from ʿUthmān; from Muḥammad; from Anas ibn Mālik, who said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah, exalted is He, will say on the Day of Resurrection to the believers: ‘Pass over the Fire by My pardon and enter the Garden through My mercy; then divide it among yourselves according to the excellence of your deeds.’ ”

This ḥadith is gharīb. It has also been transmitted by Abū Muʿāwiyah, from Ismāʿīl ibn Muslim, from Qatādah, from ʿAbd Allāh, as a statement of his with similar wording; its chain, however, is broken—indeed, muʿḍal.

Some preachers, as al-Qurṭubī relates in al-Tadhkirah, have said: “Imagine, my brother, when you are upon the ṣirāṭ, looking down at Hell beneath you—black, dark, and engulfed in gloom, its blaze roaring and its flames rising—while you walk at times and crawl at others.” Then he recited:

My soul refuses to repent—what course remains to me
When all mankind appears before the Lord of Majesty?
They rise from their graves bewildered,
Laden with burdens like mountains high;
The Bridge is set so they may cross—
Some are hurled headlong to the left,
While others journey to the Abode of Eden,
Welcomed by brides with precious gifts. (1)

And the Protector will say to him:
“O My loyal servant, I have forgiven your sins, so do not fear.”

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Allah, exalted is He, says:

“On the Day We gather the righteous before the All-Merciful as honoured guests, (85) and drive the guilty to Hell like thirsty herds, (86) none will have power to intercede save those who have taken a covenant with the All-Merciful.” (Maryam 85-87)

A ḥadith, to be mentioned later, states that the believers will be brought noble mounts from Paradise to ride, and that these mounts will be presented to them as they rise from their graves. The authenticity of this report is questionable, for it has already been established in ḥadith that all people will be gathered on foot, barefoot and naked, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ alone will be assembled riding a red she-camel, with Bilāl proclaiming the adhān before him; whenever he says, “I testify that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah,” the first and the last all confirm his words. (2)

If that privilege is unique to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then the believers will receive their noble mounts only after they have crossed the ṣirāṭ. This is the more plausible view, and Allah knows best.

It is further related in the ḥadith of the Trumpet that pools will be set up for the God-fearing to drink from once they have crossed the ṣirāṭ; and that when they reach the gate of Paradise they will seek intercession from Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then Moses, then Jesus, and finally Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon them all. It will be the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who intercedes for them to enter the Garden, and Allah knows best, as is established in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim through the narration of Abū al-Naḍr Hāshim ibn al-Qāsim.