Forty Hadiths on the merit of saying Laa ilaha illahlah

Forty Hadiths on the merit of saying Laa ilaha illahlah

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
and even if he steals (i.e. even if he commits great sins)." (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 "Allah forbids the Fire from touching him" are
even more explicit than those of "Allah will enter him into Paradise"
in establishing that the one who 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 but it is
not in his heart." The Prophet -- 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
a man 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 bless and greet him -- then said:
"Nothing is of any weight with Allah's Name."

[The hadith begins: innallaha sayukhallisu rajulan min ummati...] Narrated
from `Abd Allah ibn `Amr ibn al-`As by Ahmad, Tirmidhi (Iman 17 - hasan
gharib), al-Hakim, and Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman.

6.
Bukhari narrates in his Sahih (Volume 9, Book 93, Number 601): Ma`bad
ibn 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.
We said 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 bless and 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 to Ibrahim 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 my Lord's permission and it will be given; then He will inspire
me to praise Him with such praises as I cannot fathom. So I will praise
Him with those praises and will 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
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 do so.

When we left
Anas, I said to some of my companions: "Let us pass by 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 and he 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 is that?" 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 add anything
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 forgot
or if he did not like to let you 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 you of 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 the same 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 will be 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; Abu Dawud, 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 was proclaimed 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 people the tidings
that whoever says: No god except Allah alone, 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 no servant utters truthfully from his heart except
the Fire is made unlawful for him." `Umar ibn al-Khattab said:
"I shall tell you what that phrase is. It is the kalima of 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-Musayyib relates: 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 able to 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 in his 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 in
one of the chapter-titles in Bukhari's Sahih.

13.
Ibn `Abbas narrated in his Commentary that the Prophet -- Allah bless
and greet him -- said concerning the meaning of the verse: hal jaza'u
al-ihsani illa al-ihsan - "Is the reward of goodness anything other
than goodness?" (55:60): "Allah says: Can there be any other
reward than Paradise in the Hereafter for 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 the intention to win Allah's pleasure, Allah
will make Hellfire forbidden for him." Narrated by Bukhari, vol.
8 p.288 #431.

Tirmidhi comments
on the preceding hadith: "It is narrated from al-Zuhri that 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 Allah illa harrama Allahu `alayhi al-nar. "No servant
is true to his word on the Day of Resurrection, saying: No god but Allah
in order to seek 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 from Ma`iz with
a sound chain.

18.
Alaysa yashhadu an la ilaha 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 the Prophet -- 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 -- Allah bless
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 but it is not in his heart." The Prophet -- 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 is no 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 from Mu`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 ibn Ahmad 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 him to say the shahada." Abu Hatim 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 started and 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 bi al-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 with certitude 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 they would 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 rasulullah harrama
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 narrated it to you, all but
one: and I shall narrate it to you now since I am about to breathe my
last. I heard Allah's Messenger say: "Whoever witnesses that there
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 there is 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 intercession on 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 killed an 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 can you kill him after he said La
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: la ilaha illallah! Do I kill him or 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
says la ilaha illallah then you are like him before he said it, and
he is like you before you killed him." Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud,
Nasa'i, Shafi`i in his Musnad, and Bayhaqi in 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: there is 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 is
no 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 laha duna Allahi hijabun hatta tukhlisu ilayh. The Prophet
-- Allah bless and greet him -- said: "Saying subhan allah (glory
to Allah) is half the balance 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 qala hal 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`atan thumma qala al-hamdu lillah! allahumma innaka ba`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, raise up 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's father 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 chain are 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 from a 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, and Suyuti
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 come out of the Fire whoever
said: There is no god but Allah, 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, and Ibn Khuzayma from Anas.

35.
Mu`adh ibn Jabal said that the last he spoke with the Prophet -- Allah
bless and greet him -- he asked 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-waraqi wa
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 or remembrance
and mention of Allah." Narrated from Abu al-Darda' by Ahmad, Tirmidhi,
Ibn Majah, Ibn Abi al-Dunya, al-Hakim (sahih), al-Dhahabi (who confirmed
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 grave than 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 chain of 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." Anas said: "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 our decisive knowledge that the purpose
of creation is knowledge of Allah, as indicated by Ibn `Abbas's explanation
of the verse wa ma khalaqna al-jinna wa 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-kaffati al-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 stated that the sub-narrators in its chain
are trustworthy, but that the Tabi`i link is missing.

40.
After the passing of the Prophet -- Allah bless and 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 although in Ahmad the link between al-Zuhri
and Abu Bakr and `Uthman is not named other than "a man from the
trustworthy people among the Ansar," while Bayhaqi's and Tayalisi's
narration from al-Zuhri is from Sa`id ibn al-Musayyib from `Abd Allah
ibn `Amr ibn al-`As.

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