The first scenario has a concrete precedent in real life—the story of that warrior just mentioned.
The opposite scenario likewise has a real-life example: a man may go on performing the deeds of the people of Hell until nothing separates him from it but the span of an arm, then he turns to the deeds of the people of Paradise and is admitted to it. This occurred in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The man was called al-Usayrim of Banū ʿAbd al-Ashhal. He was a disbeliever, openly resisting the divine call and siding against the Muslims. When the Battle of Uḥud came and the people of Madinah marched out to fight, Allah cast faith into his heart; he accepted Islam and went forth to struggle in Allah’s cause.
When the calamity befell the Muslims and many were killed, the survivors went out to inspect their dead and found al-Usayrim among them. His people asked him, “What brought you here? We have always known you to oppose this mission. Was it out of clan loyalty—tribal zeal—or was it a genuine desire for Islam?”
He answered, “It was, rather, a desire for Islam. Convey my greetings to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and inform him that I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” He then died. When they reported this to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he—so it is related—said, “He is one of the people of Paradise.”
This man had spent his entire life in disbelief, hostile to Islam and to the Muslims, yet this was his conclusion: he had been acting like the people of the Fire until he was only an arm’s length from it; then what had been decreed overtook him, so he performed the deeds of the people of Paradise and became one of them.
The author relates this ḥadīth to instil both fear and hope within us. We should fear for ourselves the trial of misguidance, and for that reason a person must constantly ask Allah for steadfastness, saying, “O Allah, keep me firm with the firm word.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself would supplicate: “O Turner…"