thirty-five. In that year, the Muslims were confronted with the siege of their Imam and with the restraining of his hand from the authority he exercised over them, despite his eminent rank—for he was one of the rightly guided caliphs who guided others aright—until this led to the shedding of his blood, may Allah be pleased with him, and to the emergence of conflicting views. Had they perished in that state, the destruction of those who perished would have been inevitable, because of its enormity and what it brought upon Islam. But Allah protected them and remedied the matter, and He appointed, as successors to His Prophet within his community, those who would preserve their religion for them and keep it enduring among them.”

977 — “What most admits people into Paradise is taqwa of Allah and good character; and what most admits people into the Fire is the mouth and the private parts.”

Al-Tirmidhi (1/361), Ibn Majah (4246), and Ahmad (2/291, 392, 442) transmitted it through two chains from Yazid ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Awdi, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked what most admits people into Paradise. He replied,” and then mentioned it. Al-Tirmidhi said: “An authentic, singular hadith.”

I say: Its chain of transmission is good, for Ibn Hibban and al-‘Ijli declared this Yazid trustworthy, and a number of narrators transmitted from him.

978 — “No act by which Allah is obeyed is rewarded more swiftly than maintaining ties of kinship; and nothing is punished more swiftly than transgression, severing ties of kinship, and a perjurious oath, which leaves homes desolate.”

Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it in al-Sunan al-Kubra (10/35), through al-Muqri’, from Abu Hanifah, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Mujahid and ‘Ikrimah, from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said it. He commented: “This is how ‘Abd Allah ibn Yazid al-Muqri’ narrated it from Abu Hanifah. Ibrahim ibn Tahman, ‘Ali ibn Zabyan, and al-Qasim ibn al-Hakam differed from him, narrating it from Abu Hanifah, from Nasih ibn ‘Abd Allah, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Abu