Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) stated, in what he quoted from Thawban, the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say “Stick to,” meaning adhere to, and this is the aforementioned hadith of Rabi'ah ibn Malik al-Aslami, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him when he said, “I ask you for companionship in Paradise,” he said In this is evidence that it is recommended for a person to increase in prostration. It has been mentioned to us previously that increasing in prostration necessitates increasing in bowing, standing, and sitting, because every rak'ah contains two prostrations and one bowing, and it is not possible to prostrate three or four times in a single rak'ah. Therefore, increasing in prostration necessitates increasing in bowing, standing, and sitting. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified what reward a person obtains if he prostrates, and that is that he obtains two great benefits. The first benefit is that Allah raises you thereby in rank, meaning in status with Him and in the hearts of people, and likewise in your righteous deeds, Allah raises you thereby in rank. The second benefit is that He removes from you thereby a sin. A person achieves perfection by the removal of what he dislikes and the attainment of what he loves. Raising in rank is what a person loves, and the removal of sins is what a person dislikes. So if his rank is raised and a sin is removed from him, he has attained what he sought and escaped what he feared. As for the hadith of Abdullah ibn Busr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said This is the best of people because as a person’s life becomes longer in obedience to Allah, he increases in closeness to Allah and increases in elevation in the Hereafter, because every deed he performs that increases his lifespan brings him closer to his Lord (Mighty and Majestic). So the best of people is the one who is granted these two things. As for longevity, it is from Allah, and a person has no control over it, because lifespans are in the hand of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). As for good deeds, a person is able to make his deeds good because Allah the Exalted gave him intellect, sent down the books, sent the messengers, clarified the straight path, and established the proof. So every person is able to do a righteous deed. However, if he does a righteous deed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that some righteous deeds are a cause for longevity, such as maintaining family ties. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said So maintaining family ties is one of the causes of longevity. If the best of people is the one whose life is long and whose deeds are good, then it is recommended for a person to always ask Allah to make him among those whose life is long and whose deeds are good, in order to be among the best of people. In this is evidence that mere longevity is not good for a person unless his deeds are good, because sometimes longevity is bad for a person, a harm to him, and a misfortune for him, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said So these disbelievers, Allah grants them respite, extending their provision, health, longevity, sons, and wives, not for their good, but it is a misfortune for them, refuge with Allah, because they will thereby increase in sin. Therefore, some scholars disliked invoking longevity for a person, saying: Do not say “May Allah prolong your life” unless qualified. Say “May Allah prolong your life in His obedience” because prolonged life may be a misfortune for a person. We ask Allah to make us and you among those whose life is long and whose deeds are good, and whose ending and outcome are good. Indeed, He is Generous and Bountiful.