Who Will be The Last Person to Leave Hellfire?
Who Will be The Last Person to Leave Hellfire?
Question
Hasan al-Basri (Allah be pleased with him) would express a wish to be the last person to leave Hell, referencing a hadith that describes this person’s departure after one thousand years.
Could you provide the specific hadith and its authenticity that he was referring to, as mentioned in a book called “Final Moments of the Pious”?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
The following hadith is mentioned in Muslim, under the chapter, The last of the people of the fire to be brought out of it:
Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) reported, verily the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: The last to enter Paradise would be a man who would walk once and stumble once and be burnt by the Fire once.
Then, when he gets beyond it, he will turn to it and say: Blessed is He Who has saved me from you. Allah has given me something He has not given to anyone of those in earlier or later times.
Then a tree would be raised up for him, and he would say: O my Lord, bring me near this tree so that I may take shelter in its shade and drink of its water.
Allah, the Exalted and Great, would say: O son of Adam, if I grant you this, you will ask Me for something else.
He would say: No. My Lord. And he would promise Him that he would not ask for anything else. His Lord would excuse him because He sees what he cannot help desiring, so He would bring him near it, and he would take shelter in its shade and drink of its water.
Afterward, a tree more beautiful than the first would be raised up before him, and he would say: O my Lord! Bring me near this tree in order that I may drink of its water and take shelter in its shade, and I shall not ask You for anything else.
He (Allah) would say: O son of Adam, if I bring you near it, you may ask me for something else. He would promise Him that he would not ask for anything else. His Lord will excuse him because He will see something he cannot help but desire. So he would bring him near it, and he would enjoy its shade and drink its water.
Then, a tree would be raised up for him at the gate of Paradise, more beautiful than the first two. He would say: O my Lord! Bring me near this (tree) so that I may enjoy its shade and drink from its water. I shall not ask You for anything else. He (Allah) would say: O son of Adam! Did you not promise me that you would not ask me anything else? He would say: Yes, my Lord, but I shall not ask You for anything else. His Lord would excuse him, for He sees something the temptation of which he could not resist. He (Allah) would bring him near to it, and when He would bring him near it, he would hear the voices of the inhabitants of Paradise. He would say: O my Lord! Admit me to it.
He (Allah) would say: O son of Adam, what will bring an end to your requests to Me? Will it please you if I give you the whole world and a like one along with it? He will say: O my Lord! You are mocking me, though you are the Lord of the worlds? Ibn Mas’ud laughed and asked (the hearers): Why don’t you ask me what I am smiling at? They (then) said: Why do you laugh? He said: It is in this way that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) smiled. They (the companions of the Holy Prophet) asked: Why do you laugh, Messenger of Allah? He said: On account of the smile of the Lord of the universe when he desired of Paradise) saying You mock me, though You are the Lord of the worlds? He would say: I am not mocking you, but I have the power to do whatever I will. [Muslim]
I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.
Related Answers
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), like from the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org) or Youth Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), building your way up doing each course?
I pray this helps answer your question.
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
