The Doors to Attain Goodness
“The Holy Prophet (sa) then said, ‘Shall I not inform you about the doors to attain goodness?’ The Holy Prophet (sa) then explained, ‘I shall inform you about the doors to attain goodness. Fasting is a shield and charity washes away sins just as water extinguishes a fire; and for one to offer prayers in the middle of the night (i.e. to offer Tahajjud prayers).’
“The Holy Prophet (sa) then recited the following verse:
تَتَجَافٰى جُنُوْبُہُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ یَدْعُوْنَ رَبَّہُمْ خَوْفًا وَّ طَمَعًا وَّ مِمَّا رَزَقْنٰہُمْ یُنْفِقُوْنَ۔ فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَّا اُخْفِیَ لَہُمْ مِّنْ قُرَّۃِ اَعْیُنٍ جَزَآءً بِمَا کَانُوْا یَعْمَلُوْنَ
“‘Their sides keep away from their beds; and they call on their Lord in fear and hope and spend out of what We have bestowed on them. And no soul knows what joy of the eyes is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their good works.’ [Ch.32: V.17-18]
“The Holy Prophet (sa) further said, ‘Shall I not inform you of the best deed, its pillar and its peak?’ The Holy Prophet (sa) then stated, ‘It is to perform Jihad.’ He then said, ‘Shall I not tell you the foundation of all this (i.e. it is a fundamental matter upon which everything rests)?’ I said, ‘Yes, O Messenger (sa) of Allah.’ And so, the Holy Prophet (sa) took hold of his tongue and said, ‘To restrain this.’
“I submitted, ‘O Prophet (sa) of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say with it?’ The Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘May Allah bless you, O Mu‘az! There is nothing that throws people into the Hellfire upon their faces except what you reap from your tongues?’”
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Fitan, Bab Kaff al-Lisan fi al-Fitnah, Hadith 3973)