Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

أُمُّ فَرْوَةَ بِنْتُ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ أُخْتُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ

tabarani:21772Aḥmad b. ʿAmr al-Khallāl al-Makkī > Yaʿqūb b. Ḥumayd > Ibn Abū Fudayk > al-Ḍaḥḥāk b. ʿUthmān > al-Qāsim b. Ghannām > Āmraʾah from al-Mubāyiʿāt

[Machine] The Prophet ﷺ was asked, "Which deeds are the best?" He replied, "Believing in Allah and then performing the prayer at its prescribed time."  

الطبراني:٢١٧٧٢حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْخَلَّالُ الْمَكِّيُّ ثنا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ ثنا ابْنُ أَبِي فُدَيْكٍ عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ غَنَّامٍ عَنِ امْرَأَةٍ مِنَ الْمُبَايِعَاتِ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ سُئِلَ أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ «إِيمَانٌ بِاللهِ ثُمَّ الصَّلَاةُ لَأَوَّلِ وَقْتِهَا»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Nasāʾī, Abū Dāwūd, Ibn Mājah, Aḥmad, Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṭabarānī, Suyūṭī
bukhari:7534Sulaymān > Shuʿbah > al-Walīd > ʿAbbād b. Yaʿqūb al-Asadī > ʿAbbād b. al-ʿAwwām > al-Shaybānī > al-Walīd b. al-ʿAyzār > Abū ʿAmr al-Shaybānī > Ibn Masʿūd

A man asked the Prophet ﷺ "What deeds are the best?" The Prophet ﷺ said: "(1) To perform the (daily compulsory) prayers at their (early) stated fixed times, (2) to be good and dutiful to one's own parents, (3) and to participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause."  

البخاري:٧٥٣٤حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ وَحَدَّثَنِي عَبَّادُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الأَسَدِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ الْعَوَّامِ عَنِ الشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْعَيْزَارِ عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ؓ

أَنَّ رَجُلاً سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الصَّلاَةُ لِوَقْتِهَا وَبِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ ثُمَّ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ  

nasai:4985Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman Aḥmad b. Shuʿayb from Lafẓih > ʿAmr b. ʿAlī > ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Ibrāhīm b. Saʿd > al-Zuhrī > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab > Abū Hurayrah

The Messenger of Allah [SAW] was asked: "Which deed is best?" "He said: Faith in Allah [SWT] and His messenger [SAW]."  

النسائي:٤٩٨٥حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ مِنْ لَفْظِهِ قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُئِلَ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الإِيمَانُ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ  

abudawud:1325Ibn Ḥanbal / Aḥmad > Ḥajjāj > Ibn Jurayj > ʿUthmān b. Abū Sulaymān > ʿAlī al-Azdī > ʿUbayd b. ʿUmayr > ʿAbdullāh b. Ḥubshī al-Khathʿamī

The Prophet ﷺ was asked: which is the best action? He replied: To stand in prayer for a long time.  

أبو داود:١٣٢٥حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ حَنْبَلٍ يَعْنِي أَحْمَدَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ الأَزْدِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حُبْشِيٍّ الْخَثْعَمِيِّ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُئِلَ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ طُولُ الْقِيَامِ  

ibnmajah:2924Ibrāhīm b. al-Mundhir al-Ḥizāmī And Yaʿqūb b. Ḥumayd b. Kāsib > Ibn Abū Fudayk > al-Ḍaḥḥāk b. ʿUthmān > Muḥammad b. al-Munkadir > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Yarbūʿ > Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq

“Which actions are best?” He said: “Raising one’s voice and slaughtering the sacrificial animal.”  

ابن ماجة:٢٩٢٤حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ الْحِزَامِيُّ وَيَعْقُوبُ بْنُ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ كَاسِبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي فُدَيْكٍ عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ يَرْبُوعٍ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُئِلَ أَىُّ الأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الْعَجُّ وَالثَّجُّ  

ahmad:27103Abū ʿĀṣim > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar > al-Qāsim b. Ghannām > ʿAmmātih > Um Farwah

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked, "Which deeds are the best?" He replied, "Praying on time."  

أحمد:٢٧١٠٣حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ غَنَّامٍ عَنْ عَمَّاتِهِ عَنْ أُمِّ فَرْوَةَ قَالَتْ

سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ الصَّلَاةُ لِوَقْتِهَا  

ذِكْرُ الْبَيَانِ بِأَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ لِوَقْتِهَا مِنْ أَفْضَلِ الْأَعْمَالِ

ibnhibban:1478al-Ḥasan b. Sufyān > Abū Bakr b. Abū Shaybah > ʿAlī b. Mushir > al-Shaybānī > al-Walīd b. al-ʿAyzār > Saʿd b. Iyās Abū ʿAmr al-Shaybānī > ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd

Prayer at its appointed hour. I (again) said: Then what? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Kindness to the parents. I (again) said: Then what? He replied: Earnest endeavour (Jihad) in the cause of Allah. And I would have not ceased asking more questions but out of regard (for his feelings). (Using translation from Muslim 85a)  

ابن حبّان:١٤٧٨أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ عَنِ الشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْعَيْزَارِ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِيَاسٍ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ

سَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ أَيُّ الْعَمَلِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ «الصَّلَاةُ لِوَقْتِهَا»  

tabarani:468Muʿādh b. al-Muthanná > Musaddad > Sufyān > Ziyād b. ʿIlāqah > Usāmah b. Sharīk

[Machine] I attended the Prophet ﷺ and he was asked which actions are the best. He said, "Having good character."  

الطبراني:٤٦٨حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى ثنا مُسَدَّدٌ ثنا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ عِلَاقَةَ عَنْ أُسَامَةَ بْنِ شَرِيكٍ قَالَ

حَضَرْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَسُئِلَ أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ «حُسْنُ الْخُلُقِ»