Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَلَفٍ مُوسَى بْنُ خَلَفٍ كَانَ يُعَدُّ مِنْ الْبُدَلَاءِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ سَلَّامٍ عَنْ جَدِّهِ مَمْطُورٍ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَمَرَ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ وَأَنْ يَأْمُرَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ فَكَادَ أَنْ يُبْطِئَ فَقَالَ لَهُ عِيسَى إِنَّكَ قَدْ أُمِرْتَ بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ تَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ وَأَنْ تَأْمُرَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ فَإِمَّا أَنْ تُبَلِّغَهُنَّ وَإِمَّا أُبَلِّغَهُنَّ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا أَخِي إِنِّي أَخْشَى إِنْ سَبَقْتَنِي أَنْ أُعَذَّبَ أَوْ يُخْسَفَ بِي قَالَ فَجَمَعَ يَحْيَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ حَتَّى امْتَلَأَ الْمَسْجِدُ وَقُعِدَ عَلَى الشُّرَفِ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَمَرَنِي بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ أَنْ أَعْمَلَ بِهِنَّ وَآمُرَكُمْ أَنْ تَعْمَلُوا بِهِنَّ أَوَّلُهُنَّ أَنْ تَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُ رَجُلٍ اشْتَرَى عَبْدًا مِنْ خَالِصِ مَالِهِ بِوَرِقٍ أَوْ ذَهَبٍ فَجَعَلَ يَعْمَلُ وَيُؤَدِّي عَمَلَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِ سَيِّدِهِ فَأَيُّكُمْ يَسُرُّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَبْدُهُ كَذَلِكَ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَكُمْ وَرَزَقَكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَأَمَرَكُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَنْصِبُ وَجْهَهُ لِوَجْهِ عَبْدِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ فَإِذَا صَلَّيْتُمْ فَلَا تَلْتَفِتُوا وَأَمَرَكُمْ بِالصِّيَامِ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ مَعَهُ صُرَّةٌ مِنْ مِسْكٍ فِي عِصَابَةٍ كُلُّهُمْ يَجِدُ رِيحَ الْمِسْكِ وَإِنَّ خُلُوفَ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ وَأَمَرَكُمْ بِالصَّدَقَةِ فَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَسَرَهُ الْعَدُوُّ فَشَدُّوا يَدَيْهِ إِلَى عُنُقِهِ وَقَرَّبُوهُ لِيَضْرِبُوا عُنُقَهُ فَقَالَ هَلْ لَكُمْ أَنْ أَفْتَدِيَ نَفْسِي مِنْكُمْ فَجَعَلَ يَفْتَدِي نَفْسَهُ مِنْهُمْ بِالْقَلِيلِ وَالْكَثِيرِ حَتَّى فَكَّ نَفْسَهُ وَأَمَرَكُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَإِنَّ مَثَلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ طَلَبَهُ الْعَدُوُّ سِرَاعًا فِي أَثَرِهِ فَأَتَى حِصْنًا حَصِينًا فَتَحَصَّنَ فِيهِ وَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ أَحْصَنَ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ إِذَا كَانَ فِي ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَا آمُرُكُمْ بِخَمْسٍ اللَّهُ أَمَرَنِي بِهِنَّ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ وَبِالسَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ وَالْهِجْرَةِ وَالْجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ الْجَمَاعَةِ قِيدَ شِبْرٍ فَقَدْ خَلَعَ رِبْقَةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مِنْ عُنُقِهِ إِلَى أَنْ يَرْجِعَ وَمَنْ دَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَهُوَ مِنْ جُثَا جَهَنَّمَ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ صَامَ وَصَلَّى قَالَ وَإِنْ صَامَ وَصَلَّى وَزَعَمَ أَنَّهُ مُسْلِمٌ فَادْعُوا الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِمَا سَمَّاهُمْ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
English Translation
'Affan told us, he said: Abu Khalaf Musa b. Khalaf — who was counted among the Abdal (the substitute saints) — told us, he said: Yahya b. Abi Kathir told us, from Zayd b. Sallam, from his grandfather Mamtur, from al-Harith al-Ash'ari, that the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, Mighty and Majestic, commanded Yahya b. Zakariyya with five words to act upon them himself and to command the Children of Israel to act upon them, but he was near to being slow about it. So 'Isa said to him: 'You have been commanded with five words, to act upon them and to command the Children of Israel to act upon them; so either you convey them, or I shall convey them.' He said to him: 'O my brother, I fear that if you precede me I would be punished or made to sink into the earth.' Then Yahya gathered the Children of Israel in the Holy House (Bayt al-Maqdis) until the mosque was full and people sat upon the upper galleries; he praised Allah and extolled Him, then said: 'Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has commanded me with five words to act upon them and to command you to act upon them. The first of them is that you worship Allah and associate nothing with Him; the likeness of that is the likeness of a man who bought a slave with his own pure wealth, of silver or gold, and the slave went about working but delivered his earnings to someone other than his master — which of you would be pleased for his slave to be like that? Indeed Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created you and provided for you, so worship Him and associate nothing with Him. And He commanded you with prayer, for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, turns His face toward the face of His servant so long as he does not turn away; so when you pray, do not turn away. And He commanded you with fasting, and the likeness of that is the likeness of a man among a group of people who has with him a sealed bag of musk — all of them find the scent of the musk; and indeed the breath of the fasting person's mouth is more fragrant to Allah than the scent of musk. And He commanded you with charity, and the likeness of that is the likeness of a man captured by the enemy, who bind his hands to his neck and bring him forward to strike his neck; he says: 'Will you accept that I ransom myself from you?' So he goes on ransoming himself from them with little and much until he frees himself. And He commanded you to remember Allah much, and the likeness of that is the likeness of a man pursued swiftly by the enemy on his trail, until he comes to a strongly fortified stronghold and takes refuge in it; and indeed the servant is most fortified against Satan when he is engaged in the remembrance of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.'" He said: And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I command you with five things which Allah has commanded me with: keeping to the community, hearing and obeying, migration, and striving in the way of Allah. For whoever departs from the community by even a hand-span has cast off the tether of Islam from his neck, unless he returns; and whoever calls with the call of the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance is among the fuel of Hell." They said: "O Messenger of Allah, even if he fasts and prays?" He said: "Even if he fasts and prays and claims that he is a Muslim. So call the Muslims by the names Allah has named them: Muslims, believers, servants of Allah, Mighty and Majestic."