Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among the people (outside his house), a man came walking to him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, what is faith (iman)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Faith is that you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His meeting, and His messengers, and that you have certainty in the resurrection on the Last Day." He asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is Islam?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Islam is that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, and you establish prayer, pay the obligatory zakat, and fast in the month of Ramadan." He asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is the reality of ihsan (excellence)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Ihsan is that you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for if you do not see Him, surely He sees you." He asked, "O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour (Day of Judgment) come?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "The one being asked about it knows no more than the questioner. But I will tell you its signs. When a slave woman gives birth to her master, that will be a sign of the Hour. When the shepherds of sheep boast in constructing tall buildings, that will be a sign of the Hour. And when the naked, barefoot (poor) people become the leaders of the people, that will be a sign of the Hour. The knowledge of the Hour is among the five things which none knows except Allah." Then he recited the verse «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة لقمان: 34 ] "Indeed, the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah alone, and He sends down the rain, and He knows what is in the wombs. And no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware." Then that man turned his back and left, so the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This was Jibreel (Gabriel), he came to teach the people their religion." This narration is from Muhammad bin Bishr.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the delegation of Abdul Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, these are the people of the tribe of Rabi’ah, and between us and you are the disbelievers of the tribe of Mudar, and we can only come to you during the sacred months. So tell us something that we can act upon ourselves and invite those whom we have left behind to it." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "I command you with four things and forbid you from four things. I command you to have faith in Allah, to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, to establish prayer, to give zakat, and to pay the fifth (khums) from what you acquire as spoils of war. And I forbid you from using gourds, green jars, wooden vessels hollowed out by carving, and tar-coated vessels."

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the delegation of Abdul Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Then he narrated the hadith as mentioned above, and said: "To have faith in Allah." Then he explained its interpretation to them, that it means to bear witness that there is no true deity except Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah." Then he narrated a lengthy hadith.