It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him): We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Battle of Tabuk, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "If you wish, shall I tell you of the head of the whole matter, its pillar and the peak of its summit?" I said: Certainly, O Messenger of Allah! He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer, and the peak of its summit is jihad." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the day of Uhud Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) said (to me): "Will you not come so that we may supplicate to Allah?" So they went aside to a corner in private. First Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) supplicated: "O my Lord! When we meet the enemy tomorrow, make me face a man of fierce strength and fierce anger; I will fight him for Your sake and he will fight me; then grant me victory over him so that I kill him and take his spoils." Then Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) stood and supplicated: "O Allah! Tomorrow make me face a man of fierce anger and great strength; I will fight him for Your sake and he will fight me; then he will seize me and cut off my nose and ears, so that when I meet You tomorrow (on the Day of Resurrection) You will ask: O Abdullah, for what were your nose and ears cut off? And I will say: For You and for Your Messenger. And You will say: You have spoken the truth." Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said (to his son): O my son! The supplication of Abdullah bin Jahsh was better than my supplication. I saw him at the end of the day with his ears and nose hanging on a thread. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.