(Combining the narrations regarding the extent of the scent of Paradise from three perspectives, and mentioning the first perspective) And the scent is found from a distance of forty—***—, and if you wish, one hundred, both are narrated.
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The Shaykh : He (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that the scent of Paradise is found from a distance of forty years, and in another report: from a distance of one hundred years, and in a third report: from a distance of five hundred years.
And when you look at the difference between forty years and five hundred years, you find it vast, but the five hundred was a remark by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), so the consideration remains between the forty, yes? and the seventy and the one hundred.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: There is no contradiction in it, and that is understood from three perspectives: either due to the difference in those who perceive its scent, because people differ in perceiving the scent, is that not so? You find some people walking from the house and saying: The people of the house are cooking such and such, do you understand? Is this a reality or not a reality? It is a reality. And the second is that he puts his nose in the door crack and does not smell it, yes? Yes, this is a difference. Yes, so the greater estimation is for the one who smelled it weakly, and the lesser estimation is for the one who smelled it strongly, this is one.
And when you look at the difference between forty years and five hundred years, you find it vast, but the five hundred was a remark by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), so the consideration remains between the forty, yes? and the seventy and the one hundred.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: There is no contradiction in it, and that is understood from three perspectives: either due to the difference in those who perceive its scent, because people differ in perceiving the scent, is that not so? You find some people walking from the house and saying: The people of the house are cooking such and such, do you understand? Is this a reality or not a reality? It is a reality. And the second is that he puts his nose in the door crack and does not smell it, yes? Yes, this is a difference. Yes, so the greater estimation is for the one who smelled it weakly, and the lesser estimation is for the one who smelled it strongly, this is one.