Sunan at-Tirmithiy كتاب الصلاة باب ما جاء من أحق بالإمامة

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَمَّارٍ حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ رَجَاءٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ عَنِ الأَوْزَاعِىِّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِى الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ الْمُعَيْطِىُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِى مَعْدَانُ بْنُ طَلْحَةَ الْيَعْمَرِىُّ قَالَ لَقِيتُ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقُلْتُ لَهُ دُلَّنِى عَلَى عَمَلٍ يَنْفَعُنِى اللَّهُ بِهِ وَيُدْخِلُنِى الْجَنَّةَ فَسَكَتَ عَنِّى مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَىَّ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنِّى سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً.
Ma'dān Ibn-Talḥah al-Ya'marī said, "I once met Thawbān, the servant of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and said to him, 'Guide me to a deed for which God would reward me, and that would enable me to enter Paradise.' He paused for a moment then turned to me and said 'Keep to prostration[1], for I have heard the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, say, 'No bondsman prostrates to God a single prostration, except that with it, God raises him a rank [in Paradise] and relieves him of [the burden of] a sin.'" Footnotes: [1] i.e. prostrate to God often and prolong your prostrations during prayer, for we are closest to God while in prostration. Click on ḥadīth to read more