It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him): We, a group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), were sitting, and we said to one another: "If only we knew which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty, we would do it." Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed this surah: "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise" [Surah al-Saff: 1] (to the end of the surah). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this whole surah to us in this way. Al-Awza'i said: Yahya bin Abi Kathir recited this surah to us in Makkah. Muhammad bin Kathir said: Al-Awza'i recited it to us in this way. Abu al-Walid said: Ibn Kathir recited it to us in this way. Abu al-Hasan bin Uqbah said: Abu al-Walid recited it to us in this way. Imam al-Hakim said: Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Shaybani recited it to us in this way. And Imam al-Hakim Abu Abdullah recited this surah to us from its beginning to its end. Al-Walid bin Muslim narrated it from al-Awza'i and made explicit the hearing (sama') from the beginning of the chain to its end.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him): We were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and we said: "If only we knew which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty." Then the narrator mentioned the whole account like the hadith above. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it. My strongest opinion is that what led them to leave it is the narration of al-Hiql bin Ziyad, which differs from the narration of al-Walid bin Muslim and others.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him): We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and we said: "If only we knew which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty." Then the narrator narrated the hadith. Imam al-Hakim says: This narration of al-Hiql bin Ziyad does not create any defect or weakness in the hadith of al-Walid bin Muslim, because although al-Hiql bin Ziyad is a precise and reliable narrator, he was in doubt about its chain. One proof of the soundness of its chain is that Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin Muhammad al-Fazari, who had the strongest memory among the students of al-Awza'i, also narrated it with the first chain, with some additional words.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him): We gathered and discussed which of us would go to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and ask him: "Which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty?" Then we dispersed, and each of us became afraid to go to him (peace and blessings be upon him) (out of awe). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself sent for us and gathered us, and we began pointing to one another. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this surah to us: "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth glorifies Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise" [Surah al-Saff: 1] (to the end of the surah). Abu Salamah said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this surah to us to its end. Yahya bin Abi Kathir said: Abu Salamah recited it to us from beginning to end. Al-Awza'i said: Yahya recited it to us from beginning to end. Abu Ishaq said: Al-Awza'i recited it to us from beginning to end. And Mahbub said: Abu Ishaq recited this whole surah, that is, Surah al-Saff, to us from beginning to end.