"The Qur'an is an argument in your favor or against you. Every person goes forth in the morning, and either ransoms his soul or destroys it." (1)

6 - Chapter: The Reward for Purification

281 - Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us, Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "When one of you performs ablution and does it well, then goes to the mosque, with nothing impelling him but the prayer, he takes no step except that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, raises him a degree thereby and removes from him a sin thereby, until he enters the mosque." (2)

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(1) Its chain of transmission is authentic. Mu'awiyah ibn Salam: he is ibn Abi Salam, Mammatur al-Habashi, and his brother: his name is Zayd ibn Salam, and their grandfather Abu Salam: he is Mammatur al-Habashi.
It was also recorded by al-Nasa'i in "al-Mujtaba" 5/5-8, and in "al-Kubra" (9925) via the route of Muhammad ibn Shu'ayb ibn Shabur, with this chain of transmission. And from this route it is in "Sahih Ibn Hibban" (844). The narration in "al-Kubra" is abridged.
It was also recorded by Muslim (223), al-Tirmidhi (3826), and al-Nasa'i in "al-Kubra" (9924) via the route of Aban ibn Yazid, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Zayd ibn Salam, from Abu Salam, from Abu Malik al-Ash'ari, raised to the Prophet. Al-Tirmidhi said: A sound hadith. We say: And from this route with this chain it is in "Musnad Ahmad" (22902), and it is a disconnected chain, for Abu Salam did not hear from Abu Malik al-Ash'ari; between them is 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghanm, as in the narration of Mu'awiyah ibn Salam transmitted by the author, al-Nasa'i, and Ibn Hibban, whose citation has preceded. And see the complete discussion of it in our commentary on "al-Musnad."

(2) Its chain of transmission is authentic. Abu Mu'awiyah: he is Muhammad ibn Khazim al-Darir.
It was also recorded by al-Bukhari (477), (647), and (2119), and Muslim following hadith (661)/(272), Abu Dawud (559), al-Tirmidhi (609), and al-Nasa'i in the section on angels from "al-Kubra" =