Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported: I was with the Prophet, peace be upon him, and we woke up one day and I said, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me about a deed that will enter me into Paradise and keep me away from the Fire.” He said, “You have asked about an enormous matter, yet it is easy for whom Allah makes it easy. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him; establish the prayer; give the charity; fast the month of Ramadan; and perform pilgrimage to the House.” Then he said, “Shall I not tell you about the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sins just as water extinguishes fire; and the prayer of a man in the late night.” Then he recited, “They arise from their beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend from what We have provided them, and no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do (32:16-17).” Then he said, “Shall I not tell you about the head of the matter and its peak?” I said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “The head of the matter is Islam; its pillar is the prayer; and Jihad is its peak.” Then he said, “Shall I not tell you how to achieve all of this?” I said, “Of course, O Prophet 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, O Mu’adh! Is there anything that topples people onto their faces in the Hellfire except the harvest of their tongues?”
[Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Book of Faith, Number 2616, Sahih]
عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي سَفَرٍ فَأَصْبَحْتُ يَوْمًا
قَرِيبًا مِنْهُ وَنَحْنُ نَسِيرُ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ وَيُبَاعِدُنِي عَنْ النَّارِ
قَالَ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَنِي عَنْ عَظِيمٍ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَسِيرٌ عَلَى
مَنْ يَسَّرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكْ بِهِ
شَيْئًا وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلَاةَ وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ
وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلَا أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى
أَبْوَابِ الْخَيْرِ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ
الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ وَصَلَاةُ الرَّجُلِ مِنْ
جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ قَالَ ثُمَّ تَلَا تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنْ الْمَضَاجِعِ حَتَّى بَلَغَ يَعْمَلُونَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِرَأْسِ الْأَمْرِ كُلِّهِ وَعَمُودِهِ وَذِرْوَةِ سَنَامِهِ قُلْتُ بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإِسْلَامُ وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلَاةُ وَذِرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ بِمَلَاكِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ قُلْتُ بَلَى يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ فَأَخَذَ بِلِسَانِهِ قَالَ كُفَّ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا فَقُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّا لَمُؤَاخَذُونَ بِمَا نَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ فَقَالَ ثَكِلَتْكَ
أُمُّكَ يَا مُعَاذُ وَهَلْ يَكُبُّ النَّاسَ فِي النَّارِ عَلَى
وُجُوهِهِمْ أَوْ عَلَى مَنَاخِرِهِمْ إِلَّا حَصَائِدُ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ
قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
سنن الترمذي كِتَاب الْإِيمَانِ بَاب مَا جَاءَ فِي حُرْمَةِ الصَّلَاةِ
