The Prophet (Sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said:  “All of my Ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse.”  So it was asked:  “And who would refuse, O Messenger of Allaah?”  He said:  “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me will enter the Fire (of Hell).”

Found in Sahih Al Bukhari – Kitab al I’tisam. Narrated by Abu Hurayrah RadhiAllaahu Anhu.

Ahadith like this and those similar to it contain great benefit in the foundations of our deen. In order to practice this religion in a way that is correct, we must follow and adhere to its requirements. To know these requirements we have to look at the texts – the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Benefits from the Hadith:

The default is that every one of the Ummah of Muhammad Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam will enter Jannah, and the exception made is those who refuse. Every individual who obeys the Messenger Sallallaahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and follows him will enter Jannah. There is no doubt regarding this because it a guarantee from Allaah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalah.

“And whosoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As-Siddiq), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!” (4:69)
“Such is the Bounty from Allah, and Allah is Sufficient as All-Knower.” (4:70)

“By Al-‘Asr (the time). Verily! Man is in loss. Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma’ruf) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.).” (Surat Al Asr: 1-3)

This surah carries the same meaning as the Hadith, it states that those who disobey Allaah will be in the Fire and those who obey Him will be in Paradise.

Likewise another example is the ayah:

“Verily, those who believe and do righteous good deeds, for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise). That is the great success.” (85:11)

It all returns back to belief in Allaah, and obedience to Him.

Those who refuse and are disobedient are of 2 types:

  1. The Disbeliever – This person will never enter Jannah. His abode will be the Hellfire. His refusal is based on his disbelief.

As Allaah says:

“And whosoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment.” (4:14)

  1. The Believer in Allaah and His Messenger, but his desires overcome him, so he falls into the disobedience of Allaah, specifically the Major sins – This person is no doubt a sinful person, he has a portion of the disobedience of Allaah and his refusal is based on his desires. However, he does not make halal that which he does so falls under the threat of the Fire and their affair is under the Will of Allaah. If He wills, He will pardon him and not enter him into the Fire. And if He wills he will punish him due to his disobedience and will eventually exit the Fire by way of the intercession or by way of the Virtue or Mercy of Allaah.

This hadith is about holding on firm to what the Prophet has come with by way of obedience. If a person’s good outweighs his evil then he will enter Jannah.

The people of Jannah are of 3 types as mentioned in the ayah:

“Then We gave the Book the Quran) for inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose Then of them are some who wrong their own selves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allah’s Leave, foremost in good deeds. That (inheritance of the Quran), that is indeed a great grace.” (35:32)

  1. Those who wrong themselves – They have mixed their righteous actions with their evil deeds.
    As Allaah says: “They have mixed a deed that was righteous with another that was evil” (9:102)
    From them are those who will enter Jannah out of the Mercy of Allaah. Others will enter the Fire for a while and then Allaah will exit them from the Fire and enter them into Jannah by way of the Tawheed that they are upon. This is where righteous actions begin, with Tawheed, before any other actions.
  2. Those who are upon the middle way – They are righteous people. Those who perform the obligations, avoid the forbidden affairs but they do not give great importance to the extra and voluntary deeds
  3. Those who are first and foremost in righteous actions – They are the greatest of the people. They are those who perform all of the obligations, they avoid the forbidden affairs, they perform the voluntary deeds and stay away from the ‘Makroohaat’ (The disliked affairs).

Knowing these categories should be a means of encouragement to try and be from the third and greatest type.