Bukhari

Hadith Footnote:
The narrator of the hadith is Hazrat Sahl bin Sa’d Sa’idi al-Ansari.
At the time of the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) passing, he was 15 years old.
He was among the last Companions (Sahabah) in Madinah, passing away in 91 AH.
Radi Allahu anhu wa ardah. Ameen.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
These will be those fortunate individuals who will enter Paradise without any reckoning, and they will enter all at once in a single group. In a hadith narrated from Anas radi Allahu anhu, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Allah, the Exalted, has promised me that four hundred thousand people from my ummah will enter Paradise without reckoning."
Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu submitted:
"O Messenger of Allah! What if there are more than that?" You joined both your hands together as a gesture, then for a second time also joined both hands together as a gesture. Umar radi Allahu anhu submitted:
"It is sufficient; if Allah wills, He can admit all of creation into Paradise with a single palm."
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Umar has spoken the truth."
(Musnad Ahmad: 165/3)
(2)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says that its chain is excellent, but there is much disagreement regarding the narrator of the hadith, Qatadah.
He has written that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri radi Allahu anhu said:
"We calculated in the presence of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and their number amounted to forty-nine hundred thousand."
(Fath al-Bari: 500/11)
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
These fortunate individuals will enter Paradise in a single row, all at once.
In the hadith, the precedence and lateness refer to the crossing of the Bridge (Sirat).
From this, it is also understood that the gate of Paradise will be very wide.

(2)
Some scholars have interpreted the word مُتَمَاسِكِين to mean that they will enter Paradise in a dignified manner.
None among them will try to outpace the other.
(Fath al-Bari: 11/503)

(3)
In one hadith, it is mentioned that every servant will remain standing on his feet until he answers four questions before Allah, the Exalted.
(Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Description of the Day of Judgment, Hadith: 2416)
Those who will enter Paradise without reckoning will be exempt from this trial.
Similarly, some of the people of Hell will be cast into Hell at the very first opportunity; there will be no need for their reckoning at all.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
In one hadith, the characteristics of these fortunate individuals are described:
“They do not ask others for ruqyah (spiritual healing by recitation), do not use cauterization as a means of treatment, do not take bad omens, and place their trust only in their Lord.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Riqaq, Hadith: 6541)

In the narration of Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, it is stated:
“With every thousand, there will be seventy thousand.” (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Sifat al-Qiyamah, Hadith: 2437)

In this way, the number of those who will enter Paradise without reckoning becomes forty-nine hundred thousand.

In Musnad Ahmad, it is mentioned that with each of these seventy thousand, there will be an additional seventy, seventy thousand.
(Musnad Ahmad: 6/1 and Silsilat al-Ahadith as-Sahihah, Hadith: 1484)

According to this calculation, this number reaches four billion, ninety million.

There will also be further increase in this number from Allah.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:
This hadith alludes to the incident in which Muawiyah (radi Allahu anhu) declared Ziyad, the maternal brother of Abu Bakrah (radi Allahu anhu), as his own brother. Both of their mother was a slave woman named Sumayyah.

The actual reality of the incident is that, in the era of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), there were various forms of marriage, as narrated by Aisha (radi Allahu anha) in al-Bukhari. One such form was that many men would have relations with a woman, and when she gave birth to a child, she would call all of them and attribute the child to one of them, and he would have to accept her statement. He could not deny being the father, and the child would be considered his.

During the era of ignorance, Abu Sufyan (radi Allahu anhu) went to Ta’if for some work, where he had relations with Sumayyah. When the child was born, Sumayyah declared him to be the son of Abu Sufyan (radi Allahu anhu). Abu Sufyan (radi Allahu anhu) had no choice but to accept this, and he did so.

Since this incident took place in Ta’if, it did not become widely known. Muawiyah (radi Allahu anhu) accepted this lineage based on the testimony of a few people, because after Islam, the lineages from the era of ignorance were not rejected. However, since this matter was not widely known, some of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) objected to it, although there is nothing objectionable in it from a legal (shar‘i) perspective, because it pertains to the era of ignorance, in which such lineages were considered valid.

In the era of ignorance, people themselves would have their slave women earn through this means, as is mentioned in Surah al-Nur. Therefore, the Islamic principle will not be applied to this, because the incident occurred beforehand.

However, this explanation is contrary to the principle of "al-waladu lil-firash" (the child belongs to the [owner of the] bed), because even though Abu Sufyan (radi Allahu anhu) committed zina, legally the child would be called the son of the owner of the slave woman.

The respected Hafiz Abdussalam (hafizahullah)'s objection is not correct; the lineages of the era of ignorance cannot be judged by Islamic principles, otherwise Muawiyah (radi Allahu anhu) would never have committed such an act, as he was more devoted to Islam than us. In this way, many lineages would become doubtful.

And he was not unaware of the Islamic principle "lil-‘ahir" (for the fornicator). Imam Abu Bakr Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maliki (rahimahullah) has declared the action of Muawiyah (radi Allahu anhu) to be correct in "al-‘Awasim min al-Qawasim", p. 235.

For a detailed discussion, see: Sayyiduna Muawiyah (radi Allahu anhu): Personality and Character (2/64 to 72), by Hakim Mahmood Ahmad Zafar Sialkoti.