I met Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and I said, “Tell me of a deed that I may do by which Allah will admit me into Paradise”—or he said, “I said: (tell me) of the most beloved deeds to Allah.” He remained silent. Then I asked him again and he remained silent.

Then I asked him a third time, and he said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that, and he said: ‘You should perform many prostrations to Allah, for you do not prostrate to Allah a single prostration except that Allah raises you by it one degree and removes from you by it one sin.’”

Ma‘dan said: Then I met Abu al-Darda’ and I asked him, and he said to me the same as Thawban had said to me.

لَقِيتُ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ أَخْبِرْنِي بِعَمَلٍ أَعْمَلُهُ يُدْخِلُنِي اللَّهُ بِهِ الْجَنَّةَ - أَوْ قَالَ قُلْتُ بِأَحَبِّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ - فَسَكَتَ۔ ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ فَسَكَتَ۔
ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ الثَّالِثَةَ فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ: «عَلَيْكَ بِكَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ لِلَّهِ، فَإِنَّكَ لاَ تَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَكَ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً، وَحَطَّ عَنْكَ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً»
قَالَ مَعْدَانُ: ثُمَّ لَقِيتُ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ لِي ثَوْبَانُ

I was with Messenger of Allah ﷺ one night. and I brought him water and what he required. He said to me: "Ask ˹for anything you like˺" . I said: I ask your company in Paradise. He said: Is there anything else ˹you want˺?. I said: That is all. He said: Then help me for your sake ˹to achieve this˺ by performing a lot of prostrations.

كُنْتُ أَبِيتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ بِوَضُوئِهِ وَحَاجَتِهِ فَقَالَ لِي: «سَلْ»، فَقُلْتُ: أَسْأَلُكَ مُرَافَقَتَكَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ۔ قَالَ: «أَوَغَيْرَ ذَلِكَ؟» قُلْتُ: هُوَ ذَاكَ۔ قَالَ: «فَأَعِنِّي عَلَى نَفْسِكَ بِكَثْرَةِ السُّجُودِ»