Reports have come down that contain unusual material about the People of al-Aʿrāf and their attributes; because the chains are weak we have set them aside, and Allah knows best.

[The last person to be brought out of the Fire]

It is established in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, in the ḥadith of Abū Hurayrah, that some people said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “Do you have any difficulty seeing the moon on the night it is full?”

They said, “No, O Messenger of Allah.”

He asked, “Do you have any difficulty seeing the sun when no cloud is over it?”

They answered, “No.”

He said, “You will see Him just as clearly. Allah will gather all people on the Day of Resurrection and will say, ‘Whoever used to worship something, let him follow it.’ So those who worshipped the sun will follow the sun, those who worshipped the moon will follow the moon, and those who worshipped false deities (ṭawāghīt) will follow the false deities. This community will remain, and among them will be its hypocrites. Then Allah—Exalted be He—will come to them in a form they do not recognize and will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will reply, ‘We seek refuge with Allah from you; we shall stay here until our Lord comes to us. When our Lord comes, we shall recognize Him.’ Then Allah will come to them in the form they recognize and will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘You are our Lord,’ and they will follow Him.

“The Bridge (ṣirāṭ) will then be laid across the middle of Hell, and I and my community will be the first to cross. On that Day no one will speak except the messengers, and the supplication of the messengers will be: ‘O Allah, grant safety, grant safety.’ In Hell there are hooks like the thorns of saʿdān (a desert shrub). Have you seen the thorns of saʿdān?” They said, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “They are like the thorns of saʿdān, but only Allah the Exalted knows how huge they are. They will snatch people up in accordance with their deeds: some will be detained by their deeds, while others will be allowed to pass until they are saved.

“When Allah has finished judging the servants and wills—by His mercy—to bring out of the Fire whomever He pleases, He will command the angels to bring out of the Fire all those who never associated anything with Allah among those He wills to show mercy to, those who used to say, ‘There is no god but Allah.’ The angels will recognize them in the Fire by the marks of prostration; the Fire consumes every part of the child of Adam except the mark of prostration, for Allah has forbidden the Fire to consume it. They will be brought out of the Fire, their bodies charred, and the Water of Life will be poured over them so that they grow [from it] as a seed grows in the silt carried by a flood.

“When Allah has finished judging the servants, one man will remain, facing the Fire. He will be the last of the people of Hell to enter Paradise. He will say, ‘My Lord, turn my face away from the Fire, for its breeze has withered me⦗1⦘ and its blaze has burned me⦗2⦘.’ He will keep supplicating to Allah as long as Allah wills. Then Allah will say, ‘Perhaps, if I grant you that, you will ask Me for something else?’ He will reply, ‘I shall ask You for nothing else,’ and he will offer his Lord whatever pledges and covenants Allah wishes. So Allah will turn his face away from the Fire.

“When he turns toward Paradise and sees it, he will remain silent for as long as Allah wills, then he will say, ‘My Lord, bring me to the gate of Paradise.’ Allah will say, ‘Did you not give your pledges and covenants that you would not ask Me for anything beyond what I had already granted? Woe to you, son of Adam, how treacherous you are!’