Are there any “shortcuts” to becoming a better Muslim?

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gave us the guidelines to become a better Muslim. Everybody ultimately wants to be a better Muslim in a sense that a better Muslim is person who is guaranteed paradise.

And you will have a lot of people who will come and offer shortcuts to be a better Muslim to get to the Paradise. However, these shortcuts, whether the special dhikr in the morning and evening which you say or it is something which you do - “If you do all these, you will guarantee paradise” – This is Satan. Satan is taking you away from the true path and to the path of the devils. It is taking you to hell. This is because the path that guarantees you to Paradise is not an easy path. It is a difficult path. It involves true struggle. It is struggle with yourself, family, community, society and you will be in a constant state of struggle. And these are principles which Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) outlined for us. If we go back to the Sunnah, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) gave us the task and also said that worry is there . If we manage to do a quarter of it, Alhamdulillah, for sure we will be better Muslims. For sure we will be on that path

There is much to do, plenty in guidance of what Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) told us. This why when he used to give a special opening of the speech, it is called Khutbat ul Hajjah. In the end of it, he would say, the most truthful of speech, sayings is the book of Allah. Then the best form of guidance is guidance of Mohamed (ﷺ). His guidance is the best. So if want to be a better Muslims, if we want to guarantee us Paradise, then we have to go back to his guidance and what he provided.

We have to treat this life like we are strangers, travelers. What we know is necessary, and what will remain with us that will lead us later on. That is the righteous deeds; we had to take great effort to do the righteous deeds. And, we will only take from this life, the others things which are absolutely necessary for survival; we try not to accumulate of what we do not need.

Ibn Omar radhiyAllahu anhu, the same person who reported the hadith, said something concerning with it which is reported by those who convey the statements of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) from him. He said himself “when you are in the evening; do not wait for the morning.”

When you find yourself in the morning, don’t wait for evening. Don’t put off your chores till evening. The good things that come to your mind will be in the morning. This is the way Satan, the devilish forces, cause you to miss the opportunities which Allah has given you in your life to serve him and compensate to him by putting off the morning to evening, the evening to next morning.

And take from your good health, when you have good health from the time you get sick, try to do as much as you can when you are healthy. From your life to till your time of death, you try to do as much as you can. While living do that which will benefit you because when you die you can no longer can do. This was the advice given by Ibn Omer radhiyAllahu anhu.