From the route of Mu^adh bin Jabal, may Allah accept his deeds, who said: I said: O Messenger of Allah inform me about a deed that makes me enter Paradise and keeps me away from Hellfire. He said: <<You have asked about a great matter which is easy for the one whom Allah willed to make it easy for him. Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him. Perform the prayers. Pay Zakat. Fast Ramadan and offer pilgrimage to the sacred house.>> Thereafter He said: <<Should I guide you to the ports of goodness? They are: Fasting and it is a shielding equipment, charity and it puts out the sin as the water extinguishes the fire and the prayer of one in the middle of the night.>> Then he recited:
{تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ *
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ}
It Means: [Their sides depart their beds and they make supplication to their Lord in fear and hopefullness, and they spend for the sake of Allah out of the sustenance that we Provided for them. No soul shall come to grips with the delightful enjoyments We have reserved for them as a reward for their good doings.]
Then he said: <<Do not you want me to tell you about the head, backbone and apex of all of that?>> I said: Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah. He said: <<The head of all of that is Islam and its backbone is the prayers and the apex of it is to struggle for the sake of Allah.>> Then he said: <<Do not you want me to tell you about what makes all of that sound and acceptable?>> I said: Yes indeed O Prophet of Allah, so he held his tongue and said: <<Protect yourself from this.>> I said: O Prophet of Allah are we accountable for what we say? He said: <<Alas! Is there anything but the tongue that makes people drop on their faces (or he said: their noses) in hell fire?>> Narrated by at-Tirmidhiyy and he said this Hadith is hasan sahih.
عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قُلْت يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ وَيُبَاعِدُنِي مِنَ النَّارِ. قَالَ: ((لَقَدْ سَأَلْت عَنْ عَظِيمٍ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَسِيرٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَسَّرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، تَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ لا تُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَتُقِيمُ الصَّلاَةَ، وَتُؤْتِي الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومُ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجُّ الْبَيْتَ))، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ((أَلا أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْخَيْرِ؟ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ، وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ، وَصَلاَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ))، ثُمَّ تَلا ﴿تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ﴾ حَتَّى بَلَغَ ﴿ يَعْمَلُونَ (17)﴾ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ((أَلا أُخْبِرُك بِرَأْسِ الأَمْرِ وَعَمُودِهِ وَذِرْوَةِ سَنَامِهِ؟))قُلْت: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: ((رَأْسُ الأَمْرِ الإِسْلاَمُ، وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلاَةُ، وَذِرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ))، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ((أَلا أُخْبِرُكَ بِمِلاَكِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ؟)) قُلْتُ: بَلَى يَا نَبِيَ اللَّهِ، فَأَخَذَ بِلِسَانِهِ وَقَالَ: ((كُفَّ عَلَيْك هَذَا)) قُلْتُ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَإِنَّا لَمُؤَاخَذُونَ بِمَا نَتَكَلَّمُ بِهِ؟ فَقَالَ: ((ثَكِلَتْكَ أُمُّك وَهَلْ يَكُبُّ النَّاسَ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ)) أَوْ قَالَ: ((عَلَى مَنَاخِرِهِمْ إلَّا حَصَائِدُ أَلْسِنَتِهِمْ؟)) رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ