Bismillah. As you can tell by my lack of citations, the MSA hadith database was mostly down as I was transcribing this. Therefore, we will have to settle for my less-than-adequate transcriptions

This is the intro to Paradise, which pretty much runs through the last CD (#12). It talks about the first to enter Jannah and the ones who have already been, or are, there.

The Description of Jannah and Its People

I prefer [Imam Anwar prefers] to use the word Paradise instead of Heaven because Heaven can be confused with samawaat. Sometimes the person may be referring to the skies, but someone else understands it to mean paradise. This is one of the limitations of the language. That is why I prefer to say paradise. It is better to use the authentic terminology of Jannah.

The First to Enter Jannah

Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam

In sahih Muslim, Anas ibn Maalik narrates that the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “I will have the greatest/largest following on the day of judgment among the ambiya of Allah. And I will be the first person to knock on the gates of Paradise.” He will get there while the proceedings of the day of judgment are still going on and people are still going through hisaab.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and would seek its opening. And the keeper would say: ‘Who are you?’ I would say: ‘Muhammad.’ He would then say: ‘It is for you that I have been ordered, and not to open it for anyone before.’” [Muslim, 1/384] The gatekeeper has been at this post for years and years with instructions not to open the gate for anyone but Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and he will be the first to enter.

The Prophets, and then Abu Bakr

Following the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the ambiya of Allah will enter – 124,000. After all of the ambiya have gone in, who will be the first to enter the gates of Jannah? Let us look at this hadith from Sunan Abu Dawood. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said that Jibreel held my hand and he took me to paradise, and he pointed to me the gate through which my ummah would enter through and he told me, “This is the gate through which your Ummah will enter from.” Abu Bakr said, “O RasulAllah, I wish I were with you to see that.” RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “O Abu Bakr, you are going to be the first among my Ummah to enter into paradise.”

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said that he will be the first from this Ummah, then how do we know that he will be the first from all of the Umam? It is because RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has mentioned in another hadith that the best amongst humanity, after the ambiya of Allah, is Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq.

70,000 of this Ummah

Following Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq will be the first batch of Muslims. In the Musnad of Ahmad, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, Allah has given me 70,000 of my ummah who will enter into paradise without going through the Reckoning. So these are a hand-picked few, 70,000 throughout the history of the Ummah, that will chosen by Allah to bypass the Reckoning. While everyone else is going through Reckoning, these 70,000 will go through the back door and enter Jannah. [See Bukhaari, 8/76/549] What are their characteristics? They trust in Allah with everything. (more…)