38/14. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2548 — Gate of Paradise
What Has Been Related About the Description of the Gates of Paradise
Gate of Paradise Hadith: The Ummah’s Entry
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2548
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2548
حَدَّثَنَا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْنُ بْنُ عِيسَى الْقَزَّازُ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بَابُ أُمَّتِي الَّذِي يَدْخُلُونَ مِنْهُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرْضُهُ مَسِيرَةُ الرَّاكِبِ الْجَوَادَ ثَلاَثًا ثُمَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيُضْغَطُونَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى تَكَادُ مَنَاكِبُهُمْ تَزُولُ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ . قَالَ سَأَلْتُ مُحَمَّدًا عَنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَلَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ وَقَالَ لِخَالِدِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ مَنَاكِيرُ عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ .
Salim bin `Abdullah Narrated from:
Salim bin 'Abdullah narrated from his father that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: "The Breadth Of The Gate Through Which My Ummah Shall Enter Paradise Is The Distance That A Good Rider Covers In Three. (Meaning Three Nights Or Three Years And, And That [The Latter] Is More Obvious) Despite That, They Shall Be Constrained By It Until Their Shoulders Are Almost Crushed Completely."
[2] "Meaning three nights or three years, and that (the latter) is more obvious..." Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi .[1] That appears to be due to their large numbers, meaning although the gate is so wide, their amassing to go through it will constrict them. And Allāh knows best.Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2548In-book reference : Book 38, Hadith 26English translation : Vol. 4, Book 12, Hadith 2548
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2548
This hadith describes the gate through which the Ummah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم will enter Paradise. Its breadth is described as the distance covered by a good rider in three, with the translation noting that three years is more obvious than three nights. Yet the people will be pressed at it until their shoulders are almost crushed. The text also includes Abu Isa’s note that this narration is gharib and that a narrator was criticized, so it should be presented carefully. The message stays within the hadith: the gate is vast, the entering people are many, and the scene points to the great number seeking Paradise.
What we learn from this hadith
- The hadith describes a wide gate for the Ummah entering Paradise.
- Even with its width, people are described as crowded at the gate.
- The report should be handled carefully because the text notes weakness concerns.
- The narration points to the great number of people entering through that gate.
