حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْسَجَةَ، عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ
قَالَ: جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ، عَلِّمْنِي عَمَلاً يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ، قَالَ: لَئِنْ كُنْتَ أَقَصَرْتَ الْخُطْبَةَ لَقَدْ أَعْرَضْتَ الْمَسْأَلَةَ، أَعْتِقِ النَّسَمَةَ، وَفُكَّ الرَّقَبَةَ قَالَ: أَوَ لَيْسَتَا وَاحِدًا؟
قَالَ: لَا، عِتْقُ النَّسَمَةِ أَنْ تَعْتِقَ النَّسَمَةَ، وَفَكُّ الرَّقَبَةِ أَنْ تُعِينَ عَلَى الرَّقَبَةِ، وَالْمَنِيحَةُ الرَّغُوبُ، وَالْفَيْءُ عَلَى ذِي الرَّحِمِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تُطِقْ ذَلِكَ، فَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تُطِقْ ذَلِكَ، فَكُفَّ لِسَانَكَ إِلاَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ
Al-Bara said, “A bedouin came and said, ‘Prophet of Allah! Teach me an action which will enable me to enter the Garden.’ He said, ‘The question is a broad one, even though you have asked it in only a few words. Free someone. Set a slave free.’
He said, ‘Are they not the same thing?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘Freeing someone is setting someone free yourself. Setting a slave free is to contribute to the price of setting him free. Lend an animal for milking which has a lot of milk and treat your relatives kindly. If you cannot do that, then command the good and forbid the bad. If you cannot do that, then restrain your tongue from everything except what is good.’”