ibn Yazīd, from al-Qāsim, from Abū Umāmah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I entered Paradise and heard a rustling sound. I asked, ‘What is that?’ It was said, ‘Bilāl.’
Later he said, ‘I found ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf slow in arriving; only after I had given up hope did he appear. I said, “ʿAbd al-Raḥmān?” He replied, “May my father and mother be your ransom, Messenger of Allah! I could not reach you until I thought I would never look upon you again.”’
He asked, ‘And why was that?’ He answered, ‘Because of the abundance of my wealth I was being taken to account and thoroughly examined.’ (1)
Its chain of transmission is weak.
As for the report before it, it is narrated only by ʿUmārah, and he is somewhat soft. Abū Ḥātim said, ‘His ḥadīth may be recorded.’ (2) Ibn Maʿīn said, ‘He is acceptable.’ Ibn ʿAdī said, ‘In my view there is nothing wrong with him.’ I (the author) say: al-Nasāʾī did not use him as proof.
In any case, even if ʿAbd al-Raḥmān were delayed behind his companions for the reckoning and entered Paradise crawling—as a metaphor and figure of speech—his station in Paradise is certainly no lower than the station of
(1) The full version of the report is recorded by Ahmad, 5/259. Its wording is: The Messenger of Allah said: “I entered Paradise and heard a rustling ahead of me. I asked, ‘What is that?’ It was said, ‘Bilal.’ I moved on, and saw that most of the people of Paradise were the poor Emigrants and the children of the Muslims, while the richest and the women were the fewest of its inhabitants. I was told: ‘As for the wealthy, they are still at the gate, being called to account and purified; as for the women, they have been distracted by the two red things: gold and silk.’ He continued: ‘Then we went out through one of the eight gates of Paradise. When I was at the gate, a balance was brought: I was placed on one side and my community on the other, and I outweighed them. Then Abu Bakr was brought and placed on one side, and all of my community on the other; Abu Bakr outweighed them. Then Umar was brought and placed on one side, and all of my community on the other; Umar outweighed them. My community was then displayed to me man by man as they passed by, and I noticed that ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAwf was late in coming. He finally arrived after I had begun to despair. I said, ‘ʿAbd al-Rahman!’ He replied, ‘May my father and mother be your ransom, O Messenger of Allah! By Him who sent you with the truth, I could not reach you until I thought I would never see you again except after whitened hair.’ He asked, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘Because of the abundance of my wealth—I have been detained for reckoning and purification.’” The isnad is weak on account of ʿAli ibn Yazid al-Ilahani.
(2) The remainder, as cited in al-Mizan, states: “He is not to be taken as evidence.” Al-Bukhari said: “He sometimes is inconsistent in his narrations.” Ahmad said: “He has reports that are objectionable.” Al-Darqutni judged him “weak,” and Abu Dawud said: “He is not of much standing.” Ibn ʿAdi’s remark, “There is no harm in him,” only means that he is acceptable for corroboration, not that his solitary reports are reliable.