Chapter: The One With Tawheed Will go to Jannah

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It is narrated on the authority of Sunabihi that he went to Ubada b. Samit when he was about to die. I burst into tears. Upon this he said to me:

Allow me some time (so that I may talk with you). Why do you weep? By Allah, if I am asked to bear witness, I would certainly testify for you (that you are a believer). Should I be asked to intercede, I would certainly intercede for you, and if I have the power, I would certainly do good to you, and then observed: By Allah, never did I hear anything from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) which could have been a source of benefit to you and then not conveyed it to you except this single hadith. That I intend to narrate to you today, since I am going to breathe my last. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, Allah would prohibit the fire of Hell for him.

[Hadeeth 49]

It is narrated on the authority of Mu'adh b. Jabal that he observed:

I was riding behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on an ass known as 'Ufair. He (Mu'adh) observed: He (the Holy Prophet) said: Mu'adh, do you know what right has Allah over His bondsmen and what right have His bondsmen over Him? Mu'adh added: I replied: Allah and his Messenger know best. Upon this he (the Prophet remarked: The right of Allah over His bondsmen is that they should worship Allah and should not associate anything with Him, and the right of His bondsmen over Allah, Glorious and Sublime, is that He does not punish him who associates not anything with Him. He (Mu'adh) added: I said to the Messenger of Allah: Should I then give the tidings to the people? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Do not tell them this good news, for they would trust in it alone.

[Hadeeth 51]

It is reported on the authority of Abu Huraira:

We were sitting around the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Bakr and Umar were also there among the audience. In the meanwhile the Messenger of Allah got up and left us, He delayed in coming back to us, which caused anxiety that he might be attacked by some enemy when we were not with him; so being alarmed we got up. I was the first to be alarmed. I, therefore, went out to look for the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) and came to a garden belonging to the Banu an-Najjar, a section of the Ansar went round it looking for a gate but failed to find one. Seeing a rabi' (i. e. streamlet) flowing into the garden from a well outside, drew myself together, like a fox, and slinked into (the place) where God's Messenger was. He (the Holy Prophet) said: Is it Abu Huraira? I (Abu Huraira) replied: Yes, Messenger of Allah. He (the Holy Prophet) said: What is the matter with you? replied: You were amongst us but got up and went away and delayed for a time, so fearing that you might be attacked by some enemy when we were not with you, we became alarmed. I was the first to be alarmed. So when I came to this garden, I drew myself together as a fox does, and these people are following me. He addressed me as Abu Huraira and gave me his sandals and said: Take away these sandals of mine, and when you meet anyone outside this garden who testifies that there is no god but Allah, being assured of it in his heart, gladden him by announcing that he shall go to Paradise. Now the first one I met was Umar. He asked: What are these sandals, Abu Huraira? I replied: These are the sandals of the Messenger of Allah with which he has sent me to gladden anyone I meet who testifies that there is no god but Allah, being assured of it in his heart, with the announcement that he would go to Paradise. Thereupon 'Umar struck me on the breast and I fell on my back. He then said: Go back, Abu Huraira, So I returned to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and was about to break into tears. 'Umar followed me closely and there he was behind me. The Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be on him) said: What is the matter with you, Abu Huraira? I said: I happened to meet 'Umar and conveyed to him the message with which you sent me. He struck me on my breast which made me fall down upon my back and ordered me to go back. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: What prompted you to do this, 'Umar? He said: Messenger of Allah, my mother and father be sacrificed to thee, did you send Abu Huraira with your sandals to gladden anyone he met and who testified that there is no god but Allah, and being assured of it in his heart, with the tidings that he would go to Paradise? He said: Yes. Umar said: Please do it not, for I am afraid that people will trust in it alone; let them go on doing (good) deeds. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Well, let them.

[Hadeeth 54]

Benefits from this chapter from Imaam an-Nawawi: 
Intercession and Major Sins
-An-Nawawi affirms the opinion of Ahl as-Sunnah that the people of Tawheed will enter Jannah and only the people of Shirk and Kufr will abide in hellfire eternity. The people who sin from the people of Tawheed either will be forgiven or they will be interceded for - they will be under the Will of Allaah. 

-The Khwaarij deny this and so do the Mu'tazilah as well as the Murji'ah as they claim knowing Allaah or having Tasdeeq is enough to enter one into Jannah. The Asharis claim that sinners are always full believers and can punished or forgiven.

-Ahl as-Sunnah also affirm the Shafaa'ah (intercession) unlike the above mentioned groups, so it's possible that a person enters the fire and then is interceded for and then enters Jannah.

-No one will enter the fire until they are accounted for, if they didn’t hear of al-Islaam or were unable to follow it, then they will be tested.

Actions and Statements are Part of Emaan

-Saying the Shahadahtayn is only beneficial if one acts upon it upon knowledge. 

-Ibn Mussayab said that these Ahadeeth which refer to Tawheed alone being a cause to enter Jannah was an earlier command and then later abrogated.

Nawawi states that this is incorrect as Abu Hurayrah narrated this Hadeeth and his Islam came later (7AH) and by then many of the Faraa'id had already been legislated. Thus it can’t have been an earlier command.

-Hasan said that uttering the Shahaadatayn with knowledge means one dies upon making repentance with remorse.

al-Bukhaaree said it means that they are eligible to be under the Will of Allaah. 

These are different views but the Salaf are in Ijma that one can't benefit from Eman until he acts and speaks it, as well as belief, Qaadhee.

-Ibn Salaah said that it's possible that the wording mentioned is to say the Shahaadah but this doesn't mean that there is no belief or action, rather the Hadeeth is talking about the situation of a person (not that one will enter Jannah without actions). So if a person dies upon Islam in belief, word or action then he will be different to those who worship idols. 

[TN: there is a difference between knowing the Daleel and having some knowledge; a person can have knowledge but his level of certainty is higher than the one who merely knows something but without the Daleel, both are classed as believers as the Emaan of the Muqallid is valid as Banee Abd-Ashal were classed as believers as extension to Sa'd bin Mua'adh]

Wajib Upon Allaah is a Mu'tazli Principle Which Nawawi Denies

-There is no Wajib for Allaah from His Creation, what “Wajib upon Himself” means is either to show His Bounty and Favour, or its Khabr for Allaah what Allaah Will do. 
[TN: the Mu'tazilah use their 'Aql to believe that the creation have rights over Allaah, somethings are Wajib for Him and some things are Haram. Ibn Taymiyyah says such a notion is innovated but Ahl as-Sunnah are in agreement that Allaah Does as He Pleases and When He Pleases and that the meaning of 'Wajib for Allaah' refers to what an-Nawawi has said here].

Other Benefits
-The reason why the Prophet gave Abu Hurayrah his shoes before sending him as a messenger, as proof that the messenger should be sent with proof.

-‘Umar pushed Abu Huryrah to go back, not to harm him or reject the Prophet's command, because it was from his Ijithaad that such information should be kept quiet. 

-In this is proof that the Shahaadatayn must be verbal 

-In this is proof that the Prophet can do Ijtihaad and he gets affirmation or negation by Wahy.

The majority say that he can do Ijtihaad, whilst others said it was only specific to war whilst others negated it totally.

The correct view is the first one. As for Ijtihaad in matters of the Dunyaa then there's no difference that the Prophet used to make Ijtihaad in matters of the Dunyaa.  

-Some narrations having an extra wording that the Shahaadah is done whilst "seeking the face of Allaah", this refutes the Murji'ah, because in this Hadeeth speech and action of the heart are connected.

Combination Between the Narration of Mu'adh and Abu Huryarah
-In the Hadeeth of Mu'adh, the Prophet told him not to spread that Hadeeth but in a separate occasion told Aboo Hurayrah to do so. Ibn Salaah said the prohibition with Mu'adh was to proclaim. As for the Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah then this was left to his Ijtihaad, thus permitted for him to proclaim.

Others said the command to Mua’dh was aborgated, thus later in his life was permitted to narrate the Hadeeth.

[Sharh Saheeh Muslim 1/295-327]

And Allaah Knows Best