Encyclopedia of Prophetic Hadiths

"You have asked about something grave, but it is easy for whomever Allah makes it easy for. Worship Allah, without associating anything with Him, offer the prayer, pay Zakah, fast Ramadan, and perform Hajj. Then, he 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 middle of night. Then, he recited: {Their sides forsake their beds} until he reached {what they used to do.} Then he added: Shall I tell you of the essence of the matter, its pillar, and its peak? I replied: Yes, 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. He took hold of his tongue and said: Keep this under control. I asked: O Prophet of Allah, shall we be held accountable for what we say? He replied: May your mother lose you! What else can cast people on their faces—or on their noses—except the harvest of their tongues?!"

When the Prophet (ﷺ) sent him to Yemen, he instructed him to take as Zakah on cattle; one Tabī‘ (a one-year-old male calf) or Tabī‘ah (a one-year-old female calf) for every thirty, and one Musinnah (a two-year-old cow) for every forty. He also commanded that from every adult—meaning one who has reached puberty—a dinar or its equivalent in garments from Ma‘āfir, a type of clothes produced in Yemen, be taken.

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?"