Destined to enter Paradise
Hazrat Jabir (ra) narrates, “One day, we visited the house of an Ansari woman with the Holy Prophet (sa). She had prepared a meal and had invited the Holy Prophet (sa). The Holy Prophet (sa) stated that a person was about to arrive, who was destined to enter Paradise. Soon after, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) entered and everyone congratulated him. The Holy Prophet (sa) then again stated that soon, a person would come who was destined to enter Paradise. Soon after, Hazrat Umar (ra) entered and again everyone congratulated him. The Holy Prophet (sa), for a third time, stated that the person who was about to arrive would also be destined to enter Paradise. The narrator states that he saw that at the time, the Holy Prophet (sa) had hidden his head behind a small date palm plant and was saying, ‘O Allah, if You permit then allow Ali to be the next person to enter.’ Soon after, Hazrat Ali (ra) entered and everyone congratulated him as well.”
(Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 5, p. 107, Hadith 14604, Alamul Kutub, Beirut, 1998)
Hazrat Anas (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) stated, “Paradise is awaiting three individuals; they are Ali, Ammar and Salman.”
(Hakim al-Nishapuri, Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain, Vol. 3, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Fikr], p. 348)
Abu Uthman Nahdi relates that Hazrat Ali (ra) stated, “On one occasion, the Messenger (sa) of Allah was holding my hand and we passed through one of the streets of Medina and approached an orchard. I submitted, ‘O Messenger (sa) of Allah, how beautiful is this orchard.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) stated, ‘There is an even more beautiful orchard prepared for you in Paradise.’”
(Hakim al-Nishapuri, Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihain, Vol. 3, [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Fikr 2002], pp. 349-350)