with us.’

They will then be told, ‘Go, and if you find in anyone’s heart faith equal to the weight of a dinar, take him out of the Fire.’ Next He will say, ‘…half a dinar,’ and then, ‘…even a particle, the weight of a speck of dust of faith—take him out of the Fire.’

Abū Saʿīd added, ‘If you wish, recite: “Indeed, Allah does not wrong even as much as an atom, and if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and grants from Himself a tremendous reward” (An-Nisāʾ 4:40).’

He continued: ‘Allah, mighty and exalted, will then say, “The angels have interceded, the prophets have interceded, and the believers have interceded; only the Most Merciful of those who show mercy remains.” He will seize a handful from the Fire and bring out people who never performed any good at all, now charcoal-black. He will cast them into a river at the entrance of Paradise called the River of Life, and they will emerge as a seed sprouts in the silt carried by a flood. They will come forth glistening like pearls, with necklaces around their necks by which the inhabitants of Paradise will recognize them. The people of Paradise will say, “These are Allah’s freed ones; Allah admitted them into Paradise without any deed they did or any good they sent ahead.”

Then it will be said to them, “Enter Paradise; whatever you see is yours.” They will say, “Our Lord, You have given us what You have not given anyone in all the worlds!” and it will be said, “I have something better for you than this.” They will ask, “Our Lord, what could be better than this?” He will reply, “My pleasure—after this I shall never be displeased with you.” (1)

In the ḥadīth of Ismāʿīl ibn Rāfiʿ, [transmitted by Muḥammad ibn Yazīd ibn Abī Ziyād] from Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb, from an unnamed man, from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ—after mentioning that the people of Paradise have entered Paradise—he said: ‘I will say, “My Lord, allow me to intercede for those of my community who have fallen into the Fire.” He will answer, “Yes. Bring out of the Fire whoever has in his heart faith equal to the weight of a dinar (2), two-thirds of a dinar, half a dinar, one-third of a dinar, a quarter of a dinar,”—until he mentioned two qīrāṭs—“and bring out even those who never did any good at all.”

‘Then permission for intercession will be granted, and everyone will intercede except the habitual curser; he will not intercede. Even Iblīs will crane his neck that day in the Fire, hoping to be shown mercy when he sees the mercy of Allah, until, when no one remains but has interceded, Allah—exalted is He—will say, “Only I remain, and I am the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” He will bring out of the Fire a number known only to Him, blackened like burnt logs, and they will be thrown on the bank of a river at the gate of Paradise called al-Ḥayawān. They will sprout as a seed sprouts in the silt carried by a torrent.’ Narrated by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā (3).

Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Yaʿlā al-Mawṣilī said: We were told by al-ʿAbbās ibn al-Walīd an-Nasrī; Yūsuf ibn Khālid—al-Samti—narrated to us (4), from al-Aʿmash, from Anas: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The people of Hell will be displayed in rows. The believers will pass by them, and a man from the people of Hell will recognize a man from the believers whom he had known in the world and will say, “O so-and-so, do you not remember the day you asked me for water and I gave you to drink?” Another will say to someone else, “O so-and-so, do you not remember the day you sought my help concerning such-and-such a need…’ (5)