Which of the deeds is the best?
Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
I said: O Messenger of Allah, which of the deeds is the best? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Belief in Allah and Jihad in His cause. I again asked: Who is the slave whose emancipation is the best? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: One who is valuable for his master and whose price is high. I said: If I can't afford to do it? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Help an artisan or make anything for the unskilled (labourer). I (Abu Dharr) said: O Messenger of Allah, you see that I am helpless in doing some of these deeds. He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Desist from doing mischief to the people. That is the charity of your person on your behalf.
Sahih Muslim
Abu Dhar al-Ghaffari ( may Allah be pleased with him ) asked the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) a lot about the best of the deeds in the sight of Allah and the deeds to be given priority in case the deeds are equal. The Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) responded to him with all pleasure, because he loved him very much since he strived to do all the good deeds. The Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) was the best role model and the best companion in the residence and traveling to his companions.
The belief in Allah is the origin of the doctrinal, legal and moral assets, as he, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Faith has over seventy branches - or over sixty branches - the uppermost of which is the declaration: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'; and the least of which is the removal of harmful object from the road, and modesty is a branch of Iman."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Abu Dhar understood what this answer contained and knew what the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ) wanted from him, namely, to observe the jihad for the sake of Allah, based on faith, and he was a man of knowledge, who knows the goals of speech.
He knew that faith includes all the good deeds. If the Prophet ( may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) answered him briefly, Abu Dhar al-Ghaffari would not have find his persuit. However, the answer included a branch of faith, and that the mention of faith before it was a condition for its validity and acceptance, then the answer to his question is: strive for the sake of Allah while you are a believer.
We know that the validity and acceptance of the deed depend on the sincerity, it can not be achieved except with full faith; it is stated in the Sahih hadeeth: " verify the sincerity of your deed, it will suffice you even if it seems little."
Sincerity implies that the heart gets rid of the observation of the creation and seeking their contentment through the righteous deeds and to attach the heart to Allah alone the owner of the glory and honor.
One's faith is measured by the degree of his devotion to his religion and the submission of his heart to the Creator the king.
He whose faith is strong, will surely have a strong determination and control himself, hence he can move the Satan away from his heart, and then be a soldier of Allah fighting for his sake out of seeking his contentment.
Faith is the base, then Jihad and then all the other good deeds. All of which are of the requirements of faith, from which they stem and in which they pour.
