Encyclopedia of Prophetic Hadiths

I was on a journey in the company of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). One morning I was close to him when we were on the move, so I said: O Messenger of Allah, inform me of a deed that admits me to Paradise and keeps me far from Hellfire. He said: "You have asked me about a great matter, which is, indeed, easy for whomever Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the prayer, give Zakah, fast Ramadan, and make Hajj to the House." Then he said: "Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield, charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man's prayer in the dead of night." He said: Then he recited: "{They forsake their beds} until he reached {what they used to do} [Surat as-Sajdah:  16-17]." Then he said: "Shall I inform you of the head of the whole matter, its pillar, and its peak?" I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: "The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and its peak is Jihad." Then he said: "Shall I inform you of what holds all these things?" I said: Yes, O Prophet of Allah. So he took hold of his tongue and said: "Keep this under control." I said: O Prophet of Allah, are we held accountable for what we speak? He said: "May your mother lose you, O Mu‘ādh! What else casts people into Hellfire on their faces or on their noses other than the harvest of their tongues?"

"Whoever performs our prayer, faces our Qiblah (direction of the Ka‘bah), and eats from our slaughtered animals—that is the Muslim who enjoys the protection (covenant) of Allah and His Messenger. So do not betray Allah by violating His protection."

"The Jews incurred Allah's wrath, and the Christians went astray."

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to his uncle: "Say 'there is no god but Allah', and I will testify for you by it on the Day of Judgment." He said: "Were it not for the fear that the Quraysh may blame me and say that it was the fear (from imminent death) that induced me to do so, I would have certainly delighted your eyes with it." So, Allah revealed: {You cannot guide whoever you like, but Allah guides whom He wills.} [Surat al-Qasas: 56]

While we were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel in the mosque, tied its foreleg, and said: "Who amongst you is Muhammad?" At that time, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting amongst us, leaning on his arm. We replied: "This white man reclining on his arm." The man then addressed him: "O son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib!" The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am here to answer you." The man said to the Prophet: "I want to ask you something and will be hard in questioning. So do not get angry." The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ask whatever you want." The man said: "I ask you by your Lord, and the Lord of those who came before you. Has Allah sent you as a messenger to all mankind?" The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "By Allah, yes." The man further said: "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to offer five prayers in a day and night?" He replied: "By Allah, yes." The man further said: "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to observe fasts during this month of the year?" He replied: "By Allah, yes." The man said: "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to take this charity from our rich people and distribute it amongst our poor people?" The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "By Allah, yes." Thereupon, that man said: "I have believed in all that you have been sent with, and I have been sent by my people as a messenger. I am Dimām ibn Tha‘labah, from the brothers of Banu Sa‘d ibn Bakr."