139 — Hadith Twenty-Three: ʿAdiyy ibn Ḥātim (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, “Shield yourselves from the Fire, even if only with half a date.” Agreed upon.

In another wording agreed upon from him, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is none among you but that his Lord will speak to him, with no interpreter between him and Him. He will look to his right and see nothing but what he has sent ahead; he will look to his left and see nothing but what he has sent ahead; he will look in front of him and see nothing but the Fire facing him. So guard yourselves against the Fire, even with half a date; and if he cannot find even that, then with a kind word.”

[Explanation]
This hadith clarifies one of the many avenues that lead to goodness, for the avenues of goodness—praise be to Allah—are numerous. Allah has legislated them for His servants so that they may reach the loftiest goals. Among these avenues is charity, for charity—authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ—“extinguishes sin just as water extinguishes fire,” meaning that, just as pouring water on a flame puts it out, so too does charity extinguish sin.

The author then cited this hadith, which shows that Allah, Exalted is He,