Hadeeth of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqaas about 'Abdullaah ibn Salaam
6-7-2009 | IslamWeb
Question:
Respected Scholars, As salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakathu,
a few weeks ago I read this Hadith...
"Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I never heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) say unto one living and moving about that he would be in Paradise except to 'Abdullah bin Salam."
Hadith number in Sahih Muslim [Arabic only]: 4535
...and now I am confused.
Now my Question is, why did Sa´d ibn Abi Waqqas (r) said that? I am asking that, because he was one of the Sahaba, to whom Jannah was promised. Didnt he know, that Jannah was promised to him? Maybe I understood something wrong, but how do I have to understand this Hadith? I really hope that you can help me insha´Allah, may Allah bless you, Amin... jazzak Allahu khairan wa alaikums salam
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
First: The Hadeeth in question was narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Second: There is no doubt that Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas 
is one of the companions who were given the glad tidings of entering Paradise. Sa‘d might have said that because he had not heard that statement himself from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; however, he did not deny that other companions may have heard it from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
Alternatively, he may have said so out of humbleness and to avoid bragging, just as ‘Abdullaah ibn Salaam did after being told that he is one of those given glad tidings of entering Paradise; he said, “One should not say what he does not know.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]