This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abi Abdul Sabur Abdul Ghafoor Damni's book Fazail al-Jihad.
عن أبى عمرو الشيباني قال سألت عبد الله بن مسعود رضى الله عنه قلت يا رسول الله أى العمل أفضل قال الصلاة على ميقاتها قلت ثم أى قال ثم بر الوالدين قلت ثم أى قال الجهاد فى سبيل الله فسكت عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولو استزدته لزادني
"Abu Amr Shaybani narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), I said: O Messenger of Allah! Which deed in religion is the most virtuous? He (peace be upon him) said: 'Praying on time.' I asked: Then which deed? He (peace be upon him) said: 'Being good to one's parents.' I asked: Then which deed? He (peace be upon him) said: 'Jihad in the way of Allah.' Then I remained silent, if I had asked more, he (peace be upon him) would have explained further."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari and Muslim)
Reference: (Narrated by Bukhari, Book of Jihad and Expedition, Chapter on the Virtue of Jihad and Expedition, Number: 2782, wording is his / Muslim: Book of Faith, Chapter on Clarifying Which Faith in Allah is the Best Deed, Number: 85)
Derived Benefits
From the mentioned hadith, the importance of several matters is understood, which include the following:
The Virtue of Praying on Time:
Which means that whenever the time for prayer comes, there is no deed better than praying at that time.
Serving Parents:
Similarly, treating parents well is among the best deeds for which a person receives reward.
The Virtue of Jihad in the Way of Allah:
From the mentioned hadith, the virtue of jihad in the way of Allah is also understood, that it is among those righteous deeds for which a person receives reward on the Day of Judgment.
Eagerness for Righteous Deeds:
From the mentioned hadith, eagerness for righteous deeds is also understood, as seen from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who repeatedly asked the Messenger of Allah about these good deeds.
