Arba'un 21 — say: I believe, then stand firm

الأربعون 21 — قل آمنت بالله ثم استقم

The hadith of Sufyan ibn Abdullah al-Thaqafi al-Ta'ifi — a Companion who was Umar ibn al-Khattab's governor over al-Ta'if — the twenty-first of al-Nawawi's Forty and of Ibn Rajab's commentary; transmitted by Muslim (38) through Hisham ibn Urwa from his father from him, and by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah through al-Zuhri from Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ma'iz in the wording 'tell me something to hold fast to' — answered 'say: my Lord is God, then stand firm' — followed by 'what do you most fear for me?' whereupon he took hold of his own tongue and said 'this', al-Tirmidhi (2410) grading it hasan sahih, and al-Nasa'i carrying it through the Companion's son Abdullah with 'command me a matter in Islam I shall not need to ask anyone after you' and 'what shall I guard against?' answered by a gesture to his tongue; Ibn Rajab explains that Sufyan sought comprehensive words covering the matter of Islam so as to need no one after him, the answer drawn from 'those who say our Lord is God then stand firm' in Fussilat 30 and al-Ahqaf 13–14, Abu Bakr glossing 'then stood firm' as 'they associated nothing with God', 'they did not turn to a god other than Him' and 'they stood firm that God is their Lord', and al-Nasa'i reporting through Anas 'people have said it then most of them disbelieved; whoever dies upon it is of the people of istiqama' through a chain weakened by Suhayl ibn Abi Hazm (Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam pp. 471–476).