Allah, Exalted be He, made performing good deeds and refraining from sins a means by which people can enter Paradise and avoid Hellfire. The most prominent and loftiest good deed of all is believing in Allah’s Oneness, while the gravest sin is associating partners with Him. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were eager to ask the Prophet ﷺ about all that which is good. In this hadeeth, AbooAyyoob al-Ansaaree(may Allah be pleased with him) reports that a man asked the Prophet ﷺ about what good deed could admit him into Paradise. It has been said: the man mentioned in the hadeeth was AbooAyyoob himself, while others said it was Laqeet ibn Sabrah, the delegate of Banee al-Muntafiq. Upon hearing the question, one of the Companions made a statement to express his surprise at such a question, sincethere are many good deeds [that can be done to enter Paradise]. However, the Prophet ﷺresponded to the statement of the Companion:‘arabun maa lahu, whichmeans the man asked about a matter that concerns him. In a different narration it reads: ‘aribun maa lahu.It is possible that the word is a verb, so it reads ‘ariba maa lahu, which means, he has become aware of the issue and understands it, thus, inquired about it; it has been said that it means that he is a smart man because he asked about what concerned him. This statement is believed to have been made to applaud his keen interest in knowing the answer to such a great question, and to show that he asked a question that sensible people would ask. It has [also] been said the phrase literally means an invocation against him that means, may his body parts fall off, but it is used as a form of praise without intending its actual meaning. Then, the Prophet ﷺ answered the man’s question, and explained to him regarding worshipping Allah alone, without any associate or partner, offering the five daily prayers, namely Fajr, Dhuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, and ‘Ishaa, and paying the zakat, which is a financial act of worship that is an obligation upon whoever has wealth that reaches the legal threshold s prescribed in Islam, and is in his possession for one lunar year. In this case, the person is obliged to take out %2.5 of the total eligible wealth. The alms are applicable to cattle and livestock, farms and plants, trade and merchandise, and the inventory of the relics of the ancients (treasures), the amount of which is calculated according to the prescribed times and measures in Islam. As for those who are eligible to receive alms, they are specified in the Quran. Allah, Most High, says: {Zakat is only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed for it and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveller - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.} [Quran 9:60]. Another good deed that can help the Muslim to enter Paradise is joining the kinship, which includes all blood relatives, whetherthe person is one of their heirs or not. This obligation is more emphasised when they are closer in lineage to the person, and those who are top priority are parents, and then siblings. Joining kinship with them can be through different means, including treating them with kindness, visiting them and checking on them, helping those who are financially in need amongst them, and sending gifts to those who are self-sufficient and in no need of help. A lesson we can derive from this hadeeth is that it is permissible to encourage particular acts of worship, depending on the condition of the addressee, and the need to remind the person of particular acts of worship, either due to the fact that the person is slack about them, or he finds it difficult to perform them. This hadeeth highlights the keen interest of the Prophet ﷺin his nation increasing their good deeds, so they may attain higher ranks in Paradise. .