442 – On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (d. … AH), the Prophet ﷺ said: “The believer’s soul is held in suspense by his debt until it is paid on his behalf.” Reported by Ahmad and by al-Tirmidhi, who graded it sound (hasan). ⦗1⦘

Degree of the ḥadith
The author of al-Muḥarrar writes: It is narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Mājah (2415), Abū Yaʿlā (10/418), and al-Tirmidhi, who declared it hasan.
Al-Shawkani states: All the transmitters in its chain are reliable, except ʿUmar ibn Abī Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān; he is truthful but makes mistakes. He is, however, supported by a corroborating chain from al-Zuhri through Abū Salamah. Ibn Ḥibbān included it in his Ṣaḥīḥ, and it was authenticated by al-Ḥākim—with al-Dhahabi concurring—as well as by Ibn Ḥibbān and Abū Nuʿaym.

Key vocabulary in the ḥadith
– “The believer’s soul” (nafs al-muʾmin): Ibn al-Qayyim explains that, according to the majority of scholars, “soul” (nafs) and “spirit” (rūḥ) are two names for the same entity; the difference is descriptive, not essential. The rūḥ is a subtle, luminous substance that flows through the body the way water runs through a branch or oil saturates an olive. When it departs to the realm of spirits, the bodily parts decay.
– “Is held in suspense by his debt”: meaning detained and kept back, as in the verse, “Every soul is in pledge for what it has earned” (Q 74:38).
– “His debt”: with an open dāl; any obligation that a person must discharge.
– “Until it is paid on his behalf”: the particle ḥattā denotes the endpoint; the detention continues until the deceased’s debt is settled.