The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the foremost deed that leads people to Paradise, and he replied: "Fear of Allah and good character
Narrator in the source: Abu Hurayrah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the foremost deed that leads people to Paradise, and he replied: "Fear of Allah and good character." Then, he was asked about the things that most lead people to Hellfire, and he said: "The tongue and the private parts."- Grade in the source
- Hasan Sahih /Sound-Authentic
- Reported by
- Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah, and Ahmad
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 5476 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ أَكْثَرِ مَا يُدْخِلُ النَّاسَ الْجَنَّةَ، فَقَالَ: «تَقْوَى اللهِ وَحُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ»، وَسُئِلَ عَنْ أَكْثَرِ مَا يُدْخِلُ النَّاسَ النَّارَ فَقَالَ: «الْفَمُ وَالْفَرْجُ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that the greatest means that lead one to Paradise are: Fear of Allah and good character. Fear of Allah (taqwa) is to make wiqāya (shield) between oneself and the punishment of Allah, by observing His commands and prohibitions. Good character: by having a cheerful face, doing good to others, and averting harm from them. And that the greatest causes for a person's entry into Hellfire are: The tongue and the private parts. The sins committed by the tongue include: lying, backbiting, and tale-bearing. The sins committed by the private parts include: adultery, sodomy, etc.
Lessons from the hadith
- There are causes for entering Paradise related to Allah Almighty, like fear of Him, and causes related to people, like a good character.
- The Hadīth highlights the danger of the tongue and that it is one of the causes of entering Hellfire.
- It demonstrates the danger of desires and immoralities to people and that they are among the most common causes of entering Hellfire.
References (original Arabic)
سنن الترمذي (3/ 536) (2004). سنن ابن ماجه (5/ 318) (4246). مسند أحمد (13/ 287) (7907). توضيح الأحكام من بلوغ المرام، للبسام (7/ 509). منحة العلام في شرح بلوغ المرام، لعبد الله الفوزان (10/ 369). فتح ذي الجلال والإكرام، لابن عثيمين (6/ 453). سبل السلام بشرح بلوغ المرام، للصنعاني (2/ 696).