The Guarantor of Paradise: Noble Character, Truthfulness, and Abandoning Disputation

Abū Umāma al-Bāhilī (may Allāh be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

“I am the guarantor of a house in the outskirts of Paradise for whoever abandons disputation even if he is in the right; and of a house in the middle of Paradise for whoever abandons lying even in jest; and of a house in the highest reaches of Paradise for whoever refines his character.”

Commentary of al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād

Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Muḥsin ibn Ḥamad al-ʿAbbād al-Badr (b. 1353 AH / 1934 CE) remarked in his commentary on Sunan Abī Dāwūd:

This ḥadīth contains a clarification of the virtue of noble character, and that a person’s refinement of his own conduct brings him to the loftiest stations in Paradise. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned three categories of people:

• • Those who shall reside in the rabḍ of Paradise, that is, its outskirts and lowest reaches.
  • Those who shall reside in its middle.
  • Those who shall reside in its highest reaches.

It is well established that just as the Fire has descending levels, each beneath the other, Paradise has ascending degrees, each above the other. The Prophet ﷺ clarified in this ḥadīth that the one who refines his character shall have a bayt – and the bayt here signifies a palace in Paradise.

The Meaning of Anā Zaʿīm

The expression anā zaʿīm means: I am the guarantor, the surety, the one who has undertaken this commitment – that whoever does such-and-such shall have such-and-such. This is analogous to the saying of Allāh ﷻ:

“And for whoever brings it is a camel’s load, and I am responsible for it.” ۞ (Sūrat Yūsuf, 12:72)

That is: I am committed to giving a camel-load to whoever returns the king’s measuring bowl, and I stand as guarantor for this promise. The meaning in the ḥadīth, accordingly, is: I am the surety and guarantor for whoever performs these acts that he shall have a house in Paradise.

The First Degree: Abandoning Disputation

“I am the guarantor of a house in the outskirts of Paradise for whoever abandons disputation, even if he is in the right.”

This refers to argumentation that leads to enmity, discord, and estrangement. A person distances himself from such conduct so that hearts may remain sound and souls may be purified.

The Second Degree: Abandoning Lying

“And of a house in the middle of Paradise for whoever abandons lying, even in jest.”

A person must accustom himself to truthfulness and guard against lying in all its forms. Whoever abandons lying, even when employed as humour – has been given this noble promise: a house in the middle of Paradise.

The Third Degree: Refining One’s Character

“And of a house in the highest reaches of Paradise for whoever refines his character.”

This is the principal point of evidence for which the ḥadīth is cited. It clarifies the station of noble character, demonstrates the loftiness of this rank, and points decisively to its virtue and importance.

A Clarification by al-Imām al-Albānī

The following exchange, recorded on cassette tape 169 of Fatāwā ʿabr al-Hātif wa-l-Sayyāra further clarifies a subtle but important distinction within the ḥadīth.

The ḥadīth is authentic. However, the portion you cited – “I am the guarantor of a house in the rabḍ of Paradise” – pertains to the one who abandons disputation whilst he is in the wrong. As for the one who abandons disputation whilst he is in the right, for him is a house in the highest reaches of Paradise.

When two people argue, either the truth is with one of them or with the other. In the midst of the argument – and such is human nature, as the Lord of creation said:

“And man is, of all things, the most contentious.” ۞ (Sūrat al-Kahf, 18:54)

 a person may champion his own position, whilst knowing inwardly that he is arguing in falsehood. Then he recalls this ḥadīth and cuts the argument short. This person – knowing he argues in falsehood and then ceasing to do so has a house built for him in the rabḍ of Paradise.

As for the one who is arguing whilst the truth is on his side: he continues the argument, yet comes to perceive that the disputation with the one in the wrong is not yielding the desired outcome  namely, that which is referred to in the saying of Allāh ﷻ:

“And argue with them in the manner that is best.” ۞ (Sūrat al-Naḥl, 16:125)

It becomes apparent to him that this particular exchange is neither benefiting the other party nor achieving the purpose of argumentation in the best manner. He therefore abandons the dispute  and the truth is with him. The recompense of such a person with Allāh ﷻ is that a house is built for him in the highest reaches of Paradise.

References

• Abū Dāwūd, Sulaymān ibn al-Ashʿath al-Sijistānī (d. 275 AH / 889 CE). Sunan Abī Dāwūd. Edited by Muḥammad Muḥyī al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd. Beirut: al-Maktaba al-ʿAṣriyya, n.d. Kitāb al-Adab, Bāb fī Ḥusn al-Khuluq.
• Al-ʿAbbād al-Badr, ʿAbd al-Muḥsin ibn Ḥamad (b. 1353 AH / 1934 CE). Sharḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd. Audio lectures.
• Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī (d. 852 AH / 1449 CE). Fatḥ al-Bārī fī Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Edited by Muḥibb al-Dīn al-Khaṭīb. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1379 AH. Vol. 13, p. 1811.
• Al-Qurʾān al-Karīm. Translated by Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī and Muḥammad Muḥsin Khān. Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qurʾān. Riyadh: Dār al-Salām, 1996.