It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever fasts in Ramadan, establishes prayer, and performs Hajj to the House of Allah— I do not know whether he mentioned Zakat or not— then it is incumbent upon Allah to forgive him, whether he migrated in the way of Allah or remained in his birthplace." Sayyiduna Mu'adh said: Should I convey this hadith to the people? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Leave it, so that they may continue to do more deeds, for there are one hundred levels in Paradise, and between each two levels is a distance like that between the earth and the sky. The highest and most excellent place in Paradise is Firdaus; above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful, and from it the rivers of Paradise flow forth. When you ask Allah, ask Him for Jannat al-Firdaus."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us and said:“I saw a dream in which Jibril (peace be upon him) sat near my head and Mika’il (peace be upon him) sat near my feet. One said to the other: Present an example for him (the Prophet). The other said: Listen! Let your ear hear, let your heart understand. The example of you and your ummah is this: A king acquired an estate, built a palace in it, and arranged a feast in it. He sent a messenger to invite the people. Some accepted the messenger’s message and some did not. (The explanation of this example is that) Allah is the King, Islam is the estate, Paradise is the palace, and O Muhammad! You are the messenger. Whoever accepts your message will enter Islam, and whoever enters Islam will enter Paradise, and whoever enters Paradise will eat from its food.”

Sayyiduna Karz bin Alqamah Khuza’i (may Allah be pleased with him) says: A man said,“O Messenger of Allah! Does Islam have any end?”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Allah Almighty will cause Islam to reach every house among the Arabs and non-Arabs with whom He intends goodness and virtue. Then, trials will arise like shadows.”A man said,“By Allah! If Allah wills, this will never happen.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Why not? By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Then you will turn back in great numbers and shed each other’s blood.”

Sayyiduna Abu Amir Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) says: One of our men was killed in the Battle of Autas. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "Abu Amir! Why did you not take the blood money (diyah)?" I replied by reciting this verse: «يا أيها الذين آمنوا عليكم أنفسكم لا يضركم من ضل إذا اهتديتم» "O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who are astray." (Surah Al-Ma'idah: 105) The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) became angry and said: "Where have you gone? The meaning of this verse is that when you are on the right path, the disbelievers should not be able to mislead you." It is narrated by Tabarani with these words: "Sayyiduna Abu Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that there was some reason due to which I refrained from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me what had held me back, I recited this verse: «يا أيها الذين آمنوا عليكم أنفسكم لا يضركم من ضل إذا اهتديتم» 'O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who are astray.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Faith has seventy-three or seventy-four branches, removing something harmful from the road is the lowest of them, and «لا إله إلا الله» is the highest branch."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:“Faith is that of the people of Yemen, likewise of the people of the tribes of Laham and Juzam.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Faith is indeed Yemeni, and disbelief is towards the east. Tranquility is found among those who herd goats, and ostentation, pride, and arrogance are found among the owners of horses and camels. The False Messiah (Dajjal) will come from the east; his target will be Madinah, but when he reaches behind Mount Uhud, the angels will turn him towards Syria, and there he will perish, there he will perish.”

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: "I spent the night at Hajun (mountain) and recited the Noble Qur'an to a group of jinn."

Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan bin Harb (may Allah be pleased with him) says: (The king of Rome) Heraclius sent a man to call him, while he was with a caravan of the Quraysh. At that time, these people had gone to Syria for trade, and this was the period when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had made a temporary truce with the Quraysh and Sufyan. Abu Sufyan and the others reached Heraclius at Ilya. Heraclius had summoned his court, and around him were sitting the great men of Rome (scholars, ministers, and nobles). Heraclius called them and his interpreter, then asked: "Who among you is the closest relative of the claimant to prophethood?" Abu Sufyan says: I spoke up, "I am his closest relative." (Upon hearing this) Heraclius ordered, "Seat him (Sufyan) close to me and his companions behind him." Then he said to his interpreter, "Tell these people that I will ask Abu Sufyan about this man (Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ), and if he lies to me about anything, then you should expose his lie." (Abu Sufyan says:) By Allah! If I had not been ashamed that these people would call me a liar, I would certainly have lied about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Anyway, the first thing Heraclius asked me... (For ease, we present the narration in dialogue form):

Heraclius: What is his lineage like among you?
Abu Sufyan: He is of noble lineage.
Heraclius: Has anyone among you ever made such a claim before?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Was there any king among his ancestors?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Do the prominent people follow him or the weak?
Abu Sufyan: The weak have followed him.
Heraclius: Are his followers increasing or decreasing?
Abu Sufyan: They are increasing.
Heraclius: Has anyone, after entering his religion, become displeased with it and apostatized?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Did you ever accuse him of lying before his claim to prophethood?
Abu Sufyan: No.
Heraclius: Does he deceive?
Abu Sufyan: No, and now we have a fixed truce with him; I do not know what he will do in it. Other than this, I could not add any (lie) to this conversation.
Heraclius: Have you ever fought with him?
Abu Sufyan: Yes.
Heraclius: What was the outcome of your battles with him?
Abu Sufyan: Sometimes his side was victorious, and sometimes ours; sometimes they won, sometimes we did.
Heraclius: What does he command you?
Abu Sufyan: He says, "Worship Allah, who is One and Alone, associate nothing with Him, and abandon the ways (of shirk) of your forefathers." He commands us to pray, to speak the truth, to be pious, and to maintain family ties.

(After hearing all this) Heraclius said to his interpreter: Tell Abu Sufyan, "I asked you about his lineage, and you said he is of noble lineage among you, and prophets are always of noble lineage among their people. I asked if anyone before him had made such a claim among you, and you said no. Then I thought, if someone had said this before, I would have thought that this man is imitating what has already been said. I asked you if there was any king among his ancestors, and you said no. I thought, if there had been a king among his ancestors, I would have said that this man (is making this claim) to regain the kingdom of his forefathers. I asked you if you ever accused him of lying before his claim, and you said no. I realized that a person who refrains from lying to people would not lie about Allah. I asked you whether the prominent or the weak follow him, and you said the weak have followed him. In fact, these are the followers of the prophets. I asked you whether his followers are increasing or decreasing, and you said they are increasing, and this is the nature of faith until it is complete. I asked you whether anyone, after entering his religion, becomes displeased and apostatizes, and you said no. Indeed, this is the characteristic of faith: when its joy enters the hearts, they do not turn away from it. I asked you whether he ever breaks his promises, and you said no. This is the state of the prophets; they do not break their promises. I asked you what he commands you, and you said he commands you to worship Allah alone, not to associate anything with Him, forbids you from idol worship, and commands you to speak the truth and be pious. If what you say is true, then soon he will own the very place where my two feet are. I knew that (the Prophet) was coming, but I did not know that he would be from among you. If I knew I could reach him, I would endure every hardship to meet him. If I were with him, I would wash his feet."

Heraclius then called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), which he had sent through Dihyah Kalbi (may Allah be pleased with him) to the governor of Busra, and he had sent it to Heraclius. Then he read it, and in it was written: «بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم» "This letter is from the servant and Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), to the king of Rome. Peace be upon him who follows guidance. After that, I invite you to Islam. If you accept Islam, you will have safety (in this world and the Hereafter), and Allah will grant you a double reward. But if you turn away (from my invitation), then the sin of your subjects will also be upon you. O People of the Book! Come to a word that is equal between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate nothing with Him, and that none of us takes others as lords besides Allah. But if they turn away, then say (O Muslims): Bear witness that we are Muslims, submitting to Allah alone."

Abu Sufyan says: When Heraclius had said what he wanted to say and finished reading the letter, there was much commotion around him. Many voices were raised, and we were driven out. Then I said to my companions, "The matter of the son of Abu Kabsha (Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) has become very great. (See that) even the king of the Banu Asfar (Romans) fears him." At that time, I became certain that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would soon prevail, until Allah made me a Muslim.

(The narrator says:) Ibn Nator, the governor of Ilya and a close friend of Heraclius and the chief priest of the Christians of Syria, narrates: When Heraclius came to Ilya, one morning he woke up troubled. His courtiers asked, "Today we find your condition changed, what is the reason?" Ibn Nator says: Heraclius was an astrologer, fully skilled in astrology. He told his companions, "Last night I looked at the stars and saw that the king of the circumcised has prevailed over our land. (Now) who are the people who circumcise in this era?" They said, "No one circumcises except the Jews, so do not worry about them. Just send orders to all the cities of your kingdom that all the Jews be killed." While they were engaged in this, a man was brought to Heraclius, sent by the king of Ghassan, who described the situation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When Heraclius heard all the details, he said, "Go and see if he is circumcised or not." They checked and reported that he was circumcised. When Heraclius asked this man about the Arabs, he told him that they practice circumcision. Then Heraclius said, "This is indeed (Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ), the king of this nation who has appeared." Then he wrote a letter to a friend in Rome, who was as skilled in astrology as Heraclius. Then Heraclius went to Hims (Emesa). He had not yet left Hims when a reply came from his friend. His friend's opinion about the appearance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the same as Heraclius's: that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is indeed a prophet.

After this, Heraclius summoned the great men of Rome to his palace in Hims and ordered the doors of the palace to be closed. Then he came out (from his private chamber) and said, "O people of Rome! Is there any share for you in guidance and success? If you desire the survival of your kingdom, then pledge allegiance to this Prophet and become Muslims." (As soon as they heard this) they rushed to the doors like wild donkeys, but found the doors closed. When Heraclius saw their aversion and despaired of their accepting faith, he said, "Bring them to me." (When they came again) he said, "What I said was only to test the firmness of your faith, and I have seen it." (Upon hearing this) they all fell in prostration before him and were pleased with him. This was the last matter of Heraclius.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever possesses three qualities will taste the sweetness and flavor of faith: Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else, he loves someone for the sake of Allah and harbors enmity for His sake, and he would prefer to be thrown into a great fire rather than associate partners with Allah the Exalted."