used to differ.

To call for goodness

Allah says:

وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

[Quran 3:104]

And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.

To assist one another in goodness

Allah says:

قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا

[Quran 18:95]

He said, “That in which my Lord has established for me is better [than what you offer], but assist me with strength.

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Striving for Goodness

Seeing how the Quran emphasised goodness, we should try as much as possible to strive hard in attaining it. The Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِخَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]

If Allah wants good for a person, He makes him comprehend the religion.

A Muslim, after comprehending his religion correctly, should strive for goodness, stick to it always and make it a path he follows. Goodness can be accomplished through his words, the Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ

[Sahih Al-Albani]

He who believes in Allah and in the last day should speak good or keep silence.

Or by his creed and belief, the Prophet ﷺ said:

عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلُّهُ لَهُ خَيرٌ، وَلَيسَ ذَلِكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ ‏:‏ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاَءٌ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيراً لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءٌ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيراً لَهُ

[Muslim]

How wonderful is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything and this applies only to a believer: If prosperity attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah and that is good for him; and if adversity befalls him, he endures it patiently and that is better for him

And in his actions, Allah says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ارْكَعُوا وَاسْجُدُوا وَاعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَافْعَلُوا الْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

[Quran 22:27]

O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good – that you may succeed.

وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ

[Quran 2:272]

And whatever good you [believers] spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good – it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.

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The Reward for Goodness

No amount of good deeds are small in the sight of Allah as long as they are done with sincerity, Allah will surely reward for it. He says:

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ

[Quran 99:7]

So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it

So, one should not prevent himself or others from goodness, at least if you cannot do something because of your particular status or condition, encourage others and you get rewarded for that too. The Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَفَاتِيحَ لِلْخَيْرِ مَغَالِيقَ لِلشَّرِّ وَإِنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَفَاتِيحَ لِلشَّرِّ مَغَالِيقَ لِلْخَيْرِ فَطُوبَى لِمَنْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مَفَاتِيحَ الْخَيْرِ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ وَوَيْلٌ لِمَنْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مَفَاتِيحَ الشَّرِّ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ ‏

[Da’if Darussalam Ibn Majah]

Some people open the door to good and close the door to evil, and some people open the door to evil and close the door to good. Glad tidings to those who Allah places in their hands the keys to good and woe to those in who Allah places in their hands the keys to evil.

We should always strive to do good with true sincerity so that we can be among the chosen and outstanding ones.

وَإِنَّهُمْ عِندَنَا لَمِنَ الْمُصْطَفَيْنَ الْأَخْيَارِ

[Quran 38:47]

And indeed they are, to Us, among the chosen and outstanding.

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The Good, the Better, and the Best

In most cases, the word khayr is used to denote a comparison between two or more things, showing that one is better or best than the other.

Whenever there is an adjunction of the word khayr with either a proper noun or a pronoun directly, it means the best.

Allah says:

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ ۗ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم ۚ مِّنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

[Quran 3:110]

You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

خَيرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ

[Al-Bukhari]

The best amongst you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it.

And whenever the word khayr is being followed by a particle mostly ‘from’ (من) or “Laam” (ل), it means better.

Allah says in the Quran:

قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

[Quran 7:12]

[Allah] said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” [Satan] said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.”

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الرَّسُولُ بِالْحَقِّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَآمِنُوا خَيْرًا لَّكُمْ ۚ وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

[Quran 4:170]

O Mankind, the Messenger has come to you with the truth from your Lord, so believe; it is better for you. But if you disbelieve – then indeed, to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth. And Allah is All-Knowing and Wise.

O Allah, allow us to be from among those who recognise good as good and make it easy for us to do. Make us from the people that open the door to goodness and close the door to evil and not from the people that open the door to evil and close the door to goodness. Ameen.

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Conjugations of Khayr ( خَيْر ) Found in the Quran

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Discover More Quranic Arabic Words

Are you inspired to strive for خَيْر after learning more about what Allah and His final messenger ﷺ says about خَيْر?

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