The Last Person to Enter Jannah: The Lowest Rank in Paradise
Imagine being the very last person to enter Paradise, crawling out of the Fire after everyone else has settled in. What would you hope for? A small corner, perhaps. The hadith about the last person to enter Jannah shows that even the lowest rank in Paradise is beyond anything we can picture, and it made the Prophet ﷺ laugh.
At a glance
- Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 6571; also Sahih Muslim 186 and Sahih Muslim 189b
- Narrated by: ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud; al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah (Muslim 189b)
- Grade: Sahih (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
- Topic: The lowest rank in Paradise and Allah’s generosity
- Practise it: Ask Allah for the highest, and never give up hope in His mercy
The hadith
إِنِّي لأَعْلَمُ آخِرَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ خُرُوجًا مِنْهَا، وَآخِرَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ دُخُولاً رَجُلٌ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ النَّارِ كَبْوًا، فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ اذْهَبْ فَادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ. فَيَأْتِيهَا فَيُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهَا مَلأَى، فَيَرْجِعُ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ وَجَدْتُهَا مَلأَى، فَيَقُولُ اذْهَبْ فَادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ. فَيَأْتِيهَا فَيُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهَا مَلأَى. فَيَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ وَجَدْتُهَا مَلأَى، فَيَقُولُ اذْهَبْ فَادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ، فَإِنَّ لَكَ مِثْلَ الدُّنْيَا وَعَشَرَةَ أَمْثَالِهَا. أَوْ إِنَّ لَكَ مِثْلَ عَشَرَةِ أَمْثَالِ الدُّنْيَا. فَيَقُولُ تَسْخَرُ مِنِّي، أَوْ تَضْحَكُ مِنِّي وَأَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ
“I know the person who will be the last to come out of the Fire, and the last to enter Paradise. He will be a man who will come out of the Fire crawling, and Allah will say to him, ‘Go and enter Paradise.’ He will go to it, but he will imagine that it is full, and he will return and say, ‘O Lord, I found it full.’ Allah will say, ‘Go and enter Paradise.’ He will go to it, but he will imagine that it is full, and he will say, ‘O Lord, I found it full.’ Allah will say, ‘Go and enter Paradise, for you will have the like of the world and ten times as much (or, you will have ten times the like of the world).’ The man will say, ‘Do You mock me (or laugh at me), though You are the King?’”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6571 · Narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com (the repeated second visit completed from the Arabic)
‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) added that he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ laugh until his back teeth showed, and that it used to be said this man would have the lowest rank among the people of Paradise. Sahih Muslim 186 has the same hadith, and Sahih Muslim 188 tells a longer version of the lowest-ranked man’s story.
In another hadith, Musa (peace be upon him) asked Allah about the lowest and the highest ranks in Paradise:
سَأَلَ مُوسَى رَبَّهُ مَا أَدْنَى أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ مَنْزِلَةً قَالَ هُوَ رَجُلٌ يَجِيءُ بَعْدَ مَا أُدْخِلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ. فَيَقُولُ أَىْ رَبِّ كَيْفَ وَقَدْ نَزَلَ النَّاسُ مَنَازِلَهُمْ وَأَخَذُوا أَخَذَاتِهِمْ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ أَتَرْضَى أَنْ يَكُونَ لَكَ مِثْلُ مُلْكِ مَلِكٍ مِنْ مُلُوكِ الدُّنْيَا فَيَقُولُ رَضِيتُ رَبِّ. فَيَقُولُ لَكَ ذَلِكَ وَمِثْلُهُ وَمِثْلُهُ وَمِثْلُهُ وَمِثْلُهُ. فَقَالَ فِي الْخَامِسَةِ رَضِيتُ رَبِّ. فَيَقُولُ هَذَا لَكَ وَعَشَرَةُ أَمْثَالِهِ وَلَكَ مَا اشْتَهَتْ نَفْسُكَ وَلَذَّتْ عَيْنُكَ. فَيَقُولُ رَضِيتُ رَبِّ. قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَعْلاَهُمْ مَنْزِلَةً قَالَ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَرَدْتُ غَرَسْتُ كَرَامَتَهُمْ بِيَدِي وَخَتَمْتُ عَلَيْهَا فَلَمْ تَرَ عَيْنٌ وَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ أُذُنٌ وَلَمْ يَخْطُرْ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ
“Moses asked his Lord: Who amongst the inhabitants of Paradise is the lowest in rank? He (Allah) said: It is a man who will come after the people of Paradise have been admitted into Paradise. It would be said to him: Enter Paradise. He would say: O my Lord! How (should I enter) while the people have settled in their places and taken their shares? It would be said to him: Would you be pleased if there were for you the like of the kingdom of a king amongst the kings of the world? He would say: I am pleased, my Lord. He (Allah) would say: For you is that, and like that, and like that, and like that, and like that. He would say at the fifth: I am pleased, my Lord. He (Allah) would say: This is for you and ten times like it, and for you is what your self desires and your eye delights in. He would say: I am pleased, my Lord. He (Moses) said: And the highest of them in rank? He (Allah) said: They are those whom I chose. I planted their honour with My own hand and set a seal over it, so no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and it has not occurred to any human heart.”
Sahih Muslim 189b · Narrated by al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
What the hadith means
The explanation on HadeethEnc draws out three points: the hadith shows the bounty and vast mercy of Allah, it shows how honoured the people of Paradise are, and even the lowest of them receives many times more than any king of this world.
Notice the man’s reaction. He has just crawled out of the Fire, and what he is offered is so far beyond what he expected that he cannot believe it: “Do You mock me, though You are the King?” And this is the lowest rank. The Musa hadith goes further: the highest ranks hold what no eye has seen and no heart has imagined. We looked at those higher ranks in Levels of Jannah and al-Firdaus.
Reflection: The man’s fear, “I found it full,” sounds very human. We often feel that the good things are already taken, that there is no room left for us. Allah’s answer is ten times the world. His generosity is not limited by how late we are, only by how much He chooses to give.
How to practise it
- Try this: When you ask for Jannah, aim for the highest, al-Firdaus, as the Prophet ﷺ taught. The lowest rank is already beyond imagining; the highest is better still.
- Try this: When you feel you have fallen too far, remember this man. Turn back to Allah today with sincere repentance.
- Try this: Share this hadith with someone who has lost hope. It is a reminder of mercy, not permission to delay good deeds.
What it takes: hasten while you can
This man reached Paradise only after time in the Fire. We do not want to arrive that way. The Quran tells us to race toward forgiveness now:
۞ وَسَارِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden [i.e., Paradise] as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.”
Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:133 · Translation: Saheeh International, from Quran.com
The hadith fills us with hope; the verse tells us not to wait. A mustard seed of faith may save a person in the end, but the people who are called from the gates of Jannah are the ones who rushed toward it in this life.
Questions people ask
Who is the last person to enter Jannah?
The Prophet ﷺ described him as a man who comes out of the Fire crawling. Allah tells him to enter Paradise, he thinks it is full, and Allah gives him the like of the world and ten times as much (Sahih al-Bukhari 6571). The hadith does not give his name.
What is the lowest level of Jannah?
According to Sahih Muslim 189b, the lowest-ranked person is offered the like of a worldly king’s kingdom, then five times that, then ten times it, along with whatever his soul desires and his eye delights in.
Does this mean a Muslim can go to Hell and then to Paradise?
The hadith speaks of a man who comes out of the Fire and enters Paradise, and other authentic hadith speak of people of faith being taken out of the Fire. Who that applies to is Allah’s decision. For questions about your own situation, please ask a qualified scholar.
Key lessons
- The last person to enter Paradise is given the like of the world and ten times as much (Bukhari 6571).
- Even the lowest rank in Paradise is beyond any king’s kingdom (Muslim 189b).
- The highest ranks hold what no eye has seen and no heart has imagined.
- Allah’s mercy is vast, but the Quran tells us to hasten, not delay (3:133).
If the last to enter is given this much, what is waiting for those who hurried? Take one step toward it today.
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