Be a Muslim, believer and kind

176

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, inform me of an act which will cause me to enter Paradise and keep me far from Hell." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have asked about a matter of great importance, but it is easy for whomever Allah makes it easy for. Worship Allah, without associating anything with Him, offer the prayer, pay the Zakah, observe fasting during Ramadan, and perform Hajj." He further said: "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield, charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire, and a man's prayer in the dead of night." Then he recited: {Their sides forsake their beds...} until he reached {what they used to do} [Sūrat As-Sajdah:16-17]. Then he added: "Shall I tell you of the essence of the matter, its pillar and its peak?" I replied: "Yes, certainly, O Messenger of Allah." He said: "The essence of this matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and its peak is Jihad." Then he said: "Shall I tell you of what holds all these things?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." So he took hold of his tongue and said: "Keep this under control." I asked: "O Messenger of Allah, shall we be held accountable for what we speak?" He replied: "May your mother lose you! What else can cast people on their faces - or on their noses - into Hellfire more than the harvest of their tongues?"

Explanation:

This Hadīth teaches us that salvation from Hellfire and entering Paradise can be achieved by worshiping Allah alone without associating any partners with Him, together with observing the religious obligations such as the prayer, Zakah, fasting, and Hajj. Charity, voluntary fasting, and praying at night comprise all forms of good deeds. The most crucial part of the structure of faith is Islam (submission to Allah), its pillar is prayer, and its highest peak is Jihad in the cause of Allah to make His word superior. One major advice to make use of all of these is to avoid bad talk that ruins the reward of all of these deeds. Therefore, every Muslim who does good deeds should be keen to avoid improper talks that might void his deeds and lead him to be admitted into Hellfire.