Compiled by Imam Abu Dawud as-Sijistani
حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى، - وَهَذَا حَدِيثُ مُسَدَّدٍ وَهُوَ أَتَمُّ - عَنِ الأَوْزَاعِيِّ، عَنْ حَسَّانَ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِي كَبْشَةَ السَّلُولِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَرْبَعُونَ خَصْلَةً أَعْلاَهُنَّ مَنِيحَةُ الْعَنْزِ مَا يَعْمَلُ رَجُلٌ بِخَصْلَةٍ مِنْهَا رَجَاءَ ثَوَابِهَا وَتَصْدِيقَ مَوْعُودِهَا إِلاَّ أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا الْجَنَّةَ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ فِي حَدِيثِ مُسَدَّدٍ قَالَ حَسَّانُ فَعَدَدْنَا مَا دُونَ مَنِيحَةِ الْعَنْزِ مِنْ رَدِّ السَّلاَمِ وَتَشْمِيتِ الْعَاطِسِ وَإِمَاطَةِ الأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ وَنَحْوِهِ فَمَا اسْتَطَعْنَا أَنْ نَبْلُغَ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ خَصْلَةً .
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There are forty characteristics; the highest of them is to give a goat on loan (for benefiting from its milk). If any man carries out any of those characteristics with the hope of getting a reward and testifying to the promise for it, Allah will admit him to Paradise for it. Abu Dawud said: In the version of Musaddad, Hassan said: So we counted other characteristics than lending the goat: to return the greeting, to respond to sneezing, and remove things which cause annoyance to the people from their path, and similar other things. We could not reach fifteen characteristics.