Is the Hadith of Good Deeds Being Multiplied 70 times in Ramadan Authentic?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is the hadith of good deeds being multiplied 70 times in Ramadan authentic?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

The hadith is weak (da’if) but not baseless. Most hadith scholars accept acting on weak hadith in matters of virtues and encouragement (fada’il).

Hadith of Salman

The hadith of Salman (Allah be pleased with him) highlights Ramadan’s virtues:  an obligatory deed (fard) rewarded seventy times, increased provision (rizq) for believers, and the month bringing Allah’s mercy initially, His forgiveness mid-month, and emancipation from the Hellfire (Jahannum) at the end. [Ibn Khuzayma, Sahih Ibn Khuzayma; Bayhaqi, Shu’ab al-Iman]

Grading

The report appears in major hadith collections, including Ibn Khuzayma and Bayhaqi’s Shu’ab al-Iman]

Principle of Acting Upon Weak Hadith

The principle of acting on weak hadith for virtues (fada’il al-a’mal) is permissible in matters of virtues and encouragement (fada’il). See the links below for details.

Acting on the Hadith is Permissible

In summary, you may act on this hadith for encouragement during Ramadan, as is the practice of the scholars. Increase your good deeds and also practice the many authentic hadith about Ramadan’s blessings.

And Allah knows best.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

• Ramadan Reader: Your Essential Guide to MaximizingA practical spiritual guide to worship, reflection, and making the most of the blessed month.
• Are Sins Multiplied Seventy Times in Ramadan as Well?Explores whether sins, like rewards, are multiplied during Ramadan and clarifies common misconceptions.
• Is Acting on Weak Hadiths an InnovationExplains the scholarly rulings and conditions regarding acting upon weak hadiths in virtues and good deeds
• 52- Can one act on a weak hadith? (podcast)
  A concise podcast discussion on when and how weak hadiths may be used in Islamic practice.

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.