[6000 continued] ...We and you are the same, until Allah the Almighty revealed: "And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer." He said: Then they prevailed over them.

[6001] Abu Sa'id al-Ashajj narrated to us, Abu Usamah and Ya'la narrated to us, from Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid, from Abu Salih, he said: A group of people from the People of Faith, the People of the Torah, and the People of the Gospel sat down. These said: "We are better," and those said: "We are better." Then Allah the Almighty revealed: "[It is] not by your wishful thinking nor by the wishful thinking of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does evil will be recompensed for it." Then Allah singled out the People of Faith, and revealed: "And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer."

[6002] Ahmad ibn 'Uthman ibn al-Hakam narrated to us, Ahmad ibn Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding His saying: "And whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, while being a believer," He refused to accept faith without righteous action, and refused to accept Islam without ihsan (excellence in faith).

His saying, the Almighty: "Then those will enter Paradise."

[6003] 'Amr ibn 'Abd Allah al-Awdi narrated to us, Waki' narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Abu Ishaq, from 'Alqamah, from 'Abd Allah, he said: Paradise is a temperate place; there is no heat in it nor cold.

His saying, the Almighty: "And who is better in religion than one who submits..."

[6004] Muhammad ibn Sa'd al-'Awfi informed us, in what he wrote to me, my father narrated to me, my uncle narrated to me, my father narrated to me, from his father, from Ibn 'Abbas, he said: The people of Islam said: There is no religion except the religion of Islam. Our Book abrogates every book, our Prophet is the seal of the prophets, and our religion is the best of religions. Then the Almighty said: "And who is better in religion than one who submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good."

[6005] Ahmad ibn 'Uthman ibn Hakim al-Awdi narrated to us, Ahmad ibn al-Mufaddal narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, regarding His saying: "Whoever does evil will be recompensed for it," then Allah preferred the believer over them—meaning over the People of the Scripture—and said: "And who is better in religion than one who submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good and follows the religion of Abraham, inclining toward truth."

[6006] 'Isam ibn Rawwad al-'Asqalani narrated to us, Adam narrated to us, from Abu Ja'far al-Razi, from al-Rabi' ibn Anas, from Abu al-'Aliyah, regarding His saying: "...one who submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good," he says: Whoever is sincere to Allah. It is narrated from al-Rabi' ibn Anas similarly.