32 - Abū Khaythama narrated to us: Yazīd b. Hārūn narrated to us: Ḥammād b. Salama informed us, from Thābit al-Bunānī, from Anas b. Mālik, from ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd, may God be pleased with him, from the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, who said: "Indeed, the last person to enter Paradise is a man who walks on the Path (Sirat), stumbling once, walking once, and being scorched by the Hellfire once. When he crosses the Path, he turns to it and says: 'Blessed is God who saved me from you. God, Mighty and Majestic, has given me what He has not given anyone in the worlds.' Then a tree is raised for him, and he looks at it and says: 'My Lord, bring me closer to this tree so that I may seek shade in its shadow and drink from its water.' He says: 'O My servant, perhaps if I bring you closer to it, you will ask Me for something else?' He said: He says: 'O Lord,' and he pledges to Him that he will not ask Him for anything else. And the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, knows that he will ask Him, because He sees that he has no patience regarding it. So He brings him closer to it. Then a tree is raised for him that is better than it, so he says: 'My Lord, bring me closer to this tree.' He says to him similar to that. And he hears the voices of the people of Paradise, so he says: 'O Lord, Paradise!' He says: 'O My servant, did you not pledge to Me that you would not ask Me for anything else?' He says: 'O Lord, admit me into Paradise.' So He, Blessed and Exalted is His name, says: 'What will cut you off from Me?' Abū Bakr said: The meaning is 'cut me off'. 'O My servant, would it please you if I gave you the world and the likes of it?' He says: 'Are You mocking me, while You are the Lord of Might?'"
He said: ʿAbdullāh laughed until his premolars showed, then he said: "Will you not ask me why I laughed?" They said: "Why did you laugh?" He said: "Because of the laughter of the Lord, Blessed and Exalted, when He said: 'Are You mocking me, while You are the Lord of Might?'" Abū Bakr said: "And this last statement was explained to me by some of our companions from Abū Khaythama."
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