Setting
By the One in Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! I hope that you would be one-half of the inhabitants of Paradise; for none shall enter Paradise except a Muslim soul, and you, compared to the polytheists, are no more than a white hair on the skin of a black ox
By the One in Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! I hope that you would be one-half of the inhabitants of Paradise; for none shall enter Paradise except a Muslim soul, and you, compared to the polytheists, are no more than a white hair on the skin of a black ox
Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There were about forty of us with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in a tent when he said: "Would it please you to be one-fourth of the inhabitants of Paradise?" We said: 'Yes.' He said: "Would it please you to be one-third of the inhabitants of Paradise?" We said: 'Yes.' Thereupon he said: "By the One in Whose hand Muhammad's soul is! I hope that you would be one-half of the inhabitants of Paradise; for none shall enter Paradise except a Muslim soul, and you, compared to the polytheists, are no more than a white hair on the skin of a black ox, or a black hair on the skin of a red ox."
[Authentic hadith] [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]
Translations
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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting with about forty men of his Companions in a small tent. He asked them: Would you like to be one-fourth the inhabitants of Paradise? They replied in the affirmative. Then he asked: Would you like to be one-third the inhabitants of Paradise? They again replied in the affirmative. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore by his Lord and said: I hope that you would be one-half the inhabitants of Paradise, and the other half from the other nations, for no one will enter Paradise except Muslims, so the disbelievers will not enter therein. He then added that Muslims, compared to the polytheists from all other nations, are very little in number, just like the one single hair of a different color on the hairy skin of an ox.