Ma'dan bin Talha Al-Ya'muri said:

"I met Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: "Tell me of an action that will benefit me or gain me admittance to Paradise.' He remained silent for a while, then he turned to me and said: 'You should prostrate, because I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "There is no one who prostrated once to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, except that Allah will raise him one degree in status thereby, and erase one sin thereby." Ma'dan said: "Then I met Abu Ad-Darda' and asked him the same question I had asked Thawban." He said to me: "You should prostrate, for I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "There is no one who prostrates once to Allah (Subhanahu-wa-Taala), but Allah (Subhanahu-wa-Taala) will raise him one degree thereby and erase one sin thereby."

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَمَّارٍ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ حُرَيْثٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ الْمُعَيْطِيُّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَعْدَانُ بْنُ طَلْحَةَ الْيَعْمَرِيُّ، قَالَ لَقِيتُ ثَوْبَانَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ يَنْفَعُنِي أَوْ يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ فَسَكَتَ عَنِّي مَلِيًّا ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَىَّ فَقَالَ عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً " . قَالَ مَعْدَانُ ثُمَّ لَقِيتُ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَمَّا سَأَلْتُ عَنْهُ ثَوْبَانَ فَقَالَ لِي عَلَيْكَ بِالسُّجُودِ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ " مَا مِنْ عَبْدِ يَسْجُدُ لِلَّهِ سَجْدَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةً " .