The Story of al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar with the Jew Regarding the Hadith: "The World is a Prison for the Believer and a Paradise for the Disbeliever"

The Shaykh : This is why it came in the hadith: Because when the believer compares the life of this world to the Hereafter, he finds it to be a prison. Although the life of the believer is good, it is mentioned regarding Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him) that he was the Chief Judge (Qadi al-Qudat) in Egypt. You know that the Chief Judge passes by in a procession. One day, in his procession, on a carriage pulled by horses or mules, with people behind him, he passed by a Jew in Egypt. A "ziyat"—what does "ziyat" mean? He sells oil. All his clothes were stained with oil, and he was exhausted. So he stopped him; he stopped the procession and said, "O Chief Judge," or words to that effect, "Your Prophet says: How is that? How is that? This Jew was in the utmost state of misery, a "ziyat," exhausted and poor. And Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani was one of the preservers of the Ummah and one of those who served the Sunnah. He was the Chief Judge, honored, respected, and revered. How is this? Who is saying this? The Jew? He wanted to object. He wanted to object because the enemies of the Muslims want to object to the Book and the Sunnah, hoping they will find a way to attack them. May Allah kill them.
So Ibn Hajar said to him: "Yes, I am in the comfort you see, and you are in the misery you see. But the comfort I am in, compared to the comfort of the Hereafter, is what? A prison, a prison. And you, with the misery and wretchedness you are in, are in a paradise. Because if this Jew dies, where will he go? To the Fire, may Allah protect us from it. And the Fire is more scorching, as Allah the Mighty and Majestic said: The Jew was stunned by this well-aimed answer and said: "I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." He believed, he believed. Because applying the hadith to reality increases a person's certainty. And although I do not like to prolong this for you, I must mention this case because it benefits the person greatly.