Al-Tirmidhī said, “This ḥadith is ḥasan gharīb; we know it only through this chain (1).”

The apparent sense of the report is that the Pool comes after the Bridge, and so does the Balance. I know of no scholar who has actually espoused that view—unless what is meant is another Pool that will be encountered after the crossing of the Bridge, as occurs in some narrations. In that case it would be a second Pool from which no one will be turned away. Allah, glorified and exalted, knows best what is correct.

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Given that the stronger evidence places the Pool before the Bridge, we may ask: does that occur before the Chair is set down for the final judgment, or afterwards? Either possibility is conceivable, and I have not found any decisive statement on the matter. Allah knows best which of the two is true.

Al-Qurṭubī states in al-Tadhkirah: “Scholars have disagreed about the Balance and the Pool—which of the two comes first? Some said the Balance precedes; others said the Pool precedes. Abū al-Ḥasan al-Qābisī maintained that the Pool is first.”

Al-Qurṭubī continues: “The context supports that view, for the people will emerge from their graves thirsty, as has already been mentioned; therefore the Pool is placed before the Balance and the Bridge. Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī, in his book Kashf ʿUlūm al-Ākhirah, reported that some early authors claimed the Pool would be reached after the Bridge, but that opinion is mistaken.”

Al-Qurṭubī adds: “He is right. Then he cited the ḥadith about apostates being driven away from the Pool and said: This authentic ḥadith is the clearest proof that the Pool is at the gathering place, before the Bridge, for whoever crosses the Bridge is thereafter safe—as will be explained.”

I say: We have already presented this line of reasoning, and praise belongs to Allah.

Al-Qurṭubī further remarked, “Some people imagined that the various descriptions of the Pool—at times given as the distance between Jarbāʾ and Adhruḥ, at others as the span from the Kaʿbah to such-and-such, and yet at others with different measures—are contradictory. That is not the case. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned the Pool to his Companions on several occasions, addressing each group with reference to the landmarks familiar to them. In the authentic reports its size is given as a month’s travel by a month’s travel. Do not suppose for a moment that it will be on this present earth; rather, it will be on the earth that has been transformed—an expanse white like silver, upon which no blood has ever been shed and where no one has ever been wronged—purified for the descent of the Compeller (majestic is His glory) to render judgment.”

He went on to say, “It has been reported that at each corner of the Pool there will stand one of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs: Abū Bakr at the first, ʿUmar at the second, ʿUthmān at the third, and ʿAlī at the fourth—may Allah be pleased with them.”

I add: We have transmitted this narration in the Ghaylāniyyāt collection, but its chain is not sound because one of its transmitters is weak (2). Allah knows best what is correct.