“This is answered by saying that the ‘good’ being negated is whatever exceeds the basic affirmation of the two testimonies, as indicated by the rest of the hadiths.”

I say: Among them is the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him, in Anas’s lengthy hadith on intercession as well:

“It will be said: ‘O Muhammad, raise your head; speak, and you will be heard; ask, and you will be given; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.’ I shall then say: ‘My Lord, permit me to intercede for whoever said: lā ilāha illā Allāh (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah).’ He will say: ‘By My might, My majesty, My greatness, and My grandeur, I shall surely bring out of it whoever said: lā ilāha illā Allāh.’”

Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim. It is cited in Shades of Paradise (2/296/no. 828).

In another route from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:

“…Allah will finish judging the people, and He will admit into the Fire those of my ummah who remain. The people of the Fire will say: ‘What has your worshipping Allah, without associating anything with Allah, availed you?’ Then the Compeller, Exalted is He, will say: ‘By My might, I shall surely free them from the Fire.’ He will send for them, and they will be brought out, charred; then they will be admitted into the River of Life, and they will grow…” The hadith.

Ahmad and others recorded it with an authentic chain of transmission. It is cited in al-Zilal under hadith 844, and it has supporting narrations there, 842–843. Other supporting narrations are found in al-Fath (11/455).

The hadith also refutes Ibn Abi Jamrah’s inference from the Prophet’s words in it, peace and blessings be upon him, “It did not cover the face,” and from the similar wording in the hadith that follows it, “except the circles of the faces”: namely, that a Muslim who did not pray would not be brought out, since he would have no distinguishing mark. For this reason, al-Hafiz took issue with him