The Keys to Good and Evil

In the Musnad from the Hadeeth of Mu'aadh ibn Jabal who said: The Messenger of Allah said:

"Should I not guide you to a door from the doors of Jannah?"

I said: But of course O Messenger of Allah. He said:

"La Hawla wa la Quwata Ila bilaah."

For every objective, Allah the Masjestic has made a key to open it; He made;

The key to the prayer:, Purification - as he (the Messenger) said: 'The key to the prayer is purification.'

The key to Hajj, is Ihraam.

The key to goodness, is truthfulness.

The key to Jannah, is Tawheed.

The key to Knowledge, is asking good questions and being a good listener.

The key to victory, is patience.

The key to an increase in goodness, is being thankful [to Allah].

The key to loyalty, is love and remembrance.

The key to happiness, is Taqwaa.

The key to success, is combining between yearn [for Allah's reward] and fear [of Allah's punishment].

The key to having prayers answered, is supplication.

The key to yearning for the After Life, is having leaving the Dunya.

The key to Eemaan, is contemplating over what Allah invited His servants to contemplate over.

The key to entering upon Allah, is submitting ones heart to Him soundly, being sincere to Him in loving and hating [for his sake], and acting and refraining [for his sake].

The key to livening the heart, is contemplating over the Quran, humbly worshiping in the late hours of the night, and forsaking sin.

The key to attaining Allah's mercy, is perfectly worshiping the Creator, and earnestly aiding His servants.

The key to Provision, is earnestly trying to earn it while seeking forgiveness and having Taqwaa.

The key to dignity, is obeying Allah and His Messenger.

The key to preparing oneself for the Afterlife, is to have little hope [in this life].

The key to all goodness, is yearning for Allah and the after life.

The key to all evil, is loving the Dunya and having great hopes in it.

This is a tremendous topic, from amongst the most beneficial topics of knowledge; it is the knowledge of the keys to good and the keys to evil, and no one is granted this knowledge and taking it into account, except one whose been granted a great portion of success. For indeed Allah the Glorified has rendered keys for every good and evil, and doors to enter them.

Likewise, Allah has made Major Shirk, aversion from what He sent His Messenger with, being heedless of His remembrance and establishing His rights a Key to the Hellfire,

As He made alcohol, a key to every sin.

He made wealth, a key to fornication.

He made looking at images, a key to wanting and longing.

He made laziness and excessive relaxation, a key to loss and depravation.

He made sin, a key to disbelief.

He made lying, a key to hypocrisy.

He made greed, a Key to miserliness, the breaking of family ties, and the attaining of wealth by impermissible means.

He made aversion from what the Messenger was sent with , a Key to every innovation and misguidance.

These affairs, no one is truthful regarding them, except one who has the correct foresight and intelligence to identify the good and evil that is within himself and elsewhere. A servant of Allah must pay a great deal of attention to having knowledge of the keys and what doors they open.

Allah is behind all success and uprightness, to him belongs the dominion, to Him belongs all praise, for Him is gratitude, He is not questioned about what He does, while the rest of creation is.