9 – ʿAbd Allah ibn Abi Ḥabībah relates:

I heard Abu al-Dardāʾ, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, say: “While I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he said: ‘Abu al-Dardāʾ, whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, Paradise becomes his due.’

I asked, ‘Even if he commits adultery and even if he steals?’ He kept silent for a while, then rode on a little and repeated: ‘Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, Paradise becomes his due.’

I said, ‘Even if he commits adultery and even if he steals?’ Again he remained silent for a while, then continued on and said a third time: ‘Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah, Paradise becomes his due.’

I asked, ‘Even if he commits adultery and even if he steals?’ He replied, ‘Even if he commits adultery and even if he steals, even if Abu al-Dardāʾ’s nose is rubbed in the dust.’”

The narrator concludes: It is as though I can still see Abu al-Dardāʾ’s index finger pointing toward the tip of his own nose.