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Text and translation
English translation
2524. Ubaid bin Khālid As-Sulami said: “The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ made a bond of brotherhood between two men, one of them was killed, and the other one died after him by a week or thereabout. We performed (the Janāzah) Salāh for him. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ asked: ‘What did you say?’ We said: ‘We supplicated for him, and we said: “O Allāh! Forgive him and join him with his companion.”’ The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “So where is his Salāt in comparison to his (companion’s) Salāt, and his fasting in comparison to his (companion’s) fasting — (one of the narrators) Shuʿbah was not sure about: “his fasting” — “And his deeds in comparison to his (companion’s) deeds. Indeed the distance between them is like the distance between the heavens and the earth.” (Hasan)
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Footnotes
1
[1] That is Abū Saʿeed Ibn Al-Aʿrābī, who heard the text from Abū Dāwūd.
Commentary
A martyr is doubtless accorded a special status and rank, but some non-martyrs also can secure higher ranks by virtue of their unfailing sincerity, piety and abundant virtuous deeds. It is understood by some of the commentaries, that in this narration, the mention of the more exalted of deeds is regarding the second one who died, and that perhaps the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ knew of his sincerity in his good deeds. It appears that the author considered the meaning to be the opposite, based upon where he narrated it, that is, that the second man's deeds were below that of the first. And Allāh knows best.
