His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “Indeed, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise” — is this restricted by the hadith of Aishah regarding what appears to people, or is it not?

The questioner : May Allah preserve you, O honorable Shaykh. Regarding the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), which ends with: to the end, is it restricted by the hadith of Aishah: or is it general?

The Shaykh : Yes, the hadith: does not mean that he reaches that place by his deeds. Rather, the meaning is that there is only an arm's length between him and death, and this deed is what appears to people. So his heart, may Allah protect us from that, is harboring evil, but before people he acts as if he is one of the awliya (close friends of Allah). So this must be restricted by that. Yes.

The questioner : I mean, O Shaykh, is it possible for his deed to be... a righteous deed, but then he turns away at the end of his life?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is possible. But his deed at the beginning was not righteous. That is why I told you: he means considering the nearness of his death, not considering that he reached a high rank by his deed. So his deed did not advance even a hair's breadth, but his death is near. So do not think that the meaning of his saying: Because if that were the case, Allah would not let such a person down, but He would make him firm. But the meaning is that there was only an arm's length left between him and it, meaning the nearness of his death. Is that clear?