Hadith 1.2
Supplications
Abud Darda’ reported God's messenger as saying, “Would you like me to tell you the best and purest of your deeds in the estimation of your King, those which raise your degrees highest, those which are better for you than spending gold and silver, and are better for you than that you should meet your enemy and cut off one another's head?” On receiving a reply in the affirmative he said, “It is remembering God.” Malik, Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Malik traced it no farther back than Abud Darda’.
وَعَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَلَا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرِ أَعْمَالِكُمْ وَأَزْكَاهَا عِنْدَ مَلِيكِكُمْ؟ وَأَرْفَعِهَا فِي دَرَجَاتِكُمْ؟ وَخَيْرٍ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِنْفَاقِ الذهبِ والوَرِقِ؟ وخيرٍ لكم مِنْ أَنْ تَلْقَوْا عَدُوَّكُمْ فَتَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَهُمْ وَيَضْرِبُوا أَعْنَاقَكُمْ؟» قَالُوا: بَلَى قَالَ: «ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ» . رَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ وَأَحْمَدُ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ وَابْنُ مَاجَهْ إِلَّا أَنَّ مَالِكًا وَقفه على أبي الدَّرْدَاء
Hadith gradings, numbering and translations can differ between editions. For legal rulings or detailed interpretation, consult qualified scholarship and the referenced edition.