وعن أبي هريرة، قال: أتي أعرابي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال: دلني على عمل إذا عملته دخلت الجنة، قال: "تعبد الله ولا تشرك به شيئاً، وتقيم الصلاة المكتوبة، وتؤدي الزكاة المفروضة، وتصوم رمضان." قال: والذي نفسي بيده لا أزيد على هذا شيئاً ولا أنقض منه، فلما ولى، قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "من سره أن ينظر إلى رجل من أهل الجنة فلينظر إلى هذا." [متفق عليه]
Translation of the Hadith
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), a Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "Guide me to a deed that if I do it, I will enter Paradise." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayers, pay the obligatory Zakat, and fast in Ramadan." The Bedouin said, "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I will not do more than this or less than this." When he turned away, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever wants to see a man from the people of Paradise, let him look at this man." [Agreed upon: Bukhari: 1397, Muslim: 14/5]
Explanation of the Hadith
Performing the Pillars of Islam:
This hadith indicates that a person who fulfills the pillars of Islam (without committing actions that nullify Islam) will undoubtedly enter Paradise. This may occur either by Allah's grace and forgiveness at the onset or after being punished for their sins.
Identifying the Bedouin:
There is a difference of opinion regarding the name of the Bedouin mentioned in this hadith. Some say he was Sa'd, others say Abdullah ibn Akhram, while others believe he was Laqit ibn Amir or Ibn al-Munfiq. This discrepancy does not harm the understanding of the hadith, nor is it necessary to identify his exact name.
Worshiping Allah:
Worshiping Allah means having faith in Him, complete obedience, and avoiding all forms of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and disbelief.
No Mention of Hajj:
The absence of Hajj in this hadith might be because it was not obligatory at that time.
Refutation of the Murji'ah:
Similar to previous hadiths, this hadith also refutes the Murji'ah, who exclude actions from faith.
Absence of Mention Does Not Imply Denial:
If a thing is not mentioned in one narration but is mentioned in another, the absence of mention does not imply its negation.
Supererogatory Acts (Sunnah and Nawafil):
Some deduce from this hadith that Sunnah and Nawafil are not obligatory. However, it is better and more virtuous to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and incorporate all established Sunnah practices into one’s life. On the Day of Judgment, deficiencies in obligatory acts will be compensated by Sunnah and Nawafil.
Achieving Paradise:
A person can become deserving of Paradise through the mercy of Allah by acting upon the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Number of Those Promised Paradise:
The number of those given glad tidings of Paradise is not limited to ten; rather, anyone proven to be a person of Paradise through the Qur'an and Hadith is a Jannati.
Faith and Monotheism:
Righteous deeds benefit only after having faith in Allah and the belief in monotheism.
Every Innovation is a Misguidance:
Imam Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi (d. 294 AH) narrated:
"Ishaq narrated to us: Wakî’ informed us from Hisham ibn al-Ghazz that he heard Nafi’ say: Ibn ‘Umar said: 'Every innovation is a misguidance even if people see it as good.'"[Kitab al-Sunnah, Hadith 82, with an authentic chain; Sharh Usul I’tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah, Hadith 126; Al-Madkhal by Al-Bayhaqi, Hadith 191]
Thus, any religious practice not proven by the Qur'an, Sunnah, Ijma (consensus), and the practices of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) is considered a misguided innovation, even if people regard it as a good innovation.
