I was traveling with the Prophet ﷺ, and one morning I found myself close to him as we rode along, so I said, "Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will admit me to Paradise and keep me far from the Fire."He replied, "You have asked me about something momentous, yet it is easy for anyone whom Allah makes it easy for. Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, establish the prayer, pay zakat, fast Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to the House."Then he said, "Shall I not show you the gateways to good? Fasting is a shield, charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire, and there is a man's prayer in the depths of the night."Then he recited, "Their sides forsake their beds" until he reached "what they used to do" [Sajdah 32:16–17]. And the hadith continues.
كنت مع النبي ﷺ في سفر، فأصبحت يوما قريبا منه ونحن نسير، فقلت: يا رسول الله، أخبرني بعمل يدخلني الجنة، ويباعدني من النار. قال: لقد سألتني عن عظيم، وإنه ليسير على من يسره الله عليه؛ تعبد الله ولا تشرك به شيئا، وتقيم الصلاة، وتؤتي الزكاة، وتصوم رمضان، وتحج البيت. ثم قال: ألا أدلك على أبواب الخير؟ الصوم جنة، والصدقة تطفئ الخطيئة كما يطفئ الماء النار، وصلاة الرجل من جوف الليل قال: ثم تلا {تتجافى جنوبهم عن المضاجع}. حتى بلغ {يعملون}. الحديث.
Tirmidhi (2616) narrated it, and this is his wording, as did Ibn Majah (3973), all of them through the route of Mamar, from Asim bin Abu Najud, from Abu Waail, from Muaz bin Jabal, and he related the hadith. Tirmidhi said, "This is a hasan sahih hadith." Its chain is hasan due to the discussion surrounding Asim bin Abu Najud, for there is disagreement about him, though his hadith is hasan.