It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came to his companions while they were sitting. He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Shall I tell you who is the best man in terms of rank? They said: Yes, indeed, O Messenger of Allah! He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: He is the man who holds the reins of his horse in the way of Allah, until he dies or is killed. Shall I tell you about the person whose rank is after him? They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: He is the man who, secluded in a mountain pass, establishes prayer and pays zakat, and keeps away from the evils of people. Now, shall I tell you whose rank is the worst? They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah! He, peace and blessings be upon him, said: He is the man who is asked in the name of Allah, but still does not give.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that on the day when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people at Tabuk, he also said: There is no one among the people like the man who, holding the reins of his horse and avoiding the evils of people, is striving in the way of Allah. And that man is also unparalleled who, living in the blessings of the countryside, hosts guests and fulfills his due rights.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever strives in the way of Allah even for the time it takes to milk a she-camel, Paradise becomes obligatory for him. (Fawaq refers to the time in which a she-camel lets down her milk for the milker.) And whoever sincerely asks Allah for martyrdom, and then dies a natural death or is martyred, in any case, he will receive the reward of a martyr. Whoever is wounded in the way of Allah or afflicted with any other calamity, that wound will be such on the Day of Resurrection that it will bleed more, its color will be like saffron, and its fragrance will be like musk. And whoever is wounded in the way of Allah, upon him will be the seal of the martyrs. Aghzar and Aghar have the same meaning; it is only a difference among the narrators.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Our Lord is amazed at two men: one is the man who rises from among his bed, blanket, wife, and tribe to perform prayer. Allah Almighty says: O angels! Look at My servant; he has stood up for prayer, leaving his bed, blanket, tribe, and wife, desiring that which is with Me and fearing that which is with Me. And the second is the man who fought in the path of Allah. It so happened that his army was defeated, but when he realized how great a sin it is to flee and how much reward there is in returning to the enemy, he turned back towards the enemy until his blood was shed. His action was out of desire for that which is with Me and to avoid that which is with Me. Thus, Allah Almighty says to His angels: Look at My servant; he returned out of desire for My rewards and fear of My punishment, until his blood was shed.

Narrated by Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The example of one who strives in the path of Allah is like that of a person who fasts during the day and stands in prayer at night, until the warrior returns, whenever he returns.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever shoots an arrow and it reaches (its target), whether it hits the mark or not, he will be like the one who has freed a neck from among the descendants of Ismail (peace be upon him).

Sayyiduna Shurahbil bin Simt (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Murrah (may Allah be pleased with him): O Ka'b bin Murrah! Narrate to us a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but be cautious. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: O skilled ones! Shoot arrows; whoever's arrow reaches the enemy, Allah Almighty will raise him by one rank. Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Abi Naham (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! What is a rank? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: That rank is not like the threshold of your mother, rather the distance between two ranks is as much as the journey of one hundred years.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, relating from his Lord: "Whoever of My servants sets out in My path to strive for My pleasure, I guarantee that if I return him, I will return him with reward and spoils; and if I seize his soul, I will forgive him, have mercy on him, and admit him into Paradise."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The feet that become dusty in the way of Allah will be made unlawful for the Fire.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever strives in the way of Allah even for the duration of a camel’s milking interval, Allah will make the Fire forbidden for his face.