Jami' at-Tirmidhi

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2863

Arabic hadith text

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، قَالَ‏ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، قَالَ‏ حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، قَالَ‏ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ سَلاَّمٍ، أَنَّ أَبَا سَلاَّمٍ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ الْحَارِثَ الأَشْعَرِيَّ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِهَا وَيَأْمُرَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهَا وَإِنَّهُ كَادَ أَنْ يُبْطِئَ بِهَا فَقَالَ عِيسَى إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَكَ بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ لِتَعْمَلَ بِهَا وَتَأْمُرَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهَا فَإِمَّا أَنْ تَأْمُرَهُمْ وَإِمَّا أَنَا آمُرُهُمْ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ يَحْيَى أَخْشَى إِنْ سَبَقْتَنِي بِهَا أَنْ يُخْسَفَ بِي أَوْ أُعَذَّبَ فَجَمَعَ النَّاسَ فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَامْتَلأَ الْمَسْجِدُ وَقَعَدُوا عَلَى الشُّرَفِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَنِي بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ أَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ وَآمُرَكُمْ أَنْ تَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ أَوَّلُهُنَّ أَنْ تَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَإِنَّ مَثَلَ مَنْ أَشْرَكَ بِاللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اشْتَرَى عَبْدًا مِنْ خَالِصِ مَالِهِ بِذَهَبٍ أَوْ وَرِقٍ فَقَالَ هَذِهِ دَارِي وَهَذَا عَمَلِي فَاعْمَلْ وَأَدِّ إِلَىَّ فَكَانَ يَعْمَلُ وَيُؤَدِّي إِلَى غَيْرِ سَيِّدِهِ فَأَيُّكُمْ يَرْضَى أَنْ يَكُونَ عَبْدُهُ كَذَلِكَ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَكُمْ بِالصَّلاَةِ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُمْ فَلاَ تَلْتَفِتُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْصِبُ وَجْهَهُ لِوَجْهِ عَبْدِهِ فِي صَلاَتِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ وَآمُرُكُمْ بِالصِّيَامِ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ فِي عِصَابَةٍ مَعَهُ صُرَّةٌ فِيهَا مِسْكٌ فَكُلُّهُمْ يَعْجَبُ أَوْ يُعْجِبُهُ رِيحُهَا وَإِنَّ رِيحَ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ وَآمُرُكُمْ بِالصَّدَقَةِ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَسَرَهُ الْعَدُوُّ فَأَوْثَقُوا يَدَهُ إِلَى عُنُقِهِ وَقَدَّمُوهُ لِيَضْرِبُوا عُنُقَهُ فَقَالَ أَنَا أَفْدِيهِ مِنْكُمْ بِالْقَلِيلِ وَالْكَثِيرِ ‏.‏ فَفَدَى نَفْسَهُ مِنْهُمْ وَآمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تَذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ خَرَجَ الْعَدُوُّ فِي أَثَرِهِ سِرَاعًا حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَى عَلَى حِصْنٍ حَصِينٍ فَأَحْرَزَ نَفْسَهُ مِنْهُمْ كَذَلِكَ الْعَبْدُ لاَ يُحْرِزُ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ إِلاَّ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ وَأَنَا آمُرُكُمْ بِخَمْسٍ اللَّهُ أَمَرَنِي بِهِنَّ السَّمْعُ وَالطَّاعَةُ وَالْجِهَادُ وَالْهِجْرَةُ وَالْجَمَاعَةُ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ فَارَقَ الْجَمَاعَةَ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الإِسْلاَمِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَرْجِعَ وَمَنِ ادَّعَى دَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ جُثَا جَهَنَّمَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ صَلَّى وَصَامَ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَإِنْ صَلَّى وَصَامَ فَادْعُوا بِدَعْوَى اللَّهِ الَّذِي سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ ‏" ‏ ‏.‏ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ ‏.‏ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْحَارِثُ الأَشْعَرِيُّ لَهُ صُحْبَةٌ وَلَهُ غَيْرُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ ‏.‏

Translation

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

Al-Harith al-Ash‘ari reported that the Prophet said: ‘Allah commanded Yahya ibn Zakariyya to practice five teachings and instruct the Children of Israel to practice them. Yahya was slow to convey them, so ‘Isa said, “Allah commanded you to practice five teachings and tell the Children of Israel to practice them. Either instruct them, or I will.” Yahya said, “I fear that if you precede me, I will be swallowed by the earth or punished.” So Yahya gathered the people in Jerusalem. The mosque filled, and they sat on its balconies. He said, “Allah commanded me to practice five teachings and tell you to practice them. First: worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. The example of one who associates others with Allah is like a man who bought a servant with his own pure wealth, gold or silver, and said, ‘This is my home and this is my work; work and give your earnings to me.’ But the servant worked and paid someone other than his master. Which of you would be pleased for his servant to do that? Allah commanded you to pray: when you pray, do not turn away, for Allah turns toward the face of His servant in prayer as long as he does not turn away. He commanded you to fast: fasting is like a man among a group carrying a pouch of musk, whose fragrance delights them all; the breath of the fasting person is more fragrant before Allah than musk. He commanded you to give charity: this is like a man captured by the enemy, whose hands are bound to his neck and who is brought forward to be executed. He says, ‘I ransom myself from you for little or much,’ and thus frees himself. He commanded you to remember Allah: this is like a man whom enemies pursue swiftly until he reaches a strong fortress and protects himself from them. So a servant cannot protect himself from Satan except through remembrance of Allah.”’ The Prophet then said, ‘I command you with five things Allah commanded me: listening, obedience, jihad, migration, and the community. Whoever separates from the community by even a handspan has cast off Islam’s bond from his neck, unless he returns. Whoever makes a call to the ways of the pre-Islamic age is among the fuel heaps of Hell.’ A man asked, ‘Even if he prays and fasts?’ He replied, ‘Even if he prays and fasts. So call yourselves by the call Allah gave you: Muslims, believers, servants of Allah.’

Notes and open questions — unreviewed
  • Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan sahih gharib. Muhammad ibn Isma‘il said al-Harith al-Ash‘ari was a Companion and narrated other hadiths. Key Arabic imagery is preserved: Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis); Allah turning toward the worshipper during prayer; and the one who invokes pre-Islamic tribal identity among the heaps or fuel of Hell (juthā Jahannam). The final five teachings are listening, obedience, jihad, hijrah (migration), and communal unity. The hadith first describes five teachings given to Yahya, then separately the five the Prophet says Allah commanded him.