Ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī narrated from Umārah ibn Sayyād, who said: “Saīd ibn al-Musayyib asked me about ‘the enduring righteous deeds.’ I replied, ‘Prayer and fasting.’ He said, ‘You are incorrect.’ I then said, ‘Zakāh and Hajj.’ He replied, ‘You are incorrect. Rather, they are these five phrases: “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah,” “Allah is the Greatest,” “Glory be to Allah,” “Praise be to Allah,” and “There is no might nor power except with Allah.”’”
This report from Ibn al-Musayyib might suggest that “the enduring righteous deeds” are confined to these five phrases. The position of the discerning scholars, however, is that “the enduring righteous deeds” encompass every good deed. Ibn Abbās—may Allah be pleased with him and his father—said concerning the words “the enduring righteous deeds”: “They are the remembrance of Allah: saying, ‘There is no god worthy of worship except Allah,’ ‘Allah is the Greatest,’ ‘Glory be to Allah,’ ‘Praise be to Allah,’ ‘Blessed is Allah,’ ‘There is no might nor power except with Allah,’ ‘I seek Allah’s forgiveness,’ and ‘May Allah bless the Messenger of Allah’; as well as fasting, prayer, Hajj, charity, emancipation of slaves, jihad, maintaining ties of kinship, and every righteous deed. These are the enduring righteous deeds, which will remain for those who perform them in Paradise for as long as the heavens and the earth endure.”
Specific texts have been reported from the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—concerning the virtue of this phrase, its exalted standing with Allah, and the reward and recompense that result from it. Among them is the report narrated by al-Bukhārī and Muslim from Abū Mūsā al-Asharī—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: “We were with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—on a journey, and whenever we ascended, we proclaimed Allah’s greatness.” In another version, he said: “Whenever we climbed or crested an elevation, or descended into a valley, we raised our voices proclaiming, ‘Allah is the Greatest.’ The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: ‘O people, take it easy and do not strain yourselves, for you are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent. Rather, you are calling upon the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’ Then he came over to me while I was saying silently to myself: