Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The last person to enter Paradise will be a man who walks once, stumbles once, and is scorched by the Fire once. When he passes it, he will turn to it and say, ‘Blessed is He who saved me from you. Allah has given me something He has not given to anyone among the first or the last.’ A tree will be raised for him, and he will say, ‘O my Lord, bring me near this tree so I may rest in its shade and drink from its water.’ Allah will say, ‘O son of Adam, if I grant you this, will you ask for anything else?’ He will say, ‘No, O my Lord,’ and he will pledge not to ask for anything else. His Lord will excuse him, for he sees what he cannot endure. So He will bring him near it, and he will rest in its shade and drink from its water. Then a tree, better than the first, will be raised for him. He will say, ‘O my Lord, bring me near this tree so I may drink from its water and rest in its shade; I will not ask for anything else.’ Allah will say, ‘O son of Adam, did you not pledge not to ask for anything else?’ He will say, ‘Perhaps if I bring you near it, you will ask for more.’ He will pledge not to ask for anything else, and his Lord will excuse him, for he sees what he cannot endure. So He will bring him near it, and he will rest in its shade and drink from its water. Then a tree, better than the first two, will be raised for him near the gate of Paradise. He will say, ‘O my Lord, bring me near this tree so I may rest in its shade and drink from its water; I will not ask for anything else.’ Allah will say, ‘O son of Adam, did you not pledge not to ask for anything else?’ He will say, ‘Yes, O my Lord, but I will not ask for anything else.’ His Lord will excuse him, for he sees what he cannot endure. When He brings him near it, he will hear the voices of the people of Paradise and say, ‘O my Lord, admit me to it.’ Allah will say, ‘O son of Adam, what will satisfy you? Will it please you if I give you the world and its like with it?’ He will say, ‘O my Lord
1, are You mocking me when You are the Lord of the worlds?’” Ibn Mas’ud laughed and said, “Will you not ask me why I am laughing?” They said, “Why are you laughing?” He said, “This is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) laughed.” They said, “Why are you laughing, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Because of the laughter of the Lord of the worlds when he says, ‘Are You mocking me when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ He will say, ‘I am not mocking you, but I am capable of whatever I will
2.’” [Narrated by Muslim] In a narration from Abu Sa’id (may Allah be pleased with him), it is similar, except that it does not mention, “He will say, ‘O son of Adam, what will satisfy me…’” to the end of the hadith, and it adds: “Allah will remind him, ‘Ask for such and such,’ until his wishes are exhausted. Allah, Exalted is He, will say, ‘You shall have that and ten times
3 its like.’ He said, ‘Then he will enter his house, and his two wives from the Hur al-’Ayn will come to him and say, ‘Praise be to Allah who gave you life for us and gave us life for you.’ He will say, ‘No one has been given what I have been given.’”
Commentary and footnotes (10)
Note 1
(1) His statement: “Allah has forbidden the Fire from consuming the marks of prostration”: Al-Nawawi said: The apparent meaning is that the Fire does not consume the seven limbs of prostration: the forehead, hands, knees, and feet. Al-Qadi Iyadh said: The marks of prostration refer specifically to the forehead. I say: The second view is supported by the Qur’an and Muslim’s narration mentioning the face, which is the primary meaning, so their forms are protected from the Fire. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 2
(2) His statement: “The water of life will be poured over them”: It was previously mentioned that they are cast into the River of Life. The difference may be due to different individuals. (As stated in Al-Mirqat) Alternatively, it could mean that pouring is done by casting them into its river. (As stated in Al-Lama’at)
Note 3
(3) His statement: “Will you ask for anything else”: Al-Tayyibi said: If you ask, how can this come from Allah, who knows what was and what will be? I say: It means that you, O sons of Adam, due to your tendency to break promises and covenants, are rightly asked, ‘What do you think? Is this expected of you or not?’ The essence is that the meaning of “perhaps” relates to the one addressed, not to Allah, Exalted is He. This is a way of giving leeway and prompting the addressed to reflect on their state, so they judge themselves fairly and submit to the truth. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 4
(4) His statement: “He will say, ‘O my Lord, let me not be the most wretched…’”: Al-Tayyibi said: If you ask, how does this response align with “Did you not give covenants and pledges…”? I say: It is as if he said, ‘O my Lord, yes, I gave covenants and pledges, but I reflected on Your generosity and forgiveness and Your saying, “Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of the mercy of Allah except the disbelieving people” [Yusuf: 87]. I realized I am not among the disbelievers who despair of Your mercy, so I hoped in Your generosity and vast mercy and asked for this.’ It is as if Allah, Exalted is He, was pleased with this statement, so He laughed. This is the meaning of “He will continue to supplicate until Allah laughs.” (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 5
(5) His statement: “And ten times its like”: Meaning in quality, even if it is the same in quantity. This resolves any conflict or contradiction. Allah, Exalted is He, knows best. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 1
(۱) قوله: حرم الله على النار أن تأكل أثر السجود : قال النووي الله ظاهر هذا أن النار لا تأكل جميع أعضاء السجود السبعة، وهي الجبهة واليدان والركبتان والقدمان. وقال القاضي عياض الله المراد بأثر السجود الجبهة خاصة، والمختار الأول. قلت: يؤيد الثاني ما سبق من القرآن وما في رواية مسلم الإدارة الوجه، وهو المتبادر مما تقدم، فتحرم صورهم على النار، فهو المعول. كذا في «المرقاة».
Note 2
(۲) قوله: فيصب عليم ماء الحياة وقد مر أنهم يلقون في نهر الحياة. ولعل الاختلاف باختلاف الأشخاص. قاله في «المرقاة». وقال في اللمعات أو يقال : أن يكون الصب بإلقاءهم في نهرها.
Note 3
(۳) قوله : هل عسيت أن أفعل ذلك أن تسأل غير ذلك، قال الطيبي الله : فإن قلت: كيف يصح هذا من الله تعالى وهو عالم بما كان وما يكون؟ قلت: معناه أنكم يا بني آدم لما عهد منكم من رخاوة الوعد ونقض العهد أحقاء بأن يقال لكم يا هؤلاء ما ترون؟ هل يتوقع منكم ذلك أم لا ؟ وحاصله: أن معنى عسى راجع إلى المخاطب، لا إلى الله تعالى، وهو من باب إرخاء العنان وبعث المخاطب على التفكر في أمره وشأنه لينصف من نفسه، ويذعن للحق. كذا في «المرقاة».
Note 4
(٤) قوله: فيقول: يا رب لا تجعلني أشقى خلقك قال الطيبي الله فإن قلت: كيف طابق هذا الجواب قوله: «أليس قد أعطيت العهود والميثاق. قلت: كأنه قال: يا رب بلى أعطيت العهود والميثاق، ولكن تأملت في كرمك وعفوك وقولك: {وَلَا تَأْيْتَسُوا مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَأْيْتَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ } (يوسف: ۸۷)، فوقفت على أني لست من الكفار الذين أيسوا من رحمتك وطمعت في كرمك وسعة رحمتك، فسألت ذلك، فكأنه تعالى رضي عنه بهذا القول، فضحك انتهى. وهذا معنى قوله: فلا يزال يدعو حتى يضحك الله». كذا في «المرقاة».
Note 5
(٥) قوله: وعشرة أمثاله: أي في الكيفية، وإن كان مثله في الكمية، وبهذا يرتفع التدافع ويندفع التمانع، والله سبحانه وتعالى أعلم. كذا في « المرقاة».