14.1. Meaning of the sirat in linguistic terms and in Islamic terminology
14.1.1. Meaning of the sirat in linguistic terms
The Arabic word sirat refers to a path or way. A clear path is called a sirat.

14.1.2. Meaning of the sirat in Islamic terminology
i. Ibn Hazm said of the sirat, “It is a path that will be set out across Hell, then whoever Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, wills will be saved and whoever He wills will be doomed.”

ii. al-Nawawi said, “The sirat is a bridge that will be set up over the top of Hell; may Allah protect us from it.”

14.2. Evidence for the sirat
i. Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "There is not one of you but he will come to it; a decree from your Lord which must inevitably come to pass. Then We will save those who feared Allah, and We will leave the wrongdoers therein on their knees." (Maryam 19:71-72)

Ibn Jarir said, “Ibn Zayd said regarding the verse There is not one of you but he will come to it: ‘What is meant by coming to it, for the Muslims, is passing over the bridge that goes over the top of it, and for the polytheists, coming to it means that they will enter it.’”

Al-Nawawi said, “The correct view is that what is meant by coming to it in this verse is passing over it on the sirat, which is a bridge that will be set up over hell, from which those who are destined for hell will fall into it and the others will be saved.”

Ibn Taymiyah said, “As for the coming to hell which is mentioned in the verse There is not one of you but he will come to it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained it in the sahih hadith that was narrated by Muslim from Jabir: “It means passing over the sirat,” and the sirat is the bridge. Everyone who will enter Paradise will inevitably pass over it, whether he was a minor in this world or not.”

ii. It was narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said, The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Then the bridge will be brought and set up over the top of Hell.” We said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the bridge? He said: A smooth and slippery bridge, in which there are hooks and spikes and flat, iron hooks, like the thorns in Najd that are called al-sa‘dan. The believers will cross like the blink of an eye, like lightning, like the wind, like the swiftest horses and camels. Some will be saved after being scratched, and some will be piled up in the Fire of Hell.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn Hajar said, “The words ‘Then the bridge will be brought’ mean the sirat, which is like a bridge between Paradise and Hell over which the believers will cross.”

Al-Qastallani said, “To sum up, there will be three groups: one group which will reach paradise safely and unharmed; another group which will be injured and then saved and will reach paradise; and a group which will fall into Hell, ‘until the last of them crosses it’ that is, the last of those who will cross safely.”

The scholars are unanimously agreed that the sirat is real and that it is a bridge which will extend across the top of Hell
Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari said, “The scholars are unanimously agreed that the sirat is a bridge which will extend across the top of Hell and people will cross it in accordance with their deeds, and they will vary in their speed according to that.”

‘Iyad said, “The words ‘Then the sirat will be set up across the top of Hell’ … This indicates that the sirat is real and the Muslim must believe in it. The early generations were unanimously agreed that it is to be understood according to the apparent meaning, and should not be interpreted in any other way. Allah knows best what it is really like, and it is the bridge, as is mentioned in the other hadith.”

Scholarly views regarding the sirat
i. Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said: “Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah believe in ten things; whoever believes in all of them is truly a follower of the Sunnah, and whoever omits any of them has forsaken the Sunnah: affirmation of the divine decree, giving precedence to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (over the rest of the Sahabah), the cistern, intercession, the balance, the sirat…”

ii. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “The sirat is real.”

iii. Abu Zur‘ah al-Razi and Abu Hatim al-Razi said: “We met the scholars in all regions, the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and part of their belief is… that the sirat is real.”

iv. Harb ibn Isma‘il al-Karmani said: “The sirat is real; it will be placed over the top of Hell and the people will cross on it, and Paradise is beyond that. We ask Allah to keep us safe and enable us to cross it safely.”

v. al-Barbahari said: “We believe in the sirat across Hell; whoever Allah wills will walk on the sirat, and whoever Allah wills will cross it, and whoever Allah wills will fall into Hell; and they will have lights commensurate with their faith.”

vi. Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani said: “The sirat is real, and people will cross it in accordance with their deeds. Some will be saved, but they will vary in the speed at which they will be saved from the fire of Hell. And some people’s deeds will cause them to fall into it.”

14.3. Characteristics of the sirat
i. The sirat will be slippery: It was narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), "We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the bridge?' He said, 'A smooth and slippery place.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

‘Iyad said, “The words ‘A smooth and slippery place’ mean a place from which people’s feet will slip.”

ii. It will have two sides or edges on which there are hooks: It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah and Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “At the sides of the sirat will be suspended hooks, which are commanded to seize those whom they are commanded.” (Muslim)

It was narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), "We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the bridge? He said: A smooth and slippery place, in which there are hooks and spikes and flat, iron hooks, like the thorns in Najd that are called al-sa‘dan.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “On it, there are hooks like the thorns of al-sa‘dan, except that no one knows how big they are except Allah.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Ibn Battal said, “Regarding the words ‘In Hell there are hooks (kalalib)’; kalalib is the plural of kallub, which is the pincers with which the blacksmith picks up the iron from the fire. Khatatif is the plural of khuttaf, which is a rod of iron with a curved end with which one may pull things… And thorns are well known; they are sharp and pointed, and scratch everything that passes over them.

Abu’l-‘Abbas al-Qurtubi said, “Al-sa‘dan is a plant with large thorns, its thorns are like hooks.”

14.4. The passing of the believers over the sirat and their being made distinct from the hypocrites
Ibn Rajab said, “You should understand that people will be divided into believers who worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate in any way, and polytheists who worship others besides Allah. As for the polytheists, they will not pass over the sirat; rather they will fall into the fire before the sirat is set up.”

Each group of the disbelievers and polytheists will follow what it used to worship in this world, and they will fall into the fire with their objects of worship, and there will be no one left after that except those who used to worship Allah alone outwardly, whether they are the sincere believers or hypocrites of this ummah or other nations. Then the hypocrites will be made distinct from the believers by their refusal to prostrate, and they will be made distinct from them by the light which will be given to the believers.

Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Remember the day when you will see the believing men and believing women, with their light streaming ahead of them and on their right. It will be said to them: Glad tidings for you this day: gardens through which rivers flow, to abide therein forever. That is the supreme triumph. On that day, the hypocrite men and hypocrite women will say to the believers: Wait for us, so that we may have some of your light. It will be said: Go back and seek light elsewhere. Then a wall will be set up between them, which will have a gate, on the inside of which there will be mercy and on the outside there will be punishment. The hypocrites will call out to the believers: Were we not with you? They will say: Yes, but you gave in to confusion and temptation, you kept waiting for some misfortune to befall us, you doubted, and you were deceived by false hopes, until the decree of Allah came to pass. Thus Shaytan the deceiver deceived you concerning Allah. So this day no ransom will be accepted from you O hypocrites or from those who disbelieved. Your abode will be hell; that is where you belong – a hapless journey’s end." (al-Hadid 57:12-15)

Al-Sa‘di said, “Here Allah says, highlighting the virtue of faith and how happy the believers will be with their faith on the Day of Resurrection: 'Remember the Day when you will see the believing men and believing women, with their light streaming ahead of them and on their right.' (al-Hadid 57:12) that is, on the Day of Resurrection, when … the people find themselves in darkness, and the sirat is set up over hell, at that time you will see the believing men and believing women with their light streaming ahead of them and on their right. They will walk by virtue of their faith and light in that difficult and frightening situation, each according to the level of his faith, and at that time they will receive the greatest glad tidings, as it will be said to them, 'Glad tidings for you this Day: gardens through which rivers flow, to abide therein forever. That is the supreme triumph’ (al-Hadid 57:12)

When the hypocrites see the light of the believers by which they walk, when their own light has been extinguished and they are left confused in the darkness, they will say to the believers: ‘Wait for us, so that we may have some of your light’ that is, slow down so that we may catch up with you and get some of your light by which we may walk and be saved from the punishment. But It will be said to them: ‘Go back and seek light elsewhere’ that is, if doing so is possible. But in fact that will not be possible; rather it will be quite impossible. Then a wall will be set up between them that is, between the believers and the hypocrites; it will be a strong and unbreachable barrier, which will have a gate, on the inside of which there will be mercy – that will be the side where the believers will be and on the outside there will be punishment – that will be the side where the hypocrites will be. The hypocrites will call out to the believers, beseeching them and asking them for mercy: ‘Were we not with you’ in the previous world, saying ‘La ilaha ill-Allah (there is no god worthy of worship except Allah)’, praying, fasting, striving in jihad and doing what you did? They will say: ‘Yes, you were indeed with us in the previous world, appearing outwardly to do the same as we did, but your deeds were the deeds of hypocrites, devoid of faith and sound, sincere intention. Rather you gave in to confusion and temptation, you kept waiting (for some misfortune to befall us), you doubted that is, you doubted what Allah foretold, which was not subject to doubt;
and you were deceived by false hopes when you hoped to attain the same as the believers although you were not certain in your faith until the decree of Allah came to pass that is, until death came to you when you were still in that blameworthy state
Thus (Shaytan) the deceiver deceived you concerning Allah, for it was the Shaytan who made disbelief and doubt fair-seeming to you, and you were content with that doubt, you trusted his promise and believed what he said. So this Day no ransom will be accepted from you (O hypocrites) or from those who disbelieved; even if you offered in ransom an earth’s-weight of gold and as much again, it would not be accepted from you. Your abode will be Hell; that is where you belong and it will take care of you and welcome you a hapless journey’s end in the fire.”

Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "On a day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will stream ahead of them and on their right, and they will say: Our Lord, perfect our light for us and forgive us; verily You have power over all things." (al-Tahrim 57:8)

Mujahid, al-Dahhak, al-Hasan al-Basri, and others said, 'The believers will say this when, on the Day of Resurrection, they see that the light of the hypocrites has been extinguished.

How people will cross the sirat
i. Allah will give each person a light, according to his deeds: It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who said, “Allah will give them their light according to their deeds. Some of them will be given their light like a huge mountain accompanying them; some of them will be given their light smaller than that; some of them will be given a light like palm trees in their hands; some of them will be given something smaller than that, until the last of them will be a man who will be given his light on his big toe, which will light up sometimes and be extinguished sometimes; when it lights up he will move forward and when it is extinguished he will stop. … Allah will say: ‘Cross the sirat,’ and they will cross it according to their lights. Some of them will cross it in the blink of an eye, some will cross it like lightning, some will cross it like a cloud, some will cross it like a meteor, some will cross it like the wind, some will cross it like galloping horses, some will cross it like a running man, until the one who was given his light on the top of his feet will cross it crawling on his arms and legs, with one hand slipping and the other hand holding on, and with one foot slipping and the other foot holding on, and the fire will burn his sides, and he will continue like that until he is saved. When he is saved and stands up on it, he will say, ‘Praise be to Allah, for Allah has given me that which He did not give to anyone else, as He has saved me from it after I saw it.’”

ii. Extinguishing of the hypocrites’ light: It was narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was asked about the arrival of people on the Day of Resurrection. He said: The nations will be called with their idols and what they used to worship, one after another. Then our Lord will come to us after that and will say: ‘Who are you waiting for? They will say, ‘We are waiting for our Lord.’ He will say: ‘I am your Lord.’ They will say, ‘Not until we look upon You.’ He will manifest Himself to them, smiling. Then He will set off with them and they will follow Him, and each one of them – hypocrite or believer – will be given a light, then they will follow Him. On a bridge over Hell there will be hooks and spikes, which will catch whomever Allah wills. Then the light of the hypocrites will be extinguished and the believers will be saved. The first group will be saved with their faces like the moon when it is full, seventy thousand who will not be brought to account. Then those who follow them will be like the brightest stars in the sky, and so on. (Muslim)

iii. Variation in speed of the people in crossing the sirat: The people will vary in the speed at which they cross the sirat, because of the differences in the strength of the light that they will be given, in accordance with their righteous deeds.

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “They will cross the sirat, which is like the edge of a sword, smooth and slippery. It will be said: ‘Move to save yourself according to your light.’ Some of them will cross it like a meteor, some will cross it like the blink of an eye, some will cross it like the wind, some will cross it like a running man. They will cross it according to their righteous deeds, until the one whose light is on his big toe will cross it, dragging one hand and holding on with the other hand, dragging one foot and holding on with the other foot, and the fire will burn his sides. Then they will be saved, and when they are saved they will say: ‘Praise be to Allah Who has saved us from you after causing us to see you; Allah has given us that which He has not given to anyone else.’” (Al-Tabarani, al-Hakim, al-Daraqutni; Sahih)

It was narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri said, "The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, "Then the bridge will be brought and set up over the top of Hell.' We said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is the bridge?' He said, 'A smooth and slippery place, in which there are hooks and spikes and flat, iron hooks, like the thorns in Najd that are called al-sa‘dan. The believers will cross like the blink of an eye, like lightning, like the wind, like swiftest horses and camels. Some will be saved after being scratched, and some will be piled up in the Fire of Hell.'" (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Your Prophet will be standing on the sirat saying, ‘O Lord, grant safety, grant safety.’ Then people’s deeds will fail them, until a man comes, able to move only by crawling.” (Muslim)

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “… The last one will cross it as if being dragged (over the bridge).” (Al-Bukhari)

Honesty and ties of kinship will stand on the sirat
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah and Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when he mentioned the people going to Adam, then Ibrahim, then Musa, then ‘Isa, then Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that he said, “The trust (al-amanah) and the ties of kinship (al-rahim) will be sent and they will stand on either side of the sirat, on the right and left.” (Muslim)

Ibn Hajar said, “What is meant is that the trust and ties of kinship, because of their great status and importance, which dictate that people should pay attention to them and care about them, will be made to stand there to deal with the trustworthy and the treacherous, those who upheld ties of kinship and those who severed them, and they will plead for those who fulfilled their rights and testify against those who neglected them.”

Al-Tibi said, “It may be that what is meant by the trust (amanah) is the major amanah, which is mentioned in the verse in which Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "Verily, We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, yet they refused to undertake it and were afraid of it. But man undertook it." (al-Ahzab 33:72)