To make the Heart Tender (Ar-Riqaq) - Sahih al-Bukhari 6547

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I stood at the gate of Paradise and saw that the majority of the people who had entered it were poor people, while the rich were forbidden (to enter along with the poor, because they were waiting the reckoning of their accounts), but the people of the Fire had been ordered to be driven to the Fire. And I stood at the gate of the Fire and found that the majority of the people entering it were women."

Commentary on the Poor Entering Paradise

The preference for the poor in entering Paradise stems from their greater reliance upon Allah and detachment from worldly distractions. Wealth often becomes a trial, causing negligence in spiritual duties and attachment to temporal pleasures.

The rich being "forbidden" indicates they are detained for meticulous accounting of their wealth - how it was acquired and disbursed. This delay underscores the weighty responsibility of financial blessings.

Commentary on Women in the Fire

Scholars clarify this does not imply all or most women enter Hellfire. Rather, it indicates a relative proportion among its inhabitants. The causes include ungratefulness to husbands and excessive preoccupation with worldly adornments.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani explains that women's greater representation in this narration relates to specific spiritual weaknesses they must overcome, particularly regarding thanklessness and excessive emotional reactions.

Spiritual Lessons

This hadith serves as a profound warning against the dangers of wealth without righteousness and highlights the spiritual advantage of poverty when accompanied by patience and contentment.

For women, it emphasizes the need for particular vigilance in maintaining gratitude, controlling speech, and avoiding the excesses of worldly adornment that distract from Allah's remembrance.