Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Which deed is the most virtuous and which deed is the best?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "To have faith in Allah and His Messenger." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! After that, which one?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jihad in the way of Allah, which is the most excellent and noble deed." He said: "Then which one, O Messenger of Allah!?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A Hajj that is accepted (by Allah)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever dies in such a state that he believes in Allah Almighty and the Last Day, it will be said to him: Enter Paradise through whichever of its eight gates you wish."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that before the Battle of Tabuk, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with the people. When morning came, he led the Fajr prayer, and the people mounted their rides and set off. When the sun rose, due to traveling through the night, the people began to doze off, while Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) remained with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), walking behind him. Meanwhile, the people took their mounts to graze and went off in different directions along the main roads. Nevertheless, Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) continued walking behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and his she-camel grazed as she walked. Suddenly, she slipped. Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) pulled the reins, but she started running, and the camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also became startled because of this. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) lifted the cloth from his head, turned around, and saw that out of the entire army, only Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) was close to him. He called out to him, saying: "O Mu'adh!" He replied: "Here I am, O Prophet of Allah!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Come closer." So he came so close to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that one mount was alongside the other. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I did not think that the people would stay so far from us." Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Prophet of Allah! The people began to doze off, and their mounts scattered far and wide to graze." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am also dozing." Anyway, when Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleased with him and was alone with him, he said: "O Messenger of Allah! Allow me to ask you about something that has made me sick and worried." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ask whatever you wish." He said: "O Prophet of Allah! Tell me of a deed that will admit me to Paradise. I will not ask you about anything else besides this." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! You have asked about a great deed, you have asked about a great deed." He repeated this phrase three times, and then said: "But this deed is easy for the one for whom Allah Almighty intends good." Then he did not say anything further, but repeated these words three times so that Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) would remember them well. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(That deed is that) you believe in Allah Almighty and the Last Day, establish prayer, worship Allah Almighty alone and do not associate anything with Him (and then you continue upon this) until you die upon it." He said: "O Prophet of Allah! Please repeat this statement." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated it three times. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Mu'adh! If you wish, I will explain to you the foundation of this religion and its highest peak." Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Why not, O Prophet of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, please explain to me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The foundation of this religion is that you bear witness that Allah Almighty alone is the true deity, He is One, He has no partner, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger. The support and pillar of this religion is to establish prayer and pay zakat, and its highest peak is striving in the way of Allah (jihad fi sabilillah). I have been commanded to fight the people until they establish prayer, pay zakat, and bear witness that Allah Almighty alone is the true deity, He is One, He has no partner, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and Messenger. When the people do these things, they will save themselves and their blood and wealth, except for what is due from them, and their reckoning is with Allah Almighty." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) further said: "By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad! After the obligatory prayer, striving in the way of Allah (jihad fi sabilillah) is the only deed by which the ranks of Paradise are attained, in which the face is changed (by hardship) and the feet are covered with dust, and the deed that weighs heaviest in the servant's scale is that you spend an animal in the way of Allah Almighty or provide a mount for someone in the way of Allah."

Hasan Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, says: We were in Madinah Munawwarah when Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "On the Day of Resurrection, deeds will come (the details are as follows): Prayer will come and say: O my Lord! I am prayer." Allah Almighty will say: "Indeed, you are upon goodness." Likewise, charity will come and say: "O my Lord! I am charity." Allah Almighty will say: "Indeed, you are upon goodness." Then fasting will come and say: "O my Lord! I am fasting." Allah Almighty will say: "Indeed, you are upon goodness." Then other deeds will come, and Allah Almighty has stated in His Book: «وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ» Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 85)