Ziyād—or Ibn Ziyād—and so the man came to Medina and met Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. He said: ‘He asked about my lineage, and I told him. He then said: “Young man, shall I relate a hadith to you?” I replied: “Yes, may Allah have mercy on you.”’—Yūnus said: ‘I believe he attributed it to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’—He said:

‘The first of people’s deeds for which they will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection is prayer.’ He continued: ‘Our Lord, Mighty and Majestic, will say to His angels, though He knows best: “Examine My servant’s prayer: did he complete it or leave it deficient?” If it is complete, it will be recorded for him as complete. If he has left any part of it deficient, He will say: “See whether My servant has any voluntary prayers.” If he has voluntary prayers, He will say: “Complete it from his voluntary prayers.” Then the other deeds will be dealt with in the same way.’”

In another wording, Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The first of a servant’s deeds for which he will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection is his prayer. If it is sound, he will have prospered and succeeded; if it is unsound, he will have failed and lost. If any part of his obligatory prayer is deficient, the Lord will say: ‘See whether My servant has any voluntary prayers.’ The deficiency in his obligatory prayer will then be made up from them. The rest of his deeds will be treated in the same way.”

Al-Tirmidhī narrated it and said: “A sound hadith.”

Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah also narrated a report conveying this meaning from Tamīm al-Dārī, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in which he said:

“Then zakat will be treated likewise, and the other deeds will be dealt with in the same manner.”

Furthermore, Abū Masʿūd al-Badrī, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Messenger of Allah said