It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Bedouin came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Teach me an action that will admit me into Paradise? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Although you have asked a brief question, the matter you have raised is great. The answer is that you should free a complete slave or contribute a share in the freeing of a slave. I said: Are ‘Itqun-Nasamah and Fakkur-Raqabah not the same thing? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, ‘Itqun-Nasamah means that you yourself free a complete slave, and Fakkur-Raqabah means that you contribute a share in the freeing of a slave; giving in charity an animal that gives much milk, showing kindness to an oppressive relative and doing good to him. So if you do not have the strength for this, then feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, enjoin good and forbid evil. And if you do not have the strength for even this, then restrain your tongue, except for matters of goodness.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Hubshi Khath’ami (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked:“Which deed is the best?”He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:“Such faith in which there is no doubt, such jihad in which there is no dishonesty, and Hajj Mabrur.”Someone asked:“Which prayer is the best?”He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:“Prolonged standing (in prayer).”Someone asked:“Which charity is the best?”He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:“That given by a person of little means, according to his capacity.”Someone asked:“Which migration is the best?”He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:“The migration of a person who abandons what Allah has forbidden; this migration (i.e., leaving forbidden acts) is the best.”Someone asked:“Which jihad is the best?”He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:“Jihad against the polytheists with both wealth and life.”Then it was asked:“Which martyrdom is of the highest rank?”He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:“That in which the blood of the warrior is shed and the legs of his horse are cut.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Which prayer is the best? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: The one with long standing. He said: O Messenger of Allah! Which jihad is the best? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: The one whose horse’s legs are cut and whose blood is shed. He said: O Messenger of Allah! Which migration is the best? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: The one who abandons what Allah the Exalted dislikes. He said: Which Muslim is the best? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: The one from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe. He said: O Messenger of Allah! What are the two things that make something obligatory? He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: Whoever dies in such a state that he does not associate anyone with Allah the Exalted, will enter Paradise; and whoever dies in such a state that he associates someone with Allah the Exalted, will enter Hell.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ma'iz (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked which deed is the best among deeds, he (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: To have faith in Allah Almighty, Who is One and Unique, then to strive in jihad, then Hajj Mabroor. This deed surpasses the rest of the deeds in excellence just as the distance between the rising and setting of the sun.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah Bajali, may Allah be pleased with him, who says: I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Place a condition upon me." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Worship Allah, do not associate anything with Him, perform the obligatory prayers, pay the obligatory zakat, be sincere to every Muslim, and disassociate yourself from the disbeliever."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Which deed is the best?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "To have faith in Allah and to strive in His path." I said: "Which slave is best to set free?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The one who is most excellent and most valuable in the eyes of his owners." I said: "If I am not able to do that?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Then help someone who is skilled, or do some work for someone who is unskilled." I said: "If I am unable to do even that?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then keep people safe from your evil; this too will be a charity from you for yourself."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Which deed is the most virtuous? ... Then he mentioned as in the above hadith.

Syedna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Shall I not tell you about the best of creation? The companions said: Why not, 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; whenever a frightening sound comes from somewhere, he mounts it and gets ready. Now, shall I not tell you about the man whose rank is a little less than this? They said: Why not. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He is the man who is among a flock of his goats, performs prayer, and gives zakat. Now, shall I not tell you about the worst man? They said: Yes, why not. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He is the person who is asked in the name of Allah, but still does not give.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: To perform the prayer at its appointed time. I said: Then which one? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then being good to parents. I said: Then which one? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then striving in the way of Allah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned these matters to me, and if I had asked for more, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would have told me more.

It is narrated from Sayyida Shifa bint Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with her), who was among the Muhajir Sahabiyat, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the best of deeds. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: To have faith in Allah Almighty, to strive in the path of Allah Almighty, and to perform an accepted Hajj.