Faith and Belief

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, "If anyone observes our form of prayer, faces our qibla, and eats what we kill, that one is a Muslim who has protection from God and His messenger; so do not betray God’s protection.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported that an Arab came to the Prophet and said, "Guide me to a deed by doing which I shall enter paradise.” He said, “Worship God and associate nothing with Him, observe the prescribed prayer, pay the obligatory zakat, and fast during Ramadan.” He replied, "By Him in whose hand my soul is, I shall not add anything to this, or fall short of it.” Then when he turned away the Prophet said, "If anyone wishes to look at a man who will be among the people of paradise, let him look at this man.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Sufyan b. ‘Abdallah ath-Thaqafi reported that he said, "Messenger of God, say something about Islam concerning which I shall need to ask no one after you are gone.” (A version has "anyone else”.) He said, "Say, ‘I believe in God’, then keep to the straight path.” Muslim transmitted it.

Talha b. ‘Ubaidallah said: A man of the people of Najd with dishevelled hair came to God’s messenger. We could hear the sound of his voice, but could not understand what he was saying till he came near God’s messenger and we realised that he was asking about Islam. God’s messenger said, “Five times of prayer each day and night.” He asked, “Must I observe any more than them?” He replied, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” God's messenger said, “And fasting during the month of Ramadan.” He asked, “Must I observe anything else?” He replied, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” Talha said that God's messenger mentioned the zakat to him, and he asked, “Must I pay anything else?” He replied, “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” He said that the man turned away saying, “I swear by God that I shall not add anything to this or fall short of it.” So God’s messenger said, “The man will prosper if he is speaking the truth.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said that when the deputation of ‘Abd Qais came to the Prophet, God's messenger asked, “Who are the people?” or, “Who are the deputation?” They replied, “Rabi‘a”, and he said, “Welcome to the people (or deputation), neither ashamed nor regretful.” They said, “Messenger of God, we are able to come to you only in the sacred month, for this tribe of the infidels of Mudar is between us and you; so give us a decisive command which we may tell to those at home and by which we may enter paradise;” and they asked him about drinks. He commanded them to observe four things and he forbade them four things. He commanded them to put their faith in God alone saying, “Do you know what faith in God alone is?” They replied, “God and His messenger know best.” He said, “It includes the testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger, the observance of the prayer, the payment of zakat, the fast of Ramadan, and your giving a fifth of the booty.” And he forbade them four things: glazed jars, gourds, hollowed stumps of palm trees, and receptacles smeared with pitch, saying, “Observe them and tell your people at home about them.” (Bukhari and Muslim, but the wording is Bukhari’s).

‘Ubada b. as-Samit reported that God's messenger said when a number of his Companions were around him, “Swear allegiance to me on the basis that you will not associate anything with God, or steal, or commit fornication, or kill your children, or produce slander which you yourselves have falsely fabricated, or be disobedient concerning what is good. If any of you fulfils his promise, God will undertake his reward but if anyone perpetrates any of these things and is punished for it in this world, it will be an atonement for him. If, however, anyone perpetrates any of those things and God conceals it regarding him, the matter lies in God’s hands; if He wishes He will forgive him, and if He wishes He will punish him.” So we swore allegiance to him on that basis. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said that when God’s messenger went out to the place of prayer on the day of sacrifice, or on the day when the fast was broken, he came upon some women and said, "Give alms, you women folk, for I have been shown that you will be the majority of the inhabitants of hell.” They asked, “For what reason, messenger of God?” He replied, “You are greatly given to abuse, and you are ungrateful to your husbands. Among women who are deficient in intelligence and religion I have not seen anyone more able to remove the understanding of a prudent man than one of you.” They asked, “What is the deficiency of our religion and our intelligence, messenger of God?” He replied, “Is not the testimony of a woman equivalent to half the testimony of a man?” They said, “Yes.” Remarking that that pertained to the deficiency of her intelligence, he asked, “Is it not the case that when she menstruates she neither prays nor fasts?” When they replied, “Yes,” he said, “That pertains to the deficiency of her religion.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported that God’s messenger declared that God said, “The son of Adam has accused me of falsehood, which he had no right to do; and he has reviled me, which he had no right to do. His accusation of falsehood is in his saying, ‘He will not bring me back to life as He created me’, whereas the original act of creation is no easier for me than to bring him back to life. His reviling of me is in his saying, ‘God has taken a son’, whereas I am the One, to whom men repair, who has not begotten and has not been begotten, and to whom no one is equal.” A version from Ibn ‘Abbas has: “His reviling of me is his statement that I have a son. Far be it from me that I should have a consort or a son.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported that God’s messenger declared that God said, “The son of Adam injures me by abusing time, whereas I am time. Authority is in my hand. I vary night and day.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Musa reported God's messenger as saying, “No one is more patient over injury which he hears than God. Men attribute a son to Him, yet He preserves them and provides for them.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Mu'adh said: I was riding behind the Prophet on an ass with nothing between him and me but the rear part of the saddle, when he said, “Do you know, Mu'adh, what God has a right to expect from His servants, and what His servants have a right to expect from God?” I replied, “God and His messenger know best.” He said, “What God has a right to expect from His servants is that they should worship Him, not associating anything with him; and what the servants have a right to expect from God is that He should not punish one who does not associate anything with Him.” I said, “Messenger of God, shall I not give this good news to the people?” He replied, “Do not tell them, and have them trusting in it alone.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas reported that, when Mu'adh was riding behind the Prophet on the saddle, he said, “Mu'adh”, to which he replied, “At your service and at your pleasure, messenger of God.” He said, “Mu'adh”, to which he replied, “At your service and at your pleasure, messenger of God.” He said, “Mu'adh”, to which he replied, “At your service and at your pleasure, messenger of God,” three times altogether. He said, “If anyone testifies sincerely from his heart that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is God’s messenger, God will declare him immune from hell.” He asked, “Messenger of God, shall I not then inform people of it, so that they may be of good cheer?” He replied, “Then they would trust in it alone.” Mu'adh told about it at the time of his death, to avoid sinning. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Dharr said: I came to the Prophet and found him asleep under a white sheet. When I came back to him after he had awakened he said, “If anyone says there is no god but God and dies in that belief, he will enter paradise.” I asked, “Even if he commits fornication and even if he steals?” He replied, “Even if he commits fornication and even if he steals.” I asked, “Even if he commits fornication and even if he steals?” He replied, “Even if he commits fornication and even if he steals.” I asked, “Even if he commits fornication and even if he steals?” He replied, “Even if he commits fornication and even if he steals, in spite of Abu Dharr.” When Abu Dharr told this he said, “Even if Abu Dharr’s pride is humbled.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Ubada b. as-Samit reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone testifies that there is no god but God alone, who has no partner, that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, that Jesus is God’s servant and messenger, the son of His handmaid, His word which he cast into Mary and a spirit from Him, and that paradise and hell are real, God will cause him to enter paradise no matter what he has done.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

'Amr b. al-‘As said: I came to the Prophet and said, “Stretch out your right hand and let me swear allegiance to you.” He stretched out his right hand, but I clenched my hand and he said, “What is the matter with you, ‘Amr?” I replied, “I want to make a condition.” He asked, “What condition do you make?” I replied, “That I should receive forgiveness.” He said, “Do you not know, 'Amr, that Islam demolishes what preceded it, that the Hijra demolishes what preceded it, and the Pilgrimage demolishes what preceded it?” Muslim transmitted it. We shall mention the two traditions transmitted from Abu Huraira, (1) He declared that God said, “I am the one who is most able to dispense with partnership”; (2) “Pride is my cloak”, in the chapters on Hypocrisy and Pride1, if God most high will. 1 i.e, Book XXIV, Ch. vi and Book XXIII, Ch. xx.

Mu‘adh b. Jabal reported: I said, “Inform me, messenger of God, of an act which will cause me to enter paradise and remove me far from hell.” He replied, “You have asked a serious question, but it is easy for the one whom God helps to answer it. Worship God, associate nothing with Him, observe the prayer, pay the zakat, fast during Ramadan, and make the Pilgrimage to the House.” He said, “Shall I not guide you to the gateways of what is good? Fasting is a protection, and almsgiving extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and a man's prayer in the middle of the night .” Then he recited, “Withdrawing themselves from their couches ... they have been doing.” 1 Then he said, “Shall I not guide you to the head and support of the matter and the top of its hump?” I replied, “Yes, messenger of God.” He said, “The head of the matter is Islam, its support is prayer, and the top of its hump is jihad.” Then he said, “Shall I not inform you of the controlling of all that?” I replied, “Yes, Prophet of God.” So he took hold of his tongue and said, “Restrain this.” I asked, “Prophet of God, shall we really be punished for what we talk about?” He replied, “I am surprised at you, 2 Mu'adh! Will anything but the harvests of their tongues overthrow men in hell on their faces (or, on their nostrils)?” Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it. 1 Quran, xxxii, 16f. 2 Literally, may your mother be bereft of you.

Abu Umama reported that God’s messenger said, “If anyone loves for God’s sake, hates for God’s sake, gives for God’s sake and withholds for God's sake, he will have perfected faith.” Abu Dawud transmitted it; and Tirmidhi transmitted it from Mu'adh b. Anas with a transposition of phrases, including “he will have perfected his faith.”

Abu Dharr reported God’s messenger as saying, “The most excellent action is love for God’s sake and hatred for God’s sake.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported that God’s messenger said, “The Muslim is he from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe; and the believer is he whom men trust with their lives and their property.” 'Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted it; and Baihaqi added in Shu'ab al-iman by the transmission of Fadala, “And the mujahid is he who strives with himself regarding obedience to God, and the muhajir is he who abandons transgressions and sins.

Anas said: God’s messenger seldom addressed us without saying, “He who is not trustworthy has no faith, and he who does not keep his covenant has no religion." Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-lman.