3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from ibn Faddal from Tha’labah from Ali ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz who has said the following:

“Abu ‘Abd Allah , once asked me, ‘Should I tell you what the root, the branch, the peak and the highest point of Islam is?’ I replied, ‘Please, do so.’ He said, ‘The root of Islam is salat (prayer), its branch is zakat, and its peak and highest point is al-Jihad in the way of Allah. Should I tell you about the doors to goodness? Fasting certainly is a shield.’”