Why did we interpret the distance in the hadith: "And a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only an arm's length between him and it, when the decree overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it"

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. This questioner is asking: Why did we interpret the distance in the hadith as referring to the nearness of his term of life rather than his deeds, when the text of the hadith is about deeds, stating that a man may do the deeds?

The Shaykh : Yes, he may do the deeds until there is only an arm's length between him and it. We interpreted this as referring to the nearness of his term of life, as we established in our explanation of the hadith.