Hadith 29, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

On the authority of Mu‘adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will admit me to Paradise and distance me from the Fire.’ He said, ‘You have asked about a great matter, and it is easy for one for whom Allah makes it easy: worship Allah and associate nothing with Him; establish prayer; give zakah; fast Ramadan; and make pilgrimage to the House.’ Then he said, ‘Shall I direct you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire; and a man’s prayer in the depths of the night.’ Then he recited: ‘Their sides withdraw from their beds,’ until he reached ‘they do.’ [Surah al-Sajdah 32:16–17]. Then he said, ‘Shall I tell you the head of the matter, its pillar, and its highest peak?’ I said, ‘Indeed, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘The head of the matter is Islam; its pillar is prayer; and its highest peak is jihad.’ Then he said, ‘Shall I tell you what holds all of that together?’ I said, ‘Indeed, O Messenger of Allah!’ He took hold of his tongue and said, ‘Restrain this.’ I said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?’ He said, ‘May your mother be bereaved of you! Is it anything but the harvests of their tongues that cast people upon their faces—or, he said, upon their noses?’ It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi [no. 2616], who said: ‘A hasan sahih hadith.’