5850 - Yunus ibn 'Abd al-A'la narrated to us, Ibn Wahb informed us, Abu Yahya Fulayh ibn Sulayman informed me, from Hilal ibn Abi Maymuna, from Abu Hurayrah or from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Indeed, in Paradise there are one hundred degrees which Allah has prepared for those who strive in His way; the distance between each two degrees is as the distance between the heavens and the earth."

5851 - Hammad ibn al-Hasan ibn 'Anbasa narrated to us, Yahya ibn Hammad narrated to us, Abu 'Awanah narrated to us, from Sulayman—meaning al-A'mash—from 'Amr ibn Murra, from Abu 'Ubaydah, from 'Abd Allah who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Whoever reaches [the enemy] with an arrow has a degree." A man asked: "O Messenger of Allah, what is a degree?" He said: "Verily, it is not the threshold of your mother; the distance between the two degrees is one hundred years."

5852 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, Yahya ibn 'Abd Allah narrated to us, Ibn Lahi'ah informed me, 'Ata' informed me, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr regarding His saying: "Allah has preferred the strivers with their wealth and their lives over the sedentary by a degree," he said: It means a superiority.

His saying, the Almighty: "And both."

5853 - And by this chain from Sa'id ibn Jubayr: "And both," meaning: the striver and the sedentary who has a valid excuse.

His saying, the Almighty: "Allah has promised the best [reward]."

5854 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, Safwan ibn Salih al-Dimashqi narrated to us, al-Walid—meaning Ibn Muslim—narrated to us, Zuhayr ibn Muhammad narrated to us, one who heard Abu al-'Aliyah al-Riyahi narrating from Ubayy ibn Ka'b who said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about "the best [reward] (al-husna)," and he said: "The best [reward] is Paradise."

His saying, the Almighty: "And Allah has preferred the strivers over the sedentary with a great reward."

5855 - Abu Zur'ah narrated to us, Yahya ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Bukayr narrated to us, Ibn Lahi'ah informed me, 'Ata' ibn Dinar informed me, from Sa'id ibn Jubayr regarding His saying: "And Allah has preferred the strivers over the sedentary—those who have no excuse—with a great reward."

His saying, the Almighty: "Degrees from Him, and forgiveness and mercy."

5856 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashajj narrated to us, Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, Hisham ibn Hassan narrated to us, from Jabalah ibn 'Atiyah, from Ibn Muhayriz regarding: "And Allah has preferred the strivers over the sedentary with a great reward, degrees from Him," he said: The distance between the two degrees is the [length of] a sprint of a noble, groomed horse."