reach this rank?” He replied, “It is the bounty of Allah; He grants it to whomever He wills.” (1)

Imam Aḥmad said: ʿAffān related to us; Saʿīd ibn Zayd related to us; Abū Sulaymān al-ʿAṣarī related to us; ʿUqbah ibn Ṣuhbān told me, saying, “I heard Abū Bakrah narrate from the Prophet ﷺ who said:

“On the Day of Resurrection people will be driven onto the bridge (al-ṣirāṭ, the span over Hell). The two sides of the bridge will snatch at them, hurling them down like moths flung into the Fire. Allah—exalted be He—will then, through His mercy, save whom He wills. After that, permission will be given to the angels, the prophets, and the martyrs to intercede; so they will intercede and bring people out, then intercede and bring people out, then intercede and bring people out—”

ʿAffān once added: “They will intercede and bring out anyone who has in his heart even the weight of an atom of faith.” (3)(4)(5)

Al-Bayhaqī said: Abū ʿAbd Allah al-Ḥāfiẓ and Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿAmr both narrated to us; they said: Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb narrated to us; al-Khaḍir ibn Abān narrated to us; Sayyār narrated to us; Jaʿfar—meaning Ibn Sulaymān—narrated to us; Abū Ẓilāl narrated to us; Anas ibn Mālik narrated to us that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Two men set out across a trackless desert (mafāzah); one of them was a devoted worshipper, while the other was weighed down by sin (bihi rahaq). The sinner carried a water-skin (idāwah) containing water, whereas the worshipper had none. The worshipper became thirsty and said, ‘O so-and-so, give me a drink, for I am about to die.’ He replied, ‘I have only this water-skin, and we are in a desert; if I give you water, I will perish.’ They continued on, and the worshipper’s thirst grew worse. He said, ‘O so-and-so, give me a drink, for I am at the point of death.’ He answered, ‘I have only this water-skin, and we are in a desert; if I give you water, I will perish.’ They went on until the worshipper collapsed and said, ‘O so-and-so, give me a drink, for I am dying.’ The sinner said, ‘By Allah, if I leave this righteous servant to die of thirst without giving him drink, I shall never have an excuse before Allah.’ So he sprinkled some water over him and gave him to drink; then they proceeded and eventually crossed the desert.

“On the Day of Resurrection they will be halted for the reckoning. The worshipper will be ordered to Paradise, while the man laden with sin will be ordered to the Fire.

“The sinner will recognise the worshipper, but the worshipper will not recognise him. He will call out, ‘O so-and-so, I am the one who preferred you to myself on that day in the desert. I have now been ordered to the Fire; intercede with your Lord for me.’ The worshipper will say, ‘O Lord, he preferred me to himself—O Lord, grant him to me today.’ Allah will grant him to him, and the worshipper will take him by the hand and lead him into Paradise.”

The report adds: “He will then say, ‘O so-and-so, how greatly your Lord’s favour—Exalted is He—has changed you!’” (6)

Al-Bayhaqī then remarked: “Although this chain of transmission is not strong, it has a supporting narration from Anas ibn Mālik.” He said: “Abū Saʿd (7) the Ascetic dictated to us; Abū al-Ḥasan Muḥammad ibn …”