The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explains that all deeds are considered according to the intention behind them. This ruling generally applies to all deeds, including acts of worship and dealings. So, he who seeks by his deed some worldly benefit will attain that benefit and will not be rewarded for it. And he who performs a deed with the intention to draw close to Allah Almighty will be rewarded, even if his deed is an ordinary one, like eating and drinking. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) provided an example to illustrate the impact of intention while both deeds apparently look equal. He pointed out that if a person migrates and leaves his homeland with the intention to win the pleasure of his Lord, his migration is a Shar‘i and accepted one, for which he will be rewarded, given his sincere intention; and if a person migrates to attain some worldly benefit, like wealth, high standing, business, or a wife, he will not attain anything from his migration except what benefit he intended, and no reward will be given to him.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarifies that whoever innovates something in the religion or does something that is not supported by evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah will have it rejected and Allah will not accept it from him.

'Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that Jibrīl (peace be upon him) appeared before the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in the form of an unknown man with white clothes and very dark hair and the signs of travel - such as fatigue, dust, unkempt hair, and dirty clothing - were not visible on him. None of those present knew him. This happened while they were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He sat down before the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as a learner and asked him about Islam. He answered him, pointing out the pillars of Islam: acknowledgment of the two testimonies of faith, observing the five prayers, paying the Zakah to its due recipients, fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing the obligation of Hajj for those who are able to do so. The inquirer said: You have spoken the truth. The Companions wondered that he posed the question, which indicated that he apparently did not know the answer, and then he affirmed that the answer was right. Then, he asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about faith, and he answered him listing the six pillars that contain belief in the existence of Allah Almighty and His attributes, ascribing His actions, such as creation, to Him alone, and devoting worship only to Him; belief that the angels, whom Allah created from light, are honorable servants who do not disobey Allah Almighty and they execute His commands; belief in the scriptures revealed by Allah Almighty to the messengers, like the Qur’an, the Torah, and the Gospel, and in the messengers who conveyed Allah's religion, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and the last of them Muhammad (peace be upon all of them); belief in the Last Day, which includes the barzakh life (life after death in the grave) and that every human being will be resurrected after death and undergo the reckoning and will ultimately end up in Paradise or Hellfire; and belief that Allah had predestined all things according to His prior knowledge, wisdom, writing, and will, and that everything happens according to Allah's predestination and creation. Then, he asked him about ihsān, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him that ihsān is to worship Allah as if you can see Him, and if he cannot reach that level, he should then worship Allah Almighty as if Allah is watching him. The first is the level of watching, which is higher, and the second is the level of watchfulness. Then, he asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Hour, and he clarified that knowledge of the Hour is one of the things Allah kept to Himself alone; so, none of the creation knows it, neither the one inquired about it nor the inquirer. Then, he asked him about the signs of the Hour. He pointed out that its signs include the increasing number of slave girls or the prevalence of children's ingratitude toward their mothers as they treat them like slaves and that shepherds and poor people will lead a life of opulence in the latter times, taking pride in the construction and decoration of big houses. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the inquirer was Jibrīl, who came to teach the Companions this upright religion.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) likened Islam to a well-built structure based on five pillars that carry it and the rest of its characteristics complement the structure. First pillar: The two testimonies of faith; testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. These two testimonies constitute one pillar as they are both inseparable. The slave utters the two testimonies of faith acknowledging the oneness of Allah and His exclusive worthiness of worship apart from others, acting upon their requirements, believing in the message of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and following him. Second pillar: Establishing the prayer, which refers to the five obligatory prayers that are to be observed every day and night and they are: Fajr (morning), Zhuhr (noon), ‘Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and ‘Ishā’ (night), along with observing their conditions, pillars, and obligatory acts. Third pillar: Giving the obligatory Zakah, which is an obligatory financial act of worship due on every type of property that has reached the limit prescribed by Shariah and it is to be given to those entitled to it. Fourth pillar: Performing Hajj, which is travelling to Makkah to perform the rituals as a means of worshipping Allah Almighty. Fifth pillar: Fasting Ramadān, which is abstaining from food, drink, and other invalidators from the break of dawn until sunset with the intention of worshipping Allah.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentions the right of Allah upon His servants and the right of His servants upon Him and demonstrates that Allah's right upon His servants is that they should worship Him alone and associate no partners with Him, and that the right of the servants upon Allah is that He should not punish those who believe in His Oneness and associate nothing with Him. Then, Mu‘ādh said: O Messenger of Allah, should I inform the people so that they rejoice at this merit? But the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him not to inform them, lest they would depend on this matter solely.

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was riding on a mount behind the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who called him: O Mu‘ādh! He repeated the call three times to show the significance of what he was about to say. Meanwhile, Mu‘ādh was replying: "Here I am at your service, O Messenger of Allah." That's I am answering your call, O Messenger of Allah, and seek happiness in answering you. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him that if anyone bears witness that there is no god but Allah - which means that none is truly worthy of worship except Allah - and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, sincerely from his heart, not lying, and then he dies in this state, Allah will make him forbidden to Hellfire. Mu‘ādh (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) whether he could tell people about that so that they would rejoice and feel hopeful. But the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) feared that they might solely rely upon that and their good deeds might decrease. So, Mu‘ādh did not narrate this Hadīth to anyone, except at the time of his death, fearing that he would incur the sin of concealing knowledge.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that if a person says and bears witness that "there is no god but Allah" - which means that none is truly worthy of worship except Allah - and disbelieves in everything worshiped apart from Allah and disavows all other religions besides Islam, his property and blood become inviolable to the Muslims. We only judge according to his apparent reality. So, his property may not be taken, or his blood be shed unless he commits a crime or an offence that entails such punishment as per Islamic laws. And Allah will be responsible for his reckoning on the Day of Judgment. If he is sincere, He will reward him, and if he is insincere, He will punish him.

A man asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the two traits: one that makes entering Paradise due, and one that makes entering Hellfire due. In response, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that the trait that makes entering Paradise due is that a person should die while worshiping Allah alone and associating nothing with Him; and the trait that makes entering Hellfire due is that a person should die while associating anything with Allah, by ascribing to Him a partner or equal in His divinity or lordship or His names and attributes.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that whoever devotes anything that must be devoted exclusively to Allah to other than Him, like supplicating other than Allah or seeking relief with other than Him, and dies in this state will be from the dwellers of Hellfire. Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) added that whoever dies while not associating anything with Allah will be eventually admitted to Paradise.

When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen to call its people to Allah and teach them, he clarified to him that he would meet Christian people and that he should first call them to what is more important and then to what is less important, and so on. He should first call them to reform their creed by testifying that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This is because they enter Islam with this testimony. If they complied with that, he should then enjoin them to establish the prayer, for it is the most important obligation after the testimony of Tawhīd (monotheistic belief). If they established the prayer, he should then order the rich amongst them to pay Zakah on their property to the poor amongst them. Thereafter, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned him not to take their best property; instead, it is required to adopt a moderate approach in this regard. Then, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him to avoid oppression, lest an oppressed person might supplicate to Allah against him, as his supplication is readily answered.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that the happiest of people to receive his intercession on the Day of Judgment is the one who says, "there is no god but Allah" sincerely from his heart; that's no one is worthy of worship except Allah, and he should be free from polytheism and show-off.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that faith consists of many branches and elements comprising various deeds, beliefs, and words. And he states that the best and most sublime among the elements of faith is to say "there is no god but Allah" while knowing its meaning and acting according to it - that Allah is the One true God Who is worthy of worship, alone, and apart from all else. And that the lowest act of faith is to remove any object harmful to people from their ways. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that modesty is one of the elements of faith, and it is a character trait that prompts one to do what is good and deters him from doing what is evil.