Abu Sa’eed al Khudree (رضى الله عنه) reports that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “when the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge (Qantarah) before entering the paradise and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they become purified. (Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the One in Whose Hands is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better than they know their ways to their homes in dunya.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhari]
Al-Qantarah is a small bridge after the Siraat that the believers will have to cross before entering Jannah. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will ask the believers to settle their issues here.
There is a hadith narrated in Mustadarak al-Haakim with an authentic chain that states that there will be two men from this Ummah that will come before Allah (عز و جل). One man will say, “so and so has transgressed against me and I want from his good deeds.” Allah will tell him, “do you see this great palace in paradise?” And the man will look at the palace, and Allah will say to him, “it will belong to you if you forgive your brother today.” And the man will forgive him. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said at the end of this hadith: اتقوا الله وأصلحوا ذات بينكم ، فإن الله يصلح بين المؤمنين meaning “safeguard yourselves from Allah, and reform and reconcile amongst yourselves, indeed Allah will reconcile between the believers (on the Day of Judgment).”
If Allah will reconcile among you on that Day, our role today should be to reconcile between ourselves.
The first bridge on Judgment Day — called as-Sirāt (Arabic: الصراط) — is mentioned in a long hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 97/65 that details a lot of events that will take place then as narrated on the authority of Abu Sa’īd al-Khudri when the companions asked the Prophet ﷺ about Judgment Day. In this hadith (partially quoted below), as-Sirāt is referred to as a bridge over Hellfire:
ثُمَّ يُؤْتَى بِالْجَسْرِ فَيُجْعَلُ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَىْ جَهَنَّمَ ”. قُلْنَا يَا aرَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْجَسْرُ قَالَ ” مَدْحَضَةٌ مَزِلَّةٌ، عَلَيْهِ خَطَاطِيفُ وَكَلاَلِيبُ وَحَسَكَةٌ مُفَلْطَحَةٌ، لَهَا شَوْكَةٌ عُقَيْفَاءُ تَكُونُ بِنَجْدٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا السَّعْدَانُ، الْمُؤْمِنُ عَلَيْهَا كَالطَّرْفِ وَكَالْبَرْقِ وَكَالرِّيحِ وَكَأَجَاوِيدِ الْخَيْلِ وَالرِّكَابِ، فَنَاجٍ مُسَلَّمٌ وَنَاجٍ مَخْدُوشٌ وَمَكْدُوسٌ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ، حَتَّى يَمُرَّ آخِرُهُمْ يُسْحَبُ سَحْبًا
“Then the bridge will be laid across Hell.” We, the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! What is the bridge?” He said, “It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (Hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa’dan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell (Fire). The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge).”
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 97, Hadith 65
The first bridge was called as-Sirāt by the Prophet ﷺ and further described in another long hadith narrated on the authority of Abi Hurairah in Sahih al-Bukhari 10/201 when the companions asked the Prophet ﷺ if they would see Allah ﷻ on Judgment Day. In this hadith (partially quoted below) as-Sirāt is named and described:
فَيَأْتِيهِمُ اللَّهُ فَيَقُولُ أَنَا رَبُّكُمْ. فَيَقُولُونَ أَنْتَ رَبُّنَا. فَيَدْعُوهُمْ فَيُضْرَبُ الصِّرَاطُ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَىْ جَهَنَّمَ، فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَجُوزُ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ بِأُمَّتِهِ، وَلاَ يَتَكَلَّمُ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ الرُّسُلُ، وَكَلاَمُ الرُّسُلِ يَوْمَئِذٍ اللَّهُمَّ سَلِّمْ سَلِّمْ. وَفِي جَهَنَّمَ كَلاَلِيبُ مِثْلُ شَوْكِ السَّعْدَانِ، هَلْ رَأَيْتُمْ شَوْكَ السَّعْدَانِ. قالوا: نَعَمْ. قال: فَإِنَّهَا مِثْلُ شَوْكِ السَّعْدَانِ، غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ لاَ يَعْلَمُ قَدْرَ عِظَمِهَا إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، تَخْطَفُ النَّاسَ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُوبَقُ بِعَمَلِهِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُخَرْدَلُ ثُمَّ يَنْجُو
Then Allah will come to them again and say, ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘You are our Lord.’ Allah will call them, and As-Sirat (a bridge) will be laid across Hell and I (Muhammad) shall be the first amongst the Apostles to cross it with my followers. Nobody except the Apostles will then be able to speak and they will be saying then, ‘O Allah! Save us. O Allah Save us.’ There will be hooks like the thorns of Sa’dan [??] in Hell. Have you seen the thorns of Sa’dan [??]?” The people said, “Yes.” He said, “These hooks will be like the thorns of Sa’dan [??] but nobody except Allah knows their greatness in size and these will entangle the people according to their deeds; some of them will fall and stay in Hell forever; others will receive punishment (torn into small pieces) and will get out of Hell.
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 10, Hadith 201
The second bridge — called al-Qantara (Arabic: القنطرة) in Arabic — is where the second qissās (retaliation) takes place on Judgment Day. The first qissās is often called a general qissās and it is retaliatory in the sense that exchange of good deeds and bad deeds between the opponents takes place as a form of compensation, and that it is among all creations, believers, disbelievers, animals, etc. (see Sahih Muslim 45/77). The second qissās is often called a special qissās as it is between believers only and in specific the ones that will end up being in Paradise. We are informed of this second bridge through the hadiths:
عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يَخْلُصُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ مِنَ النَّارِ، فَيُحْبَسُونَ عَلَى قَنْطَرَةٍ بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ، فَيُقَصُّ لِبَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، مَظَالِمُ كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا، حَتَّى إِذَا هُذِّبُوا وَنُقُّوا أُذِنَ لَهُمْ فِي دُخُولِ الْجَنَّةِ، فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لأَحَدُهُمْ أَهْدَى بِمَنْزِلِهِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْهُ بِمَنْزِلِهِ كَانَ فِي الدُّنْيَا
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The believers, after being saved from the (Hell) Fire, will be stopped at a bridge between Paradise and Hell and mutual retaliation will be established among them regarding wrongs they have committed in the world against one another. After they are cleansed and purified (through the retaliation), they will be admitted into Paradise; and by Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, every one of them will know his dwelling in Paradise better than he knew his dwelling in this world.”
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 81, Hadith 124
It is proven in al-Saheehayn that when the believers have crossed al-Siraat, they will be detained on a bridge between Paradise and Hell, where they will settle their scores with one another. Then when they have been cleansed and purified, they will be given permission to enter Paradise. It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the believers have been saved from the Fire, then they will be detained on the bridge between Paradise and Hell. There they will settle the scores between them for any wrongs that they did to one another in this world, and when they have been cleansed and purified, they will be given permission to enter Paradise. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, each of them will recognize his dwelling in Paradise better than he recognizes his dwelling in this world.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6535.
Imagine the pain of standing before Jannah, being able to see its gates after just having passed the Siraat, and yet you loose your deeds accordingly.
Seek forgiveness of those whom you have wronged today, before the Day comes when the currency will be good deeds.
May Allah protect our deeds from being wasted, and may He make us among those whom other Muslims are safe from their tongue and hand. Ameen.
And Allah knows best, and for Him is all praise.
