Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on the expedition of Tabuk. I saw a moment of privacy and seized it, so I urged my camel towards him (peace and blessings be upon him) until I was riding alongside him (peace and blessings be upon him), and I said: O Messenger of Allah, teach me a deed that will admit me into Paradise. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have asked about something tremendous, yet it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy: that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayer, pay the obligatory zakah, and fast Ramadan." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) rode on and I rode on.
He said: "And if you wish, I will tell you about the gates of good: fasting is a shield, charity wipes out sins, and a man's standing (in prayer) in the depths of the night." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "Their sides forsake their beds" [Al-Sajdah: 16]. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) rode on and I rode on.
And he said: "Shall I not tell you the head of this matter, its pillar and its highest peak? Jihad in the path of Allah." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) rode on and I rode on.
He said: "If you wish, I will tell you of that which has more control over people than all of that." (The narrator said:) He (peace and blessings be upon him) fell silent for a little while, and I looked around and saw a rider. I thought he might come to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and occupy him, so I said: O Messenger of Allah, what is it that has more control than all of that? He (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed with his hand to his tongue. I said: O Messenger of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu'adh bin Jabal! Whatever you say is either for you or against you. Does anything topple people on their noses into the fire of Hell except the harvests of their tongues?"
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17427
Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will admit me into Paradise and keep me far from the Fire. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have asked about something tremendous, yet it is easy for the one for whom Allah makes it easy: that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayer, pay the obligatory zakah, and fast Ramadan. If you wish, I will also tell you about the gates of good." I said: Certainly, O Messenger of Allah! He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting is a shield, charity wipes out sin, and a man's standing (in prayer) in the depths of the night seeking the pleasure of Allah." (The narrator said:) Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "Their sides forsake their beds" [Al-Sajdah: 16].
Then he said: "If you wish, I will also tell you the head of this matter, its pillar and its highest peak." I said: Certainly, O Messenger of Allah! He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As for the head of the matter, it is Islam; as for its pillar, it is the prayer; and as for its highest peak, it is jihad in the path of Allah. And if you wish, I will also tell you of that which has more control over people than all of that." I said: What is it, O Messenger of Allah? He (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed his finger towards his mouth. I said: O Messenger of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say with our tongues? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May your mother be bereaved of you, O Ibn Jabal! Does anything topple people on their noses into the fire of Hell except the harvests of their tongues?"
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17428
Maymun bin Abi Shabib (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Then the narrator mentioned a similar hadith.
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17430
Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent me to Yemen, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, advise me. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Hold fast to good character, for the one with the best character among people is the one with the best religion."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17431
Maymun bin Abi Shabib (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, advise me. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fear Allah wherever you are, follow a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe it out, and treat people with good character."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17432
Maymun bin Abi Shabib (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, advise me. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fear Allah wherever you are." I said: Tell me more. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Follow a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe it out, and treat people with good character."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17433
Maymun bin Abi Shabib (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, advise me. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fear Allah wherever you are." I said: Tell me more. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Follow a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe it out." I said: Tell me more. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Treat people with good character."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17434