the third of three.
“And His word”: that is, He created him by a word—His command, “Be” (kun).
“Which He cast to Mary”: He sent Gabriel with it to her, and Gabriel breathed into her from the spirit that Allah had created, by Allah’s permission.
“And a spirit”: meaning that Jesus is a spirit from among the spirits Allah, exalted is He, has created.
“From Him”: i.e., from Him in terms of creation and origination, just as He says, “He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth—all of it is from Him” (45:13).
“And that Paradise is true and Hellfire is true”: he bears witness that the Paradise and the Fire of which Allah speaks in His Book are established realities, entirely beyond doubt.
“Allah will admit him into Paradise”: this is the consequence of the earlier condition, “Whoever testifies …”
“No matter what deeds he may have done”: this carries two possible meanings:
- Allah will admit him into Paradise even if he is negligent and has sins, for the monotheist must inevitably enter Paradise.
- Allah will admit him into Paradise, and his rank therein will be in accordance with the level of his deeds.
“Both of them recorded it”: al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated this hadith in their two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, the most authentic books after the Quran.
Overall meaning of the hadith: The Messenger ﷺ informs us—clarifying the virtue and honor of monotheism—that whoever pronounces the two testimonies, fully aware of their meaning and acting upon their requirements both outwardly and inwardly, while avoiding excess and negligence regarding the two noble prophets, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them), and affirming that both of them are messengers, will enter Paradise.