Abu Sallam reported that Harith al-Ashari narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:Allah commanded Yahya bin Zakariya with five matters, to act upon them himself and to order the Children of Israel to act upon them. But he was slow in conveying them.Isa said to him, "Allah has commanded you with five matters, to act upon them and to order the Children of Israel to act upon them. Either you command them, or I will command them."Yahya replied, "I fear that if you precede me in this, I shall be swallowed up by the earth or punished."So he gathered the people in Bayt al-Maqdis. The mosque was filled, and people sat upon the elevated balconies. He said, "Allah has commanded me with five matters, to act upon them and to order you to act upon them.The first is that you worship Allah and associate nothing with Him. The likeness of one who associates partners with Allah is that of a man who buys a slave with his own pure wealth, in gold or silver, then says to him, 'This is my house and this is my work, so labor and pay your earnings to me.' But the slave works and pays his earnings to someone other than his master. Which of you would be pleased to have a slave like that?Allah commands you to pray, so when you pray do not turn your faces aside, for Allah sets His face toward the face of His servant in prayer so long as he does not turn aside.I command you to fast. The likeness of that is a man in a company who has with him a pouch containing musk, and all of them marvel at, or are pleased by, its fragrance. Indeed, the breath of the fasting person is more fragrant to Allah than the scent of musk.I command you to give in charity. The likeness of that is a man captured by the enemy, who bind his hands to his neck and bring him forward to strike off his head. He says, 'I will ransom myself from you with little and much,' and so he ransoms himself from them.I command you to remember Allah. The likeness of that is a man pursued swiftly by the enemy, until he reaches a fortified stronghold and secures himself from them. Likewise, the servant cannot secure himself from Satan except through the remembrance of Allah."The Prophet ﷺ said, "And I command you with five matters that Allah has commanded me with: listening and obeying, jihad, hijrah, and holding to the community. For whoever departs from the community by even a hand's span has cast off the yoke of Islam from his neck, unless he returns. And whoever calls with the call of the Days of Ignorance is among the kneeling occupants of Hell."A man asked, "Messenger of Allah, even if he prays and fasts?"He replied, "Even if he prays and fasts. So call with the call of Allah, who has named you Muslims, believers, servants of Allah."
أن أبا سلام حدثه، أن الحارث الأشعري حدثه، أن النبي ﷺ قال: إن الله أمر يحيى بن زكريا بخمس كلمات أن يعمل بها ويأمر بني إسرائيل أن يعملوا بها، وإنه كاد أن يبطئ بها. قال عيسى: إن الله أمرك بخمس كلمات لتعمل بها وتأمر بني إسرائيل أن يعملوا بها، فإما أن تأمرهم وإما أن آمرهم، فقال يحيى: أخشى إن سبقتني بها أن يخسف بي أو أعذب. فجمع الناس في بيت المقدس فامتلأ المسجد وتعدوا على الشرف، فقال: إن الله أمرني بخمس كلمات أن أعمل بهن وآمركم أن تعملوا بهن. أولهن: أن تعبدوا الله ولا تشركوا به شيئا، وإن مثل من أشرك بالله كمثل رجل اشترى عبدا من خالص ماله بذهب أو ورق فقال: هذه داري وهذا عملي، فاعمل وأد إلي، فكان يعمل ويؤدي إلى غير سيده، فأيكم يرضى أن يكون عبده كذلك؟ وإن الله أمركم بالصلاة فإذا صليتم فلا تلتفتوا، فإن الله ينصب وجهه لوجه عبده في صلاته ما لم يلتفت. وآمركم بالصيام، فإن مثل ذلك كمثل رجل في عصابة معه ضرة فيها مسك، فكلهم يعجب أو يعجبه ريحها- وإن ريح الصائم أطيب عند الله من ريح المسك. وآمركم بالصدقة، فإن مثل ذلك كمثل رجل أسره العدو فأوثقوا يده إلى عنقه، وقدموه ليضربوا عنقه، فقال: أنا أفديه منكم بالقليل والكثير ففدى نفسه منهم. وآمركم أن تذكروا الله، فإن مثل ذلك كمثل رجل خرج العدو في أثره سراعا حتى إذا أتى على حصن حصين فأحرز نفسه منهم، كذلك العبد لا يحرز نفسه من الشيطان إلا بذكر الله. قال النبي ﷺ: وأنا آمركم بخمس الله أمرني بهن: السمع والطاعة، والجهاد والهجرة، والجماعة فإنه من فارق الجماعة قيد شبر فقد خلع ربقة الإسلام من عنقه إلا أن يراجع، ومن ادعى دعوى الجاهلية، فإنه من جثا جهنم. فقال رجل: يا رسول الله، وإن صلى وصام؟ قال: وإن صلى وصام، فادعوا بدعوى الله الذي سماكم المسلمين المؤمنين عباد الله.
Tirmidhi (2863) narrated it from Muhammad bin Ismail (Bukhari), who said, "Musa bin Ismail told us, Abu Aban bin Yazid told us, Yahya bin Abu Kathir told us, from Zayd bin Salam, that Abu Salam told him," and he mentioned the like of it. Tirmidhi said, "A hasan sahih gharib hadith. Muhammad bin Ismail (Bukhari) said, 'Harith Ashari was a companion, and he has other hadiths besides this one.'"He also narrated it from Muhammad bin Bashshar, who said, "Abu Dawud Tayalisi told us, Abu Aban bin Yazid told us, from Yahya bin Abu Kathir, from Zayd bin Salam, from Abu Salam, from Harith Ashari, from the Prophet ﷺ," with the same meaning. He said, "This is a hasan gharib hadith. Abu Salam's name is Mamtur, and Ali bin Mubarak narrated it from Yahya bin Abu Kathir." End of quote.I say, Ahmad (17170) also narrated it, and Ibn Khuzayma (1895) graded it sahih, as did Ibn Hibban (6233) and Hakim (1/421), all of them through various routes from Yahya bin Abu Kathir, in a similar manner. Hakim said, "Sahih according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs."