Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, to Him belong the endowments and proper commendations. May Allah increase the honor of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, raise his rank, and protect his nation from what he fears for it.
Thereafter, it was said:
The Bridge is a wide physical body stretched over Hellfire. All the people will go to it on the Day of Judgment. It is smooth, very slippery, and dangerous. The entrance of the bridge is on the changed Earth, and the exit is on the land before Paradise. The changed Earth will not be at the same level as Paradise. Paradise will be much higher.
Some of the people will not get across the bridge and instead will fall off of it into Hellfire. Those who will fall immediately are the blasphemers. Some of the Muslims who were enormous sinners will step on it and then fall. Others will step on the bridge and cross to the other end. Some will almost fall in, but will not. On the sides of the bridge are hooks. Some people will be dragged by these hooks and be close to falling in Hellfire. Then they will be saved after being scratched and scared by these hooks. Some will cross above the bridge without stepping on it or touching it at all. Some will cross as quickly as lightening and others will cross as quickly as the blink of an eye. The speed of the people going over the bridge is according to the deeds they did in this life.
When a nation of a Prophet starts to cross the bridge, this Prophet will start to make du^a’ for these people crossing the bridge, asking God to grant them safety.
The Prophet said that the bridge is sharper than a sword and thinner than a hair. This is not literal. It means that the bridge is very dangerous because crossing it easily is contingent upon the amount of obedience a person did, and no one knows the exact amount they have except God. It was narrated in the hadith that the people cross the bridge in accordance with their deeds.
May Allah bless us with having the best deeds and make us among the highly pious ones that cross the Sirat in the quickest way. Ameen.
