Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—whose report has already been quoted at length (1)—‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, whose report was transmitted by Ya‘qūb ibn Sufyān, who said: “Muḥammad ibn Muṣaffā narrated to us; Suwayd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz narrated to us; ʿAmr ibn Khālid narrated to us, from Zayd ibn ʿAlī, from his father, from his grandfather, from ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared, ‘The people of Paradise will behold the Lord—exalted is He—every Friday …,’” and he related the remainder of the ḥadith, in which occur the words: “When He removes the veil, it will be as though they had never seen any blessing before that; such is His statement, ‘and with Us there is even more.’ ⦗50:35⦘” (2).

Among those who transmitted this doctrine are also Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, Anas ibn Mālik, Buraydah ibn al-Ḥuṣayb, Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allah, Jarīr ibn ʿAbd Allah, Ḥudhayfah, Zayd ibn Thābit, Salmān the Persian, Abū Saʿīd Saʿd ibn Mālik ibn Sinān al-Khuḍrī, Suhayb ibn Sinān al-Rūmī, ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit, Abū Umāmah Sudayy ibn ʿAjlān al-Bāhilī, ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn ʿUmar, ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr, Abū Mūsā ʿAbd Allah ibn Qays, ʿAbd Allah ibn Masʿūd, ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim, ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir, ʿUmārah ibn Ruwaybah, Abū Razīn al-ʿUqaylī, Abū Hurayrah, an unnamed Companion, and ʿĀ’ishah, Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them all).

Many of these accounts have already been cited; those that still pertain to this subject will follow, Allah willing.

Imām Aḥmad said: “ʿAffān narrated to us; Ḥammād ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Thābit al-Bunānī, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā, from Suhayb, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the verse, ‘For those who excelled is the finest reward—and even more’ ⦗10:26⦘ and then said: ‘When the people of Paradise have entered Paradise and the people of the Fire have entered the Fire, a herald will call out: O people of Paradise, Allah has a promise He wishes to fulfill for you. They will reply: What is it? Has He not already made our scales heavy, brightened our faces, admitted us into Paradise, and delivered us from the Fire?’ He said: ‘Then the veil will be lifted, and they will gaze upon Him.’ He added: ‘By Allah, Allah will not grant them anything dearer to them than looking at Him, nor anything more soothing to their eyes.’” Muslim likewise narrated it from Ḥammād ibn Salamah (3).

ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Mubārak said: “Abū Bakr al-Hudhalī narrated to us (4); Abū Tamīmah al-Hujaymī informed me that he heard Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī preaching from the pulpit of Baṣrah, saying: ‘On the Day of Resurrection Allah will send an angel to the inhabitants of Paradise. He will say, “O people of Paradise, has Allah fulfilled for you what He promised you?” They will look and behold the jewelry and garments, the fruits, the rivers, and the purified spouses, and they will reply, “Yes, Allah has indeed fulfilled for us what He promised.” They will say this three times…’”