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.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was very happy with that, but RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam always wants the best for Ummah, so he asked for more. Also in Musnad of Ahmad, RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said he was given 70,000 to enter into Jannah without reckoning, so he asked for more. Allah gave him with everyone, 70,000. So if you multiply them, you get 4 million and 900,000. Then Allah has given him more. Allah said, I will give you three handfuls that will enter with them. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told the sahabah to do the best so that they will be amongst the 70,000.

The Poor Immigrants (Muhajireen)

The next group that will enter, we know through a hadith in Muslim. Abu ‘Abdul-Rahman reported that three persons came to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al ‘Aas while I was sitting with him and they said: “By Allah, we have nothing with us either in the form of provision, riding animals or wealth.” Thereupon he said to them: “I am prepared to do whatever you like. If you come to us, we would give you what Allah would make available for you. And if you like I would make a mention of your case to the ruler, and if you like you can show patience also. For I have heard Allah’s Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as saying: “The destitute amongst the emigrants [muhajireen] would precede the rich emigrants by forty years in getting into Paradise on the Day of Resurrection.” Thereupon they said: “We then, show patience and do not ask for anything.” [Muslim, 42/7102]

How come the poor among al-muhajireen were forty years ahead of the rich? There’s a hadith narrated by Al-Haakim. He says that the poor muhajireen will come to the gates of paradise. The gatekeepers will not have been expecting them that early, so they will ask, “Did you already go through the reckoning?” The poor muhajireen will say, “Reckoning for what? We didn’t have anything to be reckoned for. We were carrying our swords on our shoulders and we died in the sake of Allah.” The meaning of this hadith is that one of the things that will delay people on the day of resurrection is the questioning regarding wealth.

We know from another hadith that RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says that your feet will not move until you are asked for questions – and two of them are how you gained your wealth and how you spent it.

This all has to do with the timing of entering Jannah, not the rank. Someone who comes later can be in a higher rank in Jannah. The wealthy will be held up on the day of judgment because they have more wealth to be asked about.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as saying: “We are the last (but) we would be the first on the Day of Resurrection, and we would be the first to enter Paradise [...]” [Muslim, 4/1860] Allah has saved the best for last. In fact, some of the ambiya (prophets/messengers) used to wish that they would be a follower of Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is the honor that Allah has given us, which we are taking for granted.

The Gates of Jannah

Allah says: “Gardens of Eternity, whose doors will (ever) be open to them.” (38:50)

Allah says: “And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds: until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers will say: ‘Peace be upon you! Well have you done! Enter you here, to dwell therein.’” (39:73) Compare this to the reprimand that the dwellers of hell will receive when they reach its gates. The people of Jannah will be given this beautiful greeting by the angels. Imagine the excitement, rushing towards the gates of Jannah and hearing the welcoming of the angels.

There are eight gates of Jannah. The Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Paradise has eight gates, and one of them is called Ar-Rayyaan through which none will enter but those who observe fasting.” [Bukhaari, 4/54/479]

The Sahabah knew the value of fasting. One of the sahabah said, I have no desire in living in this world except for a few things: to fast the long days of summer, to pray the long nights of winter and to sit with brothers who choose the best words, like you would choose out of a basket of fruits. There would be no obscenity, cursing or idle talk in their words.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said that those who engage in prayer will be invited to enter by the gate of prayer; those who take part in jihad will be invited to enter by the gate of jihad; those who give charity will be invited to enter by the gate of charity; and those who observe fasts will be invited to enter through the gate of ar-rayyaan. Abu Bakr asked RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “Messenger of Allah, is it necessary that a person be invited through one of these gates, will anyone be invited to enter by all of those gates?” RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “Yes, and I hope you will be one of them.”

So imagine this – Abu Bakr is walking to Jannah, and the angels from every gate will be asking him to come in through their gate. You know when you go to bazaars, and there are a lot of goods and everyone is inviting you to their shop? Well, the angels of Jannah will be asking Abu Bakr to come into Jannah through their gates, because they all want that honor. The angels are called pure by Allah, and they will ask Abu Bakr to just pass by them.

The human being has the potential of being the worse of creation – worse than animals. And they have the potential of being the best – better than angels. Allah says, they are like cattle; nay, even worse. Some of them will be honored to a level that they are higher than the angels.

To Enter through all Eight Gates

If you want to be invited through all of the gates, here two methods:

1.       This hadith is mentioned in Bukhaari. RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says that whoever testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and that Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s slave and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed upon Mary the Virgin, and a spirit created by Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, Allah will invite him to enter through all of the gates. This is talking about deep, firm emaan.

2.      
This hadith is mentioned in Muslim. If any of you performs wudhu`/ablution, and then completes wudhu` well, and then says “I testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is the servant of Allah and His messenger,” then the eight gates of paradise will be opened for him and he may enter through whichever of them he wishes.

 

You will notice in both hadith that there is the shahaada – so the kalima has this value, but the person has to have a firm, certain faith in them.

How large are the gates? RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam mentions in a hadith in Muslim, the distance between the two leaves of the door from the supporting frames – so we’re not talking about the whole distance of the door – is like the distance between Makkah and Hajr. That is a very long distance, like 1,000 miles plus. Allahu ‘Alam, this is just an estimate.

RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says in Musnad of Ahmad, The whole distance between the two sides of the gate is 40 years walking distance. That is how wide the gate is. Then RasulAllah sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam says, a day will come when it will be crowded. There will be so many people entering on the day of judgment that it will be crowded, even though it takes 40 years walking to cover the distance of this gate.

Already in Jannah

Who are the ones that will enter Jannah before the day of judgment, or they have already been there?

1.       Ash-shuhadaa` (martyrs): In Sahih Muslim, there is the very famous hadith of the shuhadaa` being like green birds.

2.       Children who die at a young age

3.       Who was the one who lived in Jannah? Adam and Hawwa`. Allah says: “And We said: ‘O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimun (wrong-doers).’” (2:35)