This magnificent prophetic tradition has many similarities within the ‎Sunnah of the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him that support its meaning and establish its significance and content.

From them is what ‎At-Tirmidhi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, reported within his Sunan on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased ‎with him, that the Messenger, may the peace and blessings of Allaah ‎be upon him, passed by a group of people who were sitting down  and ‎said:‎

أَلَا  أُنَـبِّـئُـكُـمْ  بِـخَـيْـرِ كُـمْ  مِـنْ  شَـرِّ كُـمْ ؟  فَـسَـكَـتَ  الْـقَـوْمُ ؟ !  ‏فَـأَعَـادَهَـا  الـنَّـبِـيُّ – صَـلَّـى اللهُ  عَـلَـيْـهِ  وَ  سَـلَّـمَ – ثَـلَاثًـا ,  ‏فَـقَـالُـوا :  بَـلَـى  ,  يَـا   رَسُـولَ  اللهِ  ! …  أَخَـبَـرَ نَـا  بِـخَـيْـرِنَـا  مِـنْ  ‏شَـرِّنَـا ؟  فَـقَـالَ – صَـلَّـى  اللهُ  عَـلَـيْـهِ  وَ  سَـلَّـمَ – :  خَـيْـرُكُـمْ  مَـنْ  ‏يُـرْجَـى  خَـيْـرُهُ  وَ  يُـؤْمَـنُ  شَـرُّهُ  وَ  شَـرُّ كُـمْ  مَـنْ  لَا  يُـرْجَـى  ‏خَـيْـرُهُ  وَ  لَا  يُـؤْمَـنَ  شَـرُّهُ .  ‏

“Shall I not inform you about the best and worst of you?” ‎So the people remained silent. So the Messenger, may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, repeated it thrice. They said: “Of course oh Messenger of Allaah! ‎Inform us about the best and worst of us.” He, may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, said: “The best ‎of you is he from whom good is expected and from whom the people are safe from his evil. The worst of you is he from whom good is not expected ‎nor are the people safe from his evil.” ‎ [3]

Like it is the prophetic tradition narrated ‎on the authority of Abu Moosaa al-‘Ash’ari, may ‎Allaah be pleased with him, in Saheeh Bukhari and ‎Muslim as well as others, that the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allaah be ‎upon him, said:‎

مَـثَـلُ الْـجَـلِـيـسِ  الـصَّـالِـحِ  وَ  مَـثَـلُ  الْـجَـلِـيـسِ الـسُّـوءِ  ‏كَـحَـامِـلِ الْـمِـسْـكِ ,  وَ نَـافِـخِ  الْـكِـيـرِ , فَـحَـامِـلُ  الْـمِـسْـكِ : ‏إِمَّـا  أَنْ  يُـحْـذِيَـكَ ,  وَ  إِمَّـا  أَنْ  تَـبْـتَـاعَ  مِـنْـهُ  وَإِمَّـا  أَنْ  تَـجِـدَ  ‏مِـنْـهُ  رِيـحًـا  طَـيِّـبَـةً  وَ  نَـافِـخُ  الْـكِـيـرِ :  إِمَّـا  أَنْ  يُـحْـرِقَ  ‏ثِـيَـابَـكَ  وَ  إِمَّـا  أَنْ  تَـجِـدَ  رِيـحًـا  خَـبِـيـثَـةً . ‏

‎“The likeness of the good companion and a bad companion is ‎that of one who carries musk and one who works the bellows. With the carrier of musk, he will give you some, or ‎you will buy some from him, or you will notice a good smell ‎from him; as for the one who works the bellows, either he ‎will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell from ‎him.” [4]

Certainly every Muslim who is eager and concerned about ‎the happiness and prosperity of his soul in this life ‎and the next, when he hears this narration of Anas ibn ‎Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, and the likes of it from the prophetic traditions which indicate what it entails, there is no doubt that his ‎heart will be moved with yearning and ambition and his soul will shake with a desire to be from amongst ‎the keys of good and not from the keys of evil. Without doubt, this is the desire of every Muslim. ‎

There is not a Muslim except that he loves for himself to be a key to good and not a key to evil. He loves that he should be from the people of Toobaa, i.e. Paradise, and not from the people of Wayl, which is the severe torment and exemplary punishment that ‎Allaah, blessed, and High has prepared for the keys of evil and locks ‎to good.‎

When the soul craves for this and desires it, i.e. Being a ‎key to good, it becomes imperative to fight and strive against it in order to actualize the means and execute its objectives and goals so that the person ‎will become a key to good and lock to evil in truth, action and implementation.‎ Mere hopes and wishes are not sufficient.

Rather the reality of the matter must be understood, and there ‎must be perfection and completion along with seeking the assistance of Allaah and consultation ‎of Him, the Most High. Beginning with the subject ‎at hand which is:‎

كَـيْـفَ  تَـكُـونُ  مِـفْـتَـاحًـا  لِلْـخَـيْـرِ ؟

‎“How can you be a key towards good?”‎

 The speech concerning this weighty and extremely important question that we are all in need ‎of will be answered in the following points. Perhaps it ‎will gather its different sections and vital issues. I’ll mention them in order one after the other.‎

[1] It has been mentioned that Toobaa is a tree in ‎Paradise that a rider will travel in its shade for one-‎hundred years before passing it and that Toobaa is Paradise itself.‎

[2] ‎Sunan Ibn Maajah (#237), Ibn Abi ‘Aasim in “As-Sunnah” (#297), Musnad At-Tayaalisi (#2082), Al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan (#698), and Al-Albani declared it good in As-Saheehah (#1332).

[3] Sunan At-Tirmidhi (#2263) and he said: “Hasan Saheeh.”, Ahmad (#8812), Ibn Hibbaan (#528) and authenticated by Al-Albani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ (#2603).

[4]‎ Bukhari (#2101), Muslim (#2628).‎