This hadith is mass-transmitted from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Scholars of hadith and chains of transmission have narrated it from Abū Sa‘īd, Hudhayfah, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amr, and others, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, through numerous routes. Hadith scholars know that these routes yield certain knowledge for them, even if such certainty is not attained by others who do not share their means of acquiring knowledge.
This man had fallen into doubt and ignorance concerning Allah Most High’s power to restore a human being after he had been burned and scattered, and concerning the fact that He would bring the dead person back to life and gather him for judgment after this had been done to him. These are two fundamental matters:
The first concerns Allah Most High: belief that He has power over all things.
The second concerns the Last Day: belief that Allah will bring this dead person back to life and recompense him for his deeds.
Nevertheless, he believed in Allah in a general sense and believed in the Last Day in a general sense—that Allah rewards and punishes after death. He had also performed a righteous deed: his fear that Allah would punish him for his sins. Allah therefore forgave him on account of the faith he possessed in Allah and the Last Day, and his righteous deed.
Furthermore, it is established in the Sahīh that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“Allah will bring out of the Fire whoever has a dinar’s weight of faith in his heart.”