Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … In Jami’ al-Tirmidhi, this narration is reported as marfu’ and its wording is as follows: It is narrated from Isra’il that Suddiy says: I asked Hamdani about the statement of Allah Almighty { وَإِنْ مِنْکُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُہَا}, and he said: Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu narrated that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “People will come to the Fire, then they will depart from it according to their deeds. The first of them will pass like the flash of lightning, then like the wind, then like the running of a horse, then like a rider on his mount, then like a man running, and then like a man walking.” … People will be brought to Hell, and then, according to their deeds, they will cross it: the first group will pass like the flash of lightning, the second like the wind, then like the speed of a horse, then like a rider on a camel, then like a man running, and then like a man walking, they will pass over Hell.

The command of Allah Almighty is: {وَاِنْ مِّنْکُمْ اِلَّا وَارِدُہَا کَانَ عَلٰی رَبِّکَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِیًّا۔ ثُمَّ نُـنَجِّی الَّذِیْنَ اتَّقَوْا وَّنَذَرُ الظّٰلِمِیْنَ فِیْہَا جِثِیًّا} (Surah Maryam: 71, 72)
“There is not one of you but will come to it (Hell); this is, with your Lord, a decree which must be accomplished. Then We shall save those who feared Allah, and leave the wrongdoers therein, fallen on their knees.”

Those for whom entry into Hell is decreed will not be able to cross the Bridge (Sirat) and will fall from it into Hell below, but those for whom entry into Paradise is decreed will cross over this bridge and enter Paradise. These verses refer to this crossing. Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: There is no contradiction between the two narrations; the one that mentions entering Hell means passing over its bridge, because whoever passes over the Bridge (Sirat) above Hell, it is as if he has entered Hell in the sense intended.