81. To make the Heart Tender (Ar-Riqaq)

٨١۔ كتاب الرقاق

81.18 The adoption of a middle course, and the regularity of deeds

٨١۔١٨ باب الْقَصْدِ وَالْمُدَاوَمَةِ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ

bukhari:6461ʿAbdān from my father > Shuʿbah > Ashʿath from my father > Masrūq > Saʾalt

I asked ʿAisha "What deed was the most beloved to the Prophet?" She said, "The regular constant one." I said, "At what time did he use to get up at night (for the Tahajjud night prayer)?' She said, "He used to get up on hearing (the crowing of) the cock (the last third of the night).  

البخاري:٦٤٦١حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبِي عَنْ شُعْبَةَ عَنْ أَشْعَثَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مَسْرُوقًا قَالَ

سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ ؓ أَىُّ الْعَمَلِ كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَتِ الدَّائِمُ قَالَ قُلْتُ فَأَىَّ حِينٍ كَانَ يَقُومُ قَالَتْ كَانَ يَقُومُ إِذَا سَمِعَ الصَّارِخَ  

bukhari:6462Qutaybah > Mālik > Hishām b. ʿUrwah from his father > ʿĀʾishah

The most beloved action to Messenger of Allah ﷺ was that whose doer did it continuously and regularly.  

البخاري:٦٤٦٢حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ كَانَ أَحَبُّ الْعَمَلِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ الَّذِي يَدُومُ عَلَيْهِ صَاحِبُهُ  

bukhari:6463Ādam > Ibn Abū Dhiʾb > Saʿīd al-Maqburī > Abū Hurayrah

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The deeds of anyone of you will not save you (from the (Hell) Fire)." They said, "Even you (will not be saved by your deeds), O Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" He said, "No, even I (will not be saved) unless and until Allah bestows His Mercy on me. Therefore, do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise).  

البخاري:٦٤٦٣حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَنْ يُنَجِّيَ أَحَدًا مِنْكُمْ عَمَلُهُ قَالُوا وَلاَ أَنْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ وَلاَ أَنَا إِلاَّ أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَنِي اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا وَاغْدُوا وَرُوحُوا وَشَىْءٌ مِنَ الدُّلْجَةِ وَالْقَصْدَ الْقَصْدَ تَبْلُغُوا  

bukhari:6464ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. ʿAbdullāh > Sulaymān > Mūsá b. ʿUqbah > Abū Salamah b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > ʿĀʾishah

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little."  

البخاري:٦٤٦٤حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا وَاعْلَمُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُدْخِلَ أَحَدَكُمْ عَمَلُهُ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَنَّ أَحَبَّ الأَعْمَالِ أَدْوَمُهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِنْ قَلَّ  

Allah loves consistency in righteous acts not matter how small or few

bukhari:6465Muḥammad b. ʿArʿarah > Shuʿbah > Saʿd b. Ibrāhīm > Abū Salamah > ʿĀʾishah

that she said, "The Prophet ﷺ was asked, 'What deeds are most loved by Allah?'" He said, "The most regular ˹and constant ones˺ of them, even if a few." He added, "˹Hold yourself˺ responsible for ˹only those˺ acts that are within your ability."  

البخاري:٦٤٦٥حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَرْعَرَةَ؛ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ؛ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ؛ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ؛ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ؓ

أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: «أَدْوَمُهَا، وَإِنْ قَلَّ۔» وَقَالَ: «اكْلَفُوا مِنَ الأَعْمَالِ مَا تُطِيقُونَ۔»  

bukhari:6466ʿUthmān b. Abū Shaybah > Jarīr > Manṣūr > Ibrāhīm > ʿAlqamah

I asked ʿAisha, mother of the believers, "O mother of the believers! How were the deeds of the Prophet? Did he use to do extra deeds of worship on special days?" She said, "No, but his deeds were regular and constant, and who among you is able to do what the Prophet ﷺ was able to do (i.e. in worshipping Allah)?"  

البخاري:٦٤٦٦حَدَّثَنِي عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ قَالَ

سَأَلْتُ أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ قُلْتُ يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَمَلُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ هَلْ كَانَ يَخُصُّ شَيْئًا مِنَ الأَيَّامِ قَالَتْ لاَ كَانَ عَمَلُهُ دِيمَةً وَأَيُّكُمْ يَسْتَطِيعُ مَا كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَسْتَطِيعُ  

bukhari:6467ʿAlī b. ʿAbdullāh > Muḥammad b. al-Zibriqān > Mūsá b. ʿUqbah > Abū Salamah b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > ʿĀʾishah

The Prophet ﷺ said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one's good deeds will not make him enter Paradise." They asked, "Even you, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ?" He said, "Even I, unless and until Allah bestows His pardon and Mercy on me."  

البخاري:٦٤٦٧حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الزِّبْرِقَانِ حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يُدْخِلُ أَحَدًا الْجَنَّةَ عَمَلُهُ قَالُوا وَلاَ أَنْتَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ وَلاَ أَنَا إِلاَّ أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَنِي اللَّهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍ وَرَحْمَةٍ قَالَ أَظُنُّهُ عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَقَالَ عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عُقْبَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ سَدِّدُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ {قَوْلاً سَدِيدًا} وَسَدَادًا صِدْقًا  

bukhari:6468Ibrāhīm b. al-Mundhir > Muḥammad b. Fulayḥ from my father > Hilāl b. ʿAlī > Anas b. Mālik > Samiʿtuh

Once Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in prayer and then (after finishing it) ascended the pulpit and pointed with his hand towards the Qibla of the mosque and said, "While I was leading you in prayer, both Paradise and Hell were displayed in front of me in the direction of this wall. I had never seen a better thing (than Paradise) and a worse thing (than Hell) as I have seen today, I had never seen a better thing and a worse thing as I have seen today."  

البخاري:٦٤٦٨حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُلَيْحٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ؓ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلَّى لَنَا يَوْمًا الصَّلاَةَ ثُمَّ رَقِيَ الْمِنْبَرَ فَأَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ قِبَلَ قِبْلَةِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ قَدْ أُرِيتُ الآنَ مُنْذُ صَلَّيْتُ لَكُمُ الصَّلاَةَ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ مُمَثَّلَتَيْنِ فِي قُبُلِ هَذَا الْجِدَارِ فَلَمْ أَرَ كَالْيَوْمِ فِي الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ فَلَمْ أَرَ كَالْيَوْمِ فِي الْخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ