وَمَنْ يَأْتِهِ مُوْمِنًا قَدْ عَمِلَ الصَّالِحَاتِ
But whoever comes to Him (Allah) as a believer, and has done righteous good deeds,
whoever meets his Lord on the Day of Judgment as a believer in his heart, then verily, his intentions in his heart will be affirmed to be true by his statements and deeds.
فَأُوْلَيِكَ لَهُمُ الدَّرَجَاتُ الْعُلَى
for such are the high ranks,
Paradise, which has the highest levels, the most tranquil rooms and the nicest homes.
Imam Ahmad reported from Ubadah bin As-Samit that the Prophet said,
الْجَنَّةُ مِايَةُ دَرَجَةٍ مَا بَيْنَ كُلِّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالاَْرْضِ
وَالْفِرْدَوْسُ أَعْلَاهَا دَرَجَةً وَمِنْهَا تَخْرُجُ الاْاَنْهَارُ الاْاَرْبَعَةُ وَالْعَرْشُ فَوْقَهَا فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللهَ فَاسْأَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْس
Paradise has one hundred levels and between each level is a distance like the distance between the sky and the earth.
Al-Firdaws is the name of the highest of its levels. From it springs the four rivers and the Throne is above it. Therefore, when you ask Allah, then ask Him for Al-Firdaws.
This narration was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi.
In the Two Sahihs it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,
إِنَّ أَهْلَ عِلِّيِّينَ لَيَرَوْنَ مَنْ فَوْقَهُمْ كَمَا تَرَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ الْغَابِرَ فِي أُفُقِ السَّمَاءِ لِتَفَاضُلِ مَا بَيْنَهُمْ
قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ تِلْكَ مَنَازِلُ الاْاَنْبِيَاءِ
قَالَ بَلى وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ رِجَالٌ امَنُوا بِاللهِ وَصَدَّقُوا الْمُرْسَلِين
Verily, the people of the `Illiyyin will see those who are above them just as you see the fading star in the horizon of the sky, due to the different status of virtue between them.
The people said, "O Messenger of Allah, these are the dwellings of the Prophets."
He replied, (Of course. And I swear by the One Whom my soul is in His Hand, (it is for) men who had faith in Allah and they believed the Messengers.
In the Sunan collections this narration is mentioned with the additional wording,
وَإِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ لَمِنْهُمْ وَأَنْعَمَا
And verily Abu Bakr and Umar are of them and they will be most favored.
His saying