Sinān al-Ruhāwī narrated to us; my father narrated to me, from his father; Abū Yaḥyā al-Kalaʿī narrated to us, from Abū Umāmah—may Allah be pleased with him—who said:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The last man to enter Paradise will be one who crawls over the ṣirāṭ, rolling on his back and his belly, like a boy being struck by his father while trying to flee from him; his deeds are too feeble to let him walk. He will say, ‘My Lord, convey me to Paradise and rescue me from the Fire.’ Allah will reveal to him: ‘My servant, if I save you from the Fire and admit you to Paradise, will you acknowledge before Me your sins and your offences?’ He will answer, ‘Yes, by Your might and majesty, O Lord! If You deliver me from the Fire I shall surely confess my sins and offences to You.’ So he crosses the bridge, but then says to himself, ‘If I confess my sins and offences to Him, He will send me back into the Fire.’

Allah will reveal to him again: ‘My servant, acknowledge your sins and your offences so that I may forgive them for you and admit you to Paradise.’ He will respond, ‘No, by Your might and majesty, I have never committed a sin or made a mistake at all.’ Allah will reveal to him: ‘I have proof against you.’ He will look to his right and to his left and see no one, and will say, ‘My Lord, show me Your proof.’ Allah will then cause his skin to speak with the record of the minor sins. When the servant sees this he will say, ‘My Lord, by Your exalted might, I have far greater sins than these.’ Allah will reveal to him: ‘My servant, I know them better than you do; acknowledge them and I shall forgive them for you and admit you to Paradise.’ The servant will then confess his sins, and Allah will admit him to Paradise.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then laughed until his molar teeth were visible and said, “This man is the lowest in rank among the people of Paradise; how, then, will it be for those above him!” (1)

Imām Aḥmad said: Ḥasan ibn Mūsā narrated to us; Sallām—meaning Ibn Miskīn—narrated to us, from Abū Ẓilāl, from Anas ibn Mālik, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:

“A servant in Hell will call out for a thousand years, ‘O Most Compassionate, O Bestower of grace!’ Allah will say to Gabriel, ‘Go and bring Me this servant of Mine.’ Gabriel will go and find the people of Hell bent over and weeping; he will return to his Lord and inform Him. Allah will say, ‘Go and bring him to Me; he is in such-and-such a place.’ Gabriel will bring him, and Allah will set him before Him and say, ‘My servant, how did you find your place and your resting-spot?’ He will reply, ‘My Lord, the worst place and the worst resting-spot.’ Allah will say, ‘Return My servant.’ The man will say, ‘My Lord, when You took me out of it I did not expect You to send me back into it.’ Allah will say, ‘Leave My servant.’ ” This report is unique to Aḥmad. (2)

Imām Aḥmad also said: [ʿAffān narrated to us]; Ḥammād ibn Salamah narrated to us; Thābit and Abū ʿImrān al-Jawni narrated to us, from Anas ibn Mālik, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Four will emerge from the Fire”—Abū ʿImrān said, “four,” whereas Thābit said, “two men”—“and they will be presented before Allah—Exalted is He—who will then command that they be returned to the Fire. One of them will turn back and say, ‘My Lord, I had hoped, when You brought me out of it, that You would not send me back into it.’ Allah will thereupon save him from it.” Muslim also narrated this from Ḥammād ibn Salamah with this wording. (3)