Forty Hadiths on the Merit of Saying LA ILAHA ILLALLAH

1. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said: "Whoever says:
there is no god but Allah enters Paradise." Tabarani narrated it from
Abu Dharr in the Kabir (7:55), Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (31), al-Hakim
in his Mustadrak (4:251), al-Mundhiri in al-Targhib(2:422),
al-Haythami in Majma` al-zawa'id (1:18),Ibn `Adi (7:2639), Abu Nu`aym
in the Hilya (7:174), and al-Bazzar from `Umar.
2. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said: "Whoever says
there is no god but Allah enters Paradise even if he commits adultery
andeven if he steals (i.e. even if he commits greatsins)." (Nasa'i,
Tabarani and others from Abu al-Darda' - sahih).
3. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said: "Whoever
witnesses that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's
Messenger, Allah forbids the Fire from touching him." Narrated by
Bukhari and Muslim from `Ubada ibn al-Samit.
Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, book of riqaq ch. 14 (1989 ed. 11:324) says
that the hadiths of "Allahforbids the Fire from touching him" are even
more explicit than those of "Allah will enter him into Paradise" in
establishing that the onewho declares Allah's oneness is saved even if
he does not heed the orders and the prohibitions.
4. The Companions were talking about Malik ibn Dukhshum, and they
wished that the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- would curse
him so that he should die or meet some calamity. The Prophet -- Allah
bless and greet him -- said:"Does Malik ibn Dukhshum not testify to
the fact that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of
Allah?" They said: "Yes, he no doubt says this butit is not in his
heart." TheProphet -- Allah bless and greet him -- replied:"No-one
ever witnesses that there is no god but Allah and that I am Allah's
Messenger and then enters the Fire nor is consumed by it." Anas said:
"This hadith impressed me so much that I ordered my son to write it
down and he did." Muslim narrates it.
5. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said that Allah will
save aman of his community the record of whose sins fills 99 books,
each book extending as far as the eye can see. Against all this will
be weighed the one good deed that he has, which is his witnessing that
there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, and it
will outweigh all the rest. The Prophet -- Allah blessand greet him --
then said: "Nothing is of any weight with Allah's Name."
[The hadith begins: innallaha sayukhallisu rajulan min ummati...]
Narrated from `Abd Allahibn `Amr ibn al-`As by Ahmad, Tirmidhi (Iman
17 - hasan gharib), al-Hakim, and Bayhaqi inShu`ab al-iman.
6. Bukhari narrates in hisSahih (Volume 9, Book 93, Number 601):
Ma`badibn Hilal al-`Anazi relates: Some of us from Basra gathered and
went to Anas bin Malik in company with Thabit al-Bunani so that he
might ask Anas about the Hadith of Intercession on our behalf. Anas
was in his palace, and our arrival coincided with his late morning
(Duha) prayer. We asked permission to enter and he admitted us,
sitting on his bed. Wesaid to Thabit, "Do not ask him about anything
else first but the Hadith of Intercession." He said,"O Abu Hamza! Here
are your brethren from Basra coming to ask you about the Hadith of
Intercession." Anas then said:
The Prophet -- Allah blessand greet him -- talked to us saying: On the
Day of Resurrection the people will surge one group after another like
waves, and then they will come to Adam and say: "Please intercede for
us with your Lord." He will say: "I am not fit for this. You should go
toIbrahim as he is the Intimate Friend (khalil) of the Beneficent."
They will go to Ibrahim and he will say: "I am not fit for this, but
you should go to Moses as he is the one to whom Allah spoke directly."
So they will go to Musa and he will say: "I am not fit for this, but
you should go to `Isa as he is a soul created (directly) by Allah, and
His Word (Be!)." They will go to `Isa and he will say: "I am not fit
for this, but you should go to Muhammad."
They will come to me and I will say: "I can do it." Then I will ask
for myLord's permission and it will be given; then He will inspire me
to praise Him with such praises as I cannot fathom. So I willpraise
Him with those praises and will fall down prostrate before Him. Then
it will be said:"O Muhammad, raise your head and speak, foryou will be
heard; ask, for your will be granted your request; intercede, for your
intercession willbe accepted." I will say:"O Lord, my Community! My
Community!" And then it will be said: "Go and take out of the Fire all
those who have in their hearts faith the weight of a barley grain."
I will go and do so and return to praise Him with the same praises,
and fall down prostrate before Him. Then it will be said: "O Muhammad,
raise your head and speak, for you will be heard; ask, for your will
be granted your request;intercede, for your intercession will be
accepted." I will say: "O Lord, my Community! My Community!" And then
it will be said: "Go and take out of the Fire all those who have in
their hearts faith the like of a small ant or a mustard-seed."
I will go and do so and return to praise Him with the same praises,
and fall down prostrate before Him. Then it will be said: "O Muhammad,
raise your head and speak, for you will be heard; ask, for you will be
granted your request;intercede, for your intercession will be
accepted." I will say: "O Lord, my Community! My Community!" And then
it will be said: "Go and take out of the Fire all those who have in
their hearts the smallest iota of faith." I will go and doso.
When we left Anas, I saidto some of my companions: "Let us passby
al-Hasan (al-Basri) who is hiding himself in the house of Abu Khalifa
and request him to recount to us what Anas ibn Malik has just told
us." So we went to him and we greeted him andhe admitted us. We said
to him: "O Abu Sa`id! We came to you from your brother Anas ibn Malik
and he related to us a Hadith about the intercession the like of which
I have never heard." He said: "What isthat?" We told him of the Hadith
and at the end we said: "He stopped at this point." He said: "What
then?" We said: "He did not addanything after that." He said: "Anas
related the Hadith to me twenty years ago when he was a young fellow.
I don't know whether he forgotor if he did not like to letyou depend
overly on what he might have said." We said, "O Abu Sa`id! Do tell
us." He smiled and said: "Man was created hasty. I only mentioned it
because I was going to inform youof it. Anas told me the same as he
told you and said that the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him--
added:
I will then return for a fourth time and praise Him similarly and
prostrate before Him thesame as before. And then it will be said: "O
Muhammad, raise your head and speak, for you will be heard; ask, for
your will be granted your request; intercede, for your intercession
willbe accepted." I will then say: "O Lord, allow me to intercede for
whoever said: la ilaha illallah." Then Allah will say:
By My Power,
by My Majesty,
by My Supremacy,
and by My Greatness,
I shall take out of the fire whoever said: la ilaha illallah.
7. This is confirmed by another well-known hadith whereby the Prophet
-- Allah bless and greet him -- said:"My intercession is for those
people of my Community who commit major sins." Narrated by Tirmidhi,
Qiyama 11; AbuDawud, Sunna 31; Ibn Maja, Zuhd 37; and Ahmad 3:213.
8. Adhana fi al-nasi anna man shahida an la ilaha illallah wahdahu la
sharika lahu mukhlisan dakhala al-janna. "It wasproclaimed among the
people that whoever witnesses that there is no god except Allah,
alone, without partner, enters Paradise." Narrated by Ibn `Adi on the
authority of `Umar.
8a. Man shahida an la ilaha illallah dakhala al-janna. "Whoever
witnesses that there is no god but Allah alone enters Paradise."
al-Bazzar narrates it from `Umar.
9. Bashshir al-nasa annahu man qala la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la
sharika lahu wajabat lahu al-janna."Announce to the peoplethe tidings
that whoeversays: No god except Allahalone, without partner, Paradise
is guaranteed for him." Narrated by al-Nasa'i from Sahl ibn Hunayf and
Zayd ibn Khalid al-Jahni.
10. `Uthman ibn `Affan said: I heard Allah's Messenger say: "Verily, I
know a phrase which noservant utters truthfully from his heart except
the Fire is made unlawful for him." `Umaribn al-Khattab said: "I shall
tell you what that phrase is. It is the kalimaof sincerity with which
Allah has empowered Muhammad and his Companions, the kalima of fear of
Allah which Allah's Prophet enjoined upon his uncle Abu Talib on his
deathbed: the witnessing that there is no god but Allah." Ahmad
related it in his Musnad (1:63 #449).
11 . Sa`id ibn al-Musayyibrelates: When the death of Abu Talib
approached,Allah's Apostle came to him and said: "Say: la ilaha
illallah, a word with which I will be ableto negotiate or argue
(uhajju) for you in Allah's presence." Narrated by Bukhari in his
Sahih (Volume 8, Book 78, Number 672). Muslim also narrates it inhis
Sahih.
12. Mafatih al-janna shahadatu an la ilaha illallah. "The keys to
Paradise are the witnessing that there is no god but Allah." Ahmad
related it from Mu`adh and Haythami said in Majma` al-zawa'id: "The
men in its chain has been declared trustworthy (thiqa) although there
is interruption in the transmission." It is confirmed by the next
hadith.
12a. Li kulli shay'in miftahun wa miftahu al-jannati shahadatu an la
ilaha illallah."Everything has its key, and the key to Paradise is the
witnessing that there is no god but Allah." Narrated by Tabarani from
Mu`qal ibn Yasar. Wahb confirmed its authenticity as related inone of
the chapter-titles in Bukhari's Sahih.
13. Ibn `Abbas narrated in his Commentary that the Prophet -- Allah
blessand greet him -- said concerning the meaningof the verse: hal
jaza'u al-ihsani illa al-ihsan - "Isthe reward of goodness anything
other than goodness?" (55:60):"Allah says: Can there be any other
reward than Paradise in the Hereafterfor one whom I blessed in his
worldly life with the recitation of the kalima of la ilaha illallah?"
`Ikrima and al-Hasan also said that the reward of la ilaha illallah
cannot be anything but Paradise.
14. "If anyone comes on the Day of Resurrection who has said la ilaha
illallah sincerely with theintention to win Allah's pleasure, Allah
will makeHellfire forbidden for him." Narrated by Bukhari, vol. 8
p.288#431.
Tirmidhi comments on the preceding hadith: "Itis narrated from
al-Zuhrithat he was asked about the Prophet's saying whereby "Whoever
says la ilaha illallah enters Paradise" and he said:"This was only in
the beginning of Islam, before the revelation of obligations and the
orders and prohibitions." The hafiz Abu Bakr ibn al-`Arabi (d. 543)
comments on this in `Aridat al-ahwadhi (10:105):"There is no
justification for Ibn Shihab's (al-Zuhri) explanation." This is
confirmed by the hadith of `Utban ibn Malik. Ibn Hajar in Fath
al-Bari, Riqaq ch. 14 (1989 ed. 11:324) mentions that the opinion of
al-Zuhri and of Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib that the hadith"Whoever says la
ilaha illallah applied only in the beginning of Islam was incorrect
since the hadith of Abu al-Darda' and Abu Dharr whereby the Muslim
enters Paradise "even if he commits adultery or steals" and the
Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- mentioned this precisely to
contradict the logic of those who say that great sins will prevent
entry into Paradise.
15. Lan yuwafiya `abdun yawma al-qiyamati yaqulu la ilaha illallah
yabtaghi biha wajh Allahilla harrama Allahu `alayhi al-nar. "No
servant is true to his word on the Day of Resurrection, saying: No god
but Allah in order toseek Allah's good pleasure, except Allah will
make the Fire unlawful for him." Narrated by Ahmad and Bukhari from
`Utban ibn Malik.
16. "The best of my sayings and of the sayings of all Prophets before
me is: There is no god but Allah alone, without partner, to Him belong
all sovereignty and glory, and He has power over all things." Narrated
by Tirmidhi from `Amr ibn Shu`ayb, from his father, from his
grandfather (hasan gharib).
17. Afdalu al-a`mali al-imanu billahi wahdah,thumma al-jihad, thumma
hujjatun mabrura, tufdilu sa'ir al-a`mali kama bayna matla` al-shamsi
ila maghribiha. "The best deed is belief in Allah alone, then fighting
in the way of Allah, then pilgrimage that is accepted: these outweigh
all deeds the distance of East to West."Narrated by Ahmad fromMa`iz
with a sound chain.
18. Alaysa yashhadu an lailaha illallah wa anni rasulullah? Qalu
innahu yaqulu dhalika wa ma huwa fi qalbihi. Qala la yashhadu ahadun
an la ilaha illallah wa anni rasulullah fa yadkhulu al-nara aw
tut`imuhu. Qala anas fa a`jabani hadha al-hadith fa qultu li ibni
uktubhu fa katabahu. It is narrated on the authority of `Utban ibn
Malik that he came to Madina and said: Something was wrong with my
eyesight,so I said to the Prophet:"It is my ardent desire that you
should grace my house with your presence and pray there so that I
should take the spot where you prayed as a place of worship." (Another
version also in Muslim has: I sent for theProphet -- Allah bless and
greet him -- the message: "Come and lay for me a place for worship
[khutta li masjidan]." Imam Nawawi said: It means:"Mark for me a spot
that I can take as a place for worship by obtaining blessing from your
having been there [mutabarrikan bi atharika].") So the Prophet --
Allah bless and greet him -- came there, with those of the Companions
whom Allah wished. He entered (my home) and performed prayer. Then the
Companions began to talk among themselves about Malik ibn Dukhshum,
and they wished that the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- would
curse him so that he should die or meet some calamity. After the
Prophet -- Allahbless and greet him -- finished praying he said:"Does
Malik ibn Dukhshum not testify to the fact that there is no god but
Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah?" They said: "Yes, he no
doubt says this butit is not in his heart." TheProphet -- Allah bless
and greet him -- replied:"No-one ever witnesses that there is no god
but Allah and that I am Allah's Messenger and then enters the Fire or
consumes it." Anas said:"This hadith impressed me so much that I
ordered my son to write it down and he did." Narrated by Muslim. Imam
Nawawi says about: "In this hadith is evidence for obtaining blessings
through the relics of saints (al-tabarruk bi athar al-salihin)."
19. Al-imanu bid`un wa sab`una baban fa adnaha imatat al-adha `an
al-tariq wa arfa`uha qawlu la ilaha illallah."Belief is seventy and
some branches. Its lowest branch is the removal of harm from the road
while its highest is to say: There isno god but Allah." Narrated by
Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad.
20. Man kana akhir kalamihi la ilaha illallah dakhala
al-janna."Whoever breathes his last with the words: la ilaha illallah,
enters Paradise." Narrated fromMu`adh by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and
al-Hakim.
Imam Nawawi in his book al-Tarkhis fi al-ikram bi al-qiyam li dhawi
al-fadl wa al-maziyya min ahl al-Islam (p. 84) said:
The hadith master Abu al-Baqa' told us: Hafiz Abu Muhammad informed
us: Abu Tahir al-Silafi informed us: Abu`Ali al-Burdani said: I heard
Hannad ibn Ibrahim al-Nasafi saying:I heard Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn
Muhammad al-Qattan saying: I heard Abu `Abd Allah `Umar ibnAhmad Ibn
Ishaq al-`Attar saying: I heard Abu `Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn
Warah al-Razi saying: I and Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Idris al-Razi were
present with Abu Zur`a al-Razi at the time of his death, so I said to
Abu Hatim:"Come, let us remind himto say the shahada." AbuHatim said,
"I would be ashamed before Abu Zur`a to remind him of the shahada; but
come, let us recall the hadith, perhaps when he hears it he will say
it." I startedand said:
Muhammad ibn Bashshar told us:
Abu `Asim al-Nabil told us:
from `Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja`far -
then I got confused about the hadith as if I never heard it or read it.
So Abu Hatim started and said:
Muhammad ibn Bashshar told us:
Abu `Asim al-Nabil told us:
from `Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja`far -
then he too got confused as if he never read it or heard it before.
Then Abu Zur`a, may Allah be pleased with him, spoke and said:
Muhammad ibn Bashshar told us:
Abu `Asim al-Nabil told us:
`Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja`far told us:
from Salih ibn Abi `Urayb:
from Kathir ibn Murrah:
from Mu`adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace,
said:"Whoever speaks as his last words: la ilaha illallah" - then Abu
Zur`a's spirit came out with the letter ha' (the last letter of the
word Allah) before he could say "he will enter Paradise." That was in
the year 262.
21. Man mata wa huwa ya`lamu annahu la ilaha illallah dakhala
al-janna."Whoever dies knowing full well that there is no god but
Allah, enters Paradise." Narrated by Muslim and Ahmad from `Uthman.22.
Idhhab bi na`layya hatayni fa man laqita min wara'a hadha al-ha'it
yashhadu an la ilaha illallah mustayqinan biha qalbahu fa bashshirhu
bial-janna. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him-- said to Abu
Hurayra:"Go with these two sandals of mine and whoever you meet behind
this wall that witnesses that there is no god except Allah
withcertitude in his heart, give him glad tidings that he will enter
Paradise." Narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayra. The latter then met
`Umar, who prevented him from announcing this to the people and the
Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- agreed with him on the grounds
that theywould then rely upon it to the exclusion of everything else.
The prevention of this news from reaching the ears of the ignorant is
confirmed by the hadith of Mu`adh and that of `Ubada ibn al-Samit
through al-Sunabihi, both narrated by Muslim in the same chapter (Book
of iman ch. 10).
23 . Man shahida an la ilaha illallah wa anna Muhammadan
rasulullahharrama Allahu `alayhi al-nar. `Abd al-Rahman ibn Usayla
al-Sunabihi said: When I entered upon `Ubada ibn al-Samit at the time
of his death I burst into tears so he said: "Why are you crying? By
Allah, if I were asked to testify I would testify for you, and if I
were given intercession I would intercede for you, and if it were in
my power I would certainly help you! By Allah, I never heard a hadith
from Allah's Messenger in which there was benefit for you except I
narratedit to you, all but one: andI shall narrate it to you now since
I am about to breathe my last. I heard Allah's Messenger say:"Whoever
witnesses thatthere is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's
Messenger, Allah forbids the Fire from touching him." Muslim and
Tirmidhi narrated it.Qadi `Iyad said: "In this hadith is the proof for
the permissibility of keeping certain types of knowledge away from the
common people due to the inability of their minds to understand it
correctly, as long as it does not concern an obligation of religion or
stipulations for punishment." Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim (Iman Ch. 10
#47).
24. Ya Mu`adh ibn Jabal ma min ahadin yashhadu an la ilaha illallah wa
anni rasulullah sidqan min qalbihi illa harramahu allahu `ala al-nar.
Qala ya rasulallah afala ukhbiru al-nasa fayastabshiru? Qala idhan
yattakilu. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said: "O Mu`adh
ibn Jabal! No one witnesses that thereis no god but Allah and that I
am Allah's Messenger truthfully from his heart except Allah has made
him unlawful for the Fire." Mu`adh said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall
I not tell the people so that they will be glad?" He replied: "If you
do, they will rely on it (and leave everything else)." Narrated by
Muslim, Ahmad and Bayhaqi from Anas. Muslim says:"Mu`adh narrated it
at the time of his death to avoid sinning (by keeping it to himself)."
25. As`adu al-nasi bi shafa`ati yawma al-qiyama man qala La ilaha
illallah khalisan mukhlisan min qalbihi. Abu Hurayra inquired from the
Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah, who will be the most fortunate of
people to receive your intercessionon the Day of Resurrection?" The
Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- replied:"O Abu Hurayra, I
knew, because of your love of what I say, that no one other than you
would ask me of this hadith. The most fortunate of people to receive
my intercession on the Day of Resurrection are those who said: la
ilaha illallah purely and sincerely from the heart." Narrated by
Bukhari from Abu Hurayra.
26. Usama ibn Zayd killedan idolater in battle after the latter had
said:"There is no god but Allah" (la ilaha illallah). When news of
this reached Allah's Messenger he condemned Usama in the strongest
terms and he said to him: "How canyou kill him after he saidLa ilaha
illallah?" He replied: "But he said it with the sword hanging over his
head-" The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said again: "How
can you kill him after he said La ilaha illallah?" He replied: "O
Messenger of Allah, he said it in dissimulation (taqiyyatan)." The
Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said:"Did you split his heart
open (to see)?" and he did not cease to reprove him until Usama wished
that he had not entered Islam until after he had killed that man so
that he might have been forgiven all his past sins through belief.
Narrated by Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Tayalisi, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i,
al-`Adni, Abu `Awana, al-Tahawi, al-Hakim, and Bayhaqi.
27. Al-Miqdad said: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, suppose I and one
of the idolaters battled and he cut off my hand, then I was positioned
to strike him and he said: lailaha illallah! Do I kill himor spare
him?" He said:"Spare him." I said:"Even if he cut off my hand?" He
said: "Even so." I asked him again two or three times whereupon he
said: "If you kill him after he saysla ilaha illallah then you are
like him before he said it, and he is like youbefore you killed him."
Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Shafi`i in his Musnad, and
Bayhaqiin the Shu`ab.
28. Innallaha la yu`adhdhibu min `ibadihi illa al-marid wa
al-mutamarrid `ala Allah wa aba an yaqula la ilaha illallah. The
Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said:"Allah does not punish,
of his servants, except the rebel against Allah who refuses to say:
thereis no god but Allah." Ibn Majah narrated it.
29. afdalu al-dhikri la ilaha illallah. The Prophet -- Allah bless and
greet him -- said:"The best remembrance of Allah is to say: There isno
god but Allah." Tirmidhi (hasan), Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban,
Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman, from Jabir ibn `Abd Allah.
30. Al-tasbih nusfu al-mizan, wa al-hamdu lillah tamla'uhu, wa LA
ILAHA ILLALLAH laysa lahaduna Allahi hijabun hatta tukhlisu ilayh. The
Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- said:"Saying subhan allah
(glory to Allah) is half thebalance and saying al-hamdu lillah (all
praise belongs to Allah) fills it, and there is no veil between la
ilaha illallah and Allah Himself (i.e. it is not even weighed in the
Balance),it reaches Him directly." Narrated by Tirmidhi from `Abd
Allah ibn `Umar. Suyuti in al-Jami` al-saghir said it is sound
(sahih).
31. Kunna `inda al-nabiyyi sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam fa qalahal
fikum gharib? ya`ni ahl al-kitab qulna la ya rasulallah fa amara bi
ghalqi al-abwabi wa qala irfa`u aydikum wa qulu la ilaha illallah!
farafa`na aydina sa`atanthumma qala al-hamdu lillah! allahumma
innakaba`athtani bi hadhihi al-kalimai wa wa`adtani `alayha al-jannata
wa anta la tukhlifu al-mi`ad!thumma qala abshiru fa innallaha qad
ghafara lakum. Ya`la ibn Shaddad relates that his father Shaddad ibn
Aws told him as `Ubada ibn al-Samit was present and confirmed it: "We
were sitting with Allah's Messenger and he asked if there was any
stranger- the narrator said: i.e. People of the Book - in the
gathering. We said that there was none. He said: Shut the door,
raiseup your hands and say:"There is no god but Allah." We raised our
hands and recited the kalima tayyiba for some time. He then
exclaimed:"al-hamdu lillah! O Allah, You have sent me with this word
and have ordered me to teach it and have promised me Paradise for it,
and You do not take back Your promise. Be glad, for Allah has forgiven
you!" The chain of this hadith is fair (hasan). Narrated from Ya`la
ibn Shaddad'sfather and `Ubada ibn al-Samit by Ahmad, Nasa'i,
Tabarani, al-Hakim, al-Mundhiri in al-Targhib, and others. Al-Haythami
said in Majma` al-zawa'id: "The sub-narrators in its chainare
trustworthy."
32. `Abd Allah ibn Salam relates: As we were travelling with Allah's
Messenger he heard the people asking: "Which action is the best, O
Allah's Messenger?" He said: "Belief in Allah, fighting in Allah's
way, and pilgrimage that is accepted." After this he heard a call
coming froma valley saying: "I bear witness that there is no god but
Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" whereupon he
said:"And I bear witness to the same, and I bear witness that no one
bears witness to the same except he clears himself of shirk
(associating a partner to Allah)." Ahmad and Tabarani in al-Awsat
relate it with a sound chain, as stated by Haythami in Majma`
al-zawa'id.
33. The Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- came out and heard the
adhan. When he heard the mu'adhdhin say: la ilaha illallah, he said:
khala`a al-andad, which means: "He (the speaker)has disowned (the
existence of) partners (to Allah)." Ibn Abi al-Dunya narrated it,
andSuyuti cites it in his commentary of verse 2:18 in al-Durr
al-manthur.
34. Yakhruju min al-nari man qala la ilaha illallah wa kana fi qalbihi
min al-khayri ma yazinu sha`ira, thumma yakhruju min al-nari man qala
la ilaha illallah wa kana fi qalbihi min al-khayri ma yazinu badhra,
thumman yakhruju min al-nari man qala la ilaha illallah wa kana fi
qalbihi min al-khayri ma yazinu dharra. "There will comeout of the
Fire whoever said: There is no god butAllah, and there is in his heart
a bead's worth of goodness; then there will come out of the Fire
whoever said: There is no god but Allah, and there is in his heart a
grain's worth of goodness; then there will come out of the Fire
whoever said: There is no god but Allah, and there is in his heart an
atom's worth of goodness." Related by Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Tirmidhi
(hasan sahih), Bayhaqi, Nasa'i, Tabarani, Ibn Majah, andIbn Khuzayma
from Anas.
35. Mu`adh ibn Jabal saidthat the last he spoke with the Prophet --
Allah bless and greet him -- heasked him: "What action is most beloved
to Allah?" And the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- replied:
"That you die with your tongue still moist with the mention (dhikr) of
Allah." Related by Tabarani and al-Bazzar (hasan). Note that hadith#29
stipulates that the best dhikr is La ilaha illallah.
36. Ala unabbi'ukum bi khayri a`malikum wa azkaha `inda malikikum wa
arfa`iha fi darajatikum wa khayrin lakum min infaqi al-dhahabi wa
al-waraqiwa khayrin lakum min an talqu `aduwwakum fa tadribu a`naqahum
wa yadribu a`naqakum qalu bala qala dhikrullah. The Prophet -- Allah
bless and greet him -- said: "Shall I tell you something that is the
best of all deeds, constitutes the best act of piety in the eyes of
your Lord, will elevate your status in the hereafter, and carries more
virtue than the spending of gold and silver or taking part in jihad
and slaying and being slain in the path of Allah? It is the dhikr
orremembrance and mention of Allah." Narrated from Abu al-Darda' by
Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Abi al-Dunya, al-Hakim (sahih),
al-Dhahabi (whoconfirmed al-Hakim), and others.
37. Ma `amila adamiyyun`amalan anja lahu min `adhabi al-qabri min
dhikrillah. The Prophet --Allah bless and greet him-- said: "A human
being cannot do anything that is more effective in saving him from the
punishment of the gravethan the dhikr or remembrance of Allah."
Narrated from Mu`adh ibn Jabal by Ahmad. Haythami said in Majma`
al-zawa'id that the sub-narrators in its chainof transmission are the
men of sound hadith, although the Tabi`i link is missing; however,
Tabarani narrated it through a second chain which is entirely sound
(sahih). Also narrated with the word al-`abd (Allah's servant) instead
of adamiyyun (a human being) by Malik in his Muwatta', Tirmidhi, Ibn
Majah, al-Hakim (sahih), and al-Dhahabi (who confirmed al-Hakim).
38. Anas reports that the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- was
once asked the same question as Mu`adh in hadith #35, and he replied:
"Knowledge of Allah." It was then asked:"And which action adds to this
in merit?" He repeated: "Knowledge of Allah." They said: "We ask about
actions and you answer concerning knowledge?" The Prophet -- Allah
bless and greet him -- said: "A few actions are greatly useful as long
as there is knowledge; while a lot of actions are useless if there is
ignorance." Anassaid: "He spoke of this at length." Ibn `Abd al-Barr
reports it in Fadl al-`ilm with a weak chain. See also Ithaf al-sadat
al-muttaqin (1:85), Suyuti's al-Durr al-manthur (2:221), and
al-Mundhiri's al-Tarhib wa al-Targhib (3:525).
This hadith is confirmed by hadith #37 and by the first phrase of
hadith#17 whereby "the best deed is belief in Allah alone." The hadith
is further confirmed by ourdecisive knowledge that the purpose of
creation is knowledge of Allah, asindicated by Ibn `Abbas'sexplanation
of the verse wa ma khalaqna al-jinnawa al-insa illa li ya`budun "I did
not create the jinn and humankind except to worship (= know) Me"
(51:56) and the verse fa`lam annahu la ilaha illallah "Know that there
is no god except Allah" (47:19).
39. Wal-ladhi nafsi bi yadihi law ji'a bi al-samawati wa al-ardi wa
man fihinna wa ma baynahunna fa wudi`na fi kaffati al-mizani wa
wudi`at shahadatu an la ilaha illallahu fi al-kaffatial-ukhra la
rajahat bihinna. "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if the heavens and
the earth and all that are in them and everything that is in between
were brought and placed in one pan of the Balance, and the witnessing
that there is no god but Allah were placed in the other, the latter
would outweigh the former." Related by Tabarani and by Suyuti in
al-Durr al-manthur. Haythami in Majma` al-zawa'id statedthat the
sub-narrators inits chain are trustworthy, but that theTabi`i link is
missing.
40. After the passing of the Prophet -- Allah blessand greet him --
from this world Abu Bakr said to the Companions: "I asked Allah's
Messenger what basic thing was necessary for salvation and he replied
that whoever accepts the Word which I brought and which I offered to
my uncle Abu Talib and which he rejected: this Word constitutes
salvation for him." Related by Ahmad (1:6), Tabarani in al-Awsat,
Tayalisi in his Musnad, Ibn Sa`d in his Tabaqat (2/2:84-85), Abu
Ya`la, Ibn Abi Shayba, Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman (1:107-108 #92-93)
and al-Bazzar. See above, hadiths #10-11. This hadith is sound
althoughin Ahmad the link between al-Zuhri and Abu Bakr and `Uthman
isnot named other than "aman from the trustworthy people among the
Ansar," whileBayhaqi's and Tayalisi's narration from al-Zuhri is from
Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib from `Abd Allah ibn `Amr ibn al-`As.
Blessings and peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions.

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