Entering Jannah because of Your Deeds or ALLAH'S mercy

The prophet - peace and blessing upon him - said:

“No one will enter jannah (heaven) for his deeds ('بعمله')!”

People said: “even you, messenger of Allah?”

“Even me!” he said, “unless Allah wraps me with His mercy”.

So, how to concord between this hadeeth and the other texts indicating that a person will enter Jannah for his actions?

The scholars - may Allah have mercy on them - who are the most descerning of the rules of islam, and who are the doctors of the hearts and the bodies, taught by Allah, said:

" the 'for' (the 'ب' in 'بعمله') appeared in "for his deeds" can have two meanings:

it can be used for causality (because of), and it can also be used for substitution (in return for / as equivalent for). "

So, if you say: “I sold you this book for one dirham”, this is for substitution.

And if you say: “I honor you, for you have honored me”. This one is for causality.

As for the fact of entering Jannah for our deeds, it is rather about causality and not substitution.

They (the scholars) said: " the meaning of the hadeeth of the prophet - peace and blessing be upon him - : "no one will enter Jannah for his deeds" is meant to deny the substitution.

Because, if Allah - Almighty - wanted to give people a reward exactly equivalent to their good actions, then one single grace of Allah in this life should have overweighed all their good deeds. "

I give the example of the gift of breathing:

It's a great gift, and no one is really aware how great it is, except the people who suffer from breathing difficulties, and you can ask those people having this disease how much pain they experience from it.

And the hale person who is not affected by this disease does not feel the slightest inconvenience while he is enjoying this gift, so he can breathe while talking and when he is eating and he does not feel anything.

That gift, no matter how many good deeds you made, you will not recompense it, for it's a continuous and permanent gift.

And (also) we say, if you are guided to do good deeds, then this (guidance) – itself - is a grace given to you by Allah, from which too many people are strayed.

And if every grace requires a thanking, then your ability to thank Allah for a grace He gave you is it a grace which needs another thanking, and so on.