Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the chapter on striving, as he quoted from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This hadith contains encouragement and warning. It contains encouragement in the first sentence, which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): The strap of the sandal is the leather that is on the top of the foot, and it is very close to a person, and it is used as an example of closeness. That is because Paradise may be entered because of a single word. A person speaks a single word from the pleasure of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), not thinking that it will reach what it reaches, and then it leads him to the Garden of Delight. And with that, the hadith is broader than this, for the abundance of acts of obedience and the avoidance of forbidden things are among the causes of entering Paradise. It is easy for the one whom Allah makes it easy for him. You will find the believer whose heart Allah has expanded for Islam praying with ease, tranquility, an open chest, and love for prayer. He gives zakah, fasts, performs Hajj, and does good in the same way. It is easy for him, simple, and close to him. And you will find him avoiding what Allah has forbidden of words and actions, and it is easy for him. As for the one, may Allah protect us from that, who has been straitened by Islam and Islam has become heavy upon him, he finds acts of obedience heavy and avoiding forbidden things heavy, and Paradise does not become closer to him than the strap of his sandal.
Likewise, regarding the Fire, the second sentence, which contains the warning. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Meaning, it is closer to one of us than the strap of his sandal. For a person may speak a word without paying attention to it, and it is from the anger of Allah, and he plunges into the Fire because of it by so many years, and he does not know. And how many words a person speaks without caring about them or being concerned with their meaning, and they throw him into the Fire of Hell. We ask Allah for safety.
Have you not seen the story of the hypocrites who were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the expedition of Tabuk? They were talking among themselves, saying: “We have not seen anyone like our reciters. These are the most greedy in bellies, the most lying in tongues, and the most cowardly at the time of meeting.” They meant by that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. They meant that they were wide in bellies from eating a lot, and they had no concern except eating. And the most lying in tongues means that they speak lies. And the most cowardly at the time of meeting means that they are cowards when meeting the enemy; they do not stand firm but flee and run away. This is what the hypocrites said about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. And if you reflect, you will find that this applies exactly to the hypocrites, not to the believers. The hypocrites are the most eager of people, or among the most eager of people, for life. The hypocrites are among the most lying of people in tongues. And the hypocrites are among the most cowardly of people at the time of meeting. So this description is truly for these hypocrites. And with that, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: Meaning, we did not intend the speech; it was only idle talk and play. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: Meaning, say, O Muhammad: So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made it clear that these people disbelieved after their faith by their mocking of Allah, His verses, and His Messenger. And for this reason, a person must restrain his speech and guard his tongue so that he does not slip and perish. We ask Allah for steadfastness upon the truth for us and for you, and safety from sin.
The reader: The author (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted: “From Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami, the servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and one of the people of the Safa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: ‘I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)’”

The Shaykh : I used to what?
The reader: Spend the night.

The Shaykh : ...
The reader: “

I used to spend the night with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I would bring him his ablution water and attend to his needs. He said, “Ask me for something.” I said, “I ask you for your companionship in Paradise.” He said, “Is there nothing else?” I said, “That is it.” He said, “Then help me with yourself by prostrating frequently.”

كنت أبيت مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فآتيه بوضوئه وحاجته فقال سلني فقلت أسألك مرافقتك في الجنة فقال أو غير ذلك قلت هو ذاك قال فأعني على نفسك بكثرة السجود

Muslim narrated it.”

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in what he quoted from Rabi'ah ibn Malik al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him), who was a servant to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and one of the people of the Safa. Those who served the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from among the free men included Rabi'ah ibn Malik and Ibn Mas'ud. They had honor in serving the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He was from the people of the Safa. The people of the Safa were emigrant men who emigrated to Madinah and had no shelter, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) settled them in the Safa of the mosque, the Prophet's Mosque. Sometimes they reached eighty, and sometimes less than that. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would come to them with food, milk, and other things they would give them in charity. So Rabi'ah ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) would serve the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), bringing him his water for ablution and attending to his needs.
Wudu' with a fatha is the water with which one performs ablution, and wudu' with a damma is the act of ablution. As for the need, he did not specify it, but the meaning is everything the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) needed, and he would bring it to him. So one day he said to him: “Ask,” meaning, ask so that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would reward him for his service to him, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most noble of creation, and he used to say: So he wanted to reward him and said to him: Meaning, ask whatever you wish. A person might expect that this man would ask for money, but his ambition was high. He said: As you were, meaning, as if he were saying, “As you were my companion in this world, I ask you for your companionship in Paradise.” He said: Meaning, or do you ask for something else that I can do? Meaning, I do not ask for anything but that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And this is the point of the hadith, that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And prostrating a lot necessitates bowing a lot, and bowing a lot necessitates standing a lot, because every prayer has in every rak'ah one bowing and two prostrations. So if prostrations are many, bowings are many, and standing is many. He mentioned prostration and not the others because prostration is the best posture for the one praying, for the servant is closest to his Lord when he is prostrating. And even if the one praying is close to Allah whether he is standing, bowing, prostrating, or sitting, he is closest to his Lord when he is prostrating.
And in this is evidence of the virtue of prostration. The scholars differed on whether it is better to lengthen the standing or to lengthen the bowing and prostration. Some said it is better to lengthen the standing, and some said it is better to lengthen the bowing and prostration. The correct view is that it is better for the prayer to be balanced. Otherwise, the standing is undoubtedly longer than the bowing and prostration in itself. But it should be that if one lengthens the standing, he lengthens the bowing and prostration, and if he shortens the standing, he shortens the bowing and prostration.
And in this is evidence that no matter how much one prays, it is good, except that the times of prohibition are excluded. The times of prohibition are from the rising of the dawn until the sun has risen the length of a spear, and when it is standing in the middle of the day until it declines, and from the 'Asr prayer until the sunset. In these three times, it is not permissible for a person to pray a voluntary prayer unless it has a cause, such as the greeting of the mosque, the sunnah of ablution, and the like.
And in this is evidence in the hadith of the permissibility of using a free man, and that it is not considered from the blameworthy asking. So if you say to a person from among those who serve you and attend to your service, “Give me this, give me that,” there is no harm. And likewise, if you say to the owner of the house, “Give me water, pour me a cup of coffee,” and the like, there is no harm, because this is not considered from the blameworthy asking. Rather, this is part of the completion of hospitality, and it has become customary.
And in it is also evidence that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) does not have the power to put anyone into Paradise. And for this reason, he did not guarantee to this man that he would give him what he wanted. But he said: So if he performs the abundance of prostration that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) advised, he is likely to be a companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in Paradise.