"I met Thawban the freed slave of Messenger of Allah (S) and said to him, 'Guide me to a deed by which Allah benefit me, and for which Allah will admit me into Paradise.' He was silent for quite a while, then he turned to me and said: 'Perform prostrations, for I heard Messenger of Allah (S) saying: 'No worshipper performs a prostration to Allah except that by it, Allah will raise him a level, and erase a sin from him for it.'"

لَقِيتُ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ يَنْفَعُنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ وَيُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ فَسَكَتَ عَنِّي مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَىَّ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً

“I met Thawban and said to him: ‘Tell me a Hadith that Allah may benefit me thereby.’ But he remained silent. Then I said the same and he remained silent. That happened three times. Then he said to me: ‘You should prostrate to Allah; for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “No one prostrates to Allah but Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby and will erase one of his sins.” Ma’dan said: “Then I met Abu Darda’ and asked him the same question, and he gave a similar answer.”

فَسَكَتَ ثُمَّ عُدْتُ فَقُلْتُ مِثْلَهَا فَسَكَتَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ فَقَالَ لِي عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ لِلَّهِ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً قَالَ مَعْدَانُ ثُمَّ لَقِيتُ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ

[AI] We narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who said, "You all lie against me." And he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'There is no Muslim who prostrates to Allah in a prostration except that Allah raises him in rank and removes a sin from him with it.'

حَدِّثْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ تَكْذِبُونَ عَلَيَّوَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً

[AI] I said to Thawban, the servant of the Prophet ﷺ , "Tell us a hadith that benefits us in the sight of Allah." He said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'No servant prostrates to Allah in a prostration except that Allah raises him by a rank and removes from him a sin with it.'"

قُلْتُ لِثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ حَدِّثْنَا حَدِيثًا يَنْفَعُنَا اللهُ بِهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً

[AI] We have narrated about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he said: "You lie upon me. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'There is no Muslim who prostrates to Allah in a single prostration except that Allah raises him in rank by it and removes from him a sin by it.'

حَدِّثْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ تَكْذِبُونَ عَلَيَّ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَهُ اللهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً

"I met Thawban the freed slave of Messenger of Allah (S) and said to him, 'Guide me to a deed by which Allah benefit me, and for which Allah will admit me into Paradise.' He was silent for quite a while, then he turned to me and said: 'Perform prostrations, for I heard Messenger of Allah (S) saying: 'No worshipper performs a prostration to Allah except that by it, Allah will raise him a level, and erase a sin from him for it.'" (Using translation from Tirmidhī 388)

لَقِيتُ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ حَدِّثْنِي بِحَدِيثٍ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَنْفَعَنِي بِهِ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً»

[AI] I said, "O Messenger of Allah, guide me to a righteous deed that I may adhere to and perform." He replied, "Engage in jihad in the cause of Allah, for there is nothing like it." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me about a righteous deed that I may adhere to and perform." He replied, "Engage in migration, for there is nothing like it." I said, "O Messenger of Allah, tell me about a righteous deed that I may adhere to and perform." He replied, "Engage in prostration, for whenever you prostrate to Allah, He raises your rank and forgives your sins with it."

قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مُرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ أَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَعْمَلُهُ قَالَ «عَلَيْكَ بِالْجِهَادِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا مِثْلَ لَهُ» قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ حَدِّثْنِي بِعَمَلٍ أَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَعْمَلُهُ قَالَ «عَلَيْكَ بِالْهِجْرَةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا مِثْلَ لَهَا» قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ حَدِّثْنِي بِعَمَلٍ أَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَعْمَلُهُ قَالَ «عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنَّكَ لَا تَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَ اللهُ لَكَ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً»

[AI] He said to him, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , "You should migrate, for there is nothing like it." He said, "O Messenger of Allah, inform me of knowledge that I can follow and act upon." He said, "You should have patience, for there is nothing like it." He said, "O Messenger of Allah, inform me of knowledge that I can follow and teach others." He said, "You should prostrate, for whenever you prostrate to Allah, He raises you in rank and removes from you a sin."

أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «عَلَيْكَ بِالْهِجْرَةِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا مِثْلَ لَهَا» قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ حَدِّثْنِي بِعِلْمٍ أَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَعْمَلُ بِهِ قَالَ «عَلَيْكَ بِالصَّبْرِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا مِثْلَ لَهُ» قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ حَدِّثْنِي بِعِلْمٍ أَسْتَقِيمُ عَلَيْهِ وَأُعَلِّمُهُ قَالَ «عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنَّكَ لَا تَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلَّا رَفَعَكَ اللهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْكَ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً»

"اعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ لا تسجُدُ لله سَجْدَةً إلا رفعَ الله لَكَ بها درجة، أو كتب لكَ بها حَسَنةً، أو حطَّ عنكَ بها خطيئة".

"أكثر بعدى من السجود؛ فَإنَّهُ ما أحد يسجدُ لله سجدةً إلا رفعه الله بها درجة في الجنة وحَطَّ عنه بها خَطِيئةَ ".

"عَلَيكَ بالهجرَة، فإِنهُ لا مثْلَ لَها، عَلَيكَ بالجِهاد فإِنَّهُ لا مثْلَ لَهُ؛ عليكَ بالصَّوم فإنَّهُ لا مثْلَ لَهُ، عَلَيكَ بالسُّجُود فإِنَّكَ لا تَسجُدُ للهِ سجْدَةً إلا رَفَعَكَ اللهُ تعالى بها دَرَجَةً، وحطَّ عَنْك بهَا خَطيئة".

"عَلَيكَ بِكَثرِة السجُود؛ فإِنَّكَ لَا تَسجُد لله سَجْدَةً إلا رَفَعَكَ الله دَرَجَةً، وحَطَّ عَنْكَ بِهَا خَطيئةً".

"مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ للهِ سجْدَةً إِلا رَفَعَهُ الله بِها درجةً، وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بهَا خَطِيئَةً".

"مَنْ سَجَدَ لله سَجْدَةً رَفَعَهُ الله بِهَا دَرَجَةً وحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطيَئةً".