All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The name “Ridwan” for the keeper of Paradise is very well known in the books of Islamic scholars and appears in some narrations. However, it has not been established in the Qur’an or in any authentic hadith from the Prophet ﷺ. What is established in the authentic Sunnah is that Paradise has a keeper and other keepers, without any explicit statement that his name is “Ridwan.” Therefore, it is not correct to state with certainty, based on authentic evidence, that this is his name, even though the name became widely used among scholars and they were lenient in using it.
The authentic Sunnah establishes the existence of a keeper of Paradise.
In the hadith of intercession, the Prophet ﷺ says:
“I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and ask for it to be opened. The keeper will say, ‘Who are you?’ I will say, ‘Muhammad.’ He will say, ‘I was commanded regarding you not to open it for anyone before you.’”
[Reported by Muslim]
The hadith establishes the existence of the keeper, but it does not mention his name.
Other hadiths also indicate that Paradise has multiple keepers, so this does not mean that there is only one angel assigned to it.
The Qur’an does not name the keeper of Paradise “Ridwan.”
This is different from the keeper of Hell, whose name Malik is explicitly established in the Qur’an. Allah Almighty says:
“And they will call, ‘O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us!’ He will say, ‘Indeed, you will remain.’”
[Az-Zukhruf: 77]
Therefore, the establishment of the name Malik for the keeper of Hell is stronger and clearer than the establishment of the name Ridwan for the keeper of Paradise.
The name “Ridwan” appears in some narrations that are not established as authentic in their chains of transmission, and it later became widely used in the books of scholars.
For this reason, Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said concerning the keeper of Paradise:
“An angel said to be named Ridwan; this was explicitly mentioned in some hadiths.”
Ibn al-Qayyim and other scholars also used this name when discussing the keepers of Paradise.
However, the mere popularity of the name in scholarly books does not make the narrations mentioning it authentic.
The Permanent Committee stated that the well-known view among scholars is that the keeper of Paradise is named Ridwan, although the name appears in some hadiths whose authenticity is questionable.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
“As for Ridwan, he is entrusted with Paradise. This name is not established as clearly as Malik is, but it is well known among the scholars by this name.”
The Shaykh’s statement does not mean that the name has been established through an authentic hadith. Rather, it means that the name is well known and commonly used among scholars, despite the absence of clear authentic evidence establishing it.
According to the fatwa, there is some flexibility in using this name because of its widespread popularity among scholars and because it appears in some narrations, even though those narrations are not established as authentic.
However, the more precise wording in scholarly discussion is:
“The well-known view among scholars is that the keeper of Paradise is called Ridwan, but this name has not been established in an authentic hadith.”
This formulation combines both points: the widespread use of the name and the fact that its establishment in Islamic revelation is not certain.
The texts indicate that Paradise has keepers, meaning more than one angel.
Some scholars who use the name “Ridwan” have stated that he is the chief and leader of the keepers of Paradise, rather than its only keeper.
However, specifying his name and rank among the keepers of Paradise also requires evidence. Therefore, a distinction should be made between what is established by authentic texts and what became widely known in scholarly works.
The names of angels belong to matters of the unseen, and the basic principle concerning matters of the unseen is that they must be established by evidence from the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah.
Therefore, we affirm names such as Jibril, Mika’il, and Malik because they are established in the revealed texts. As for a name that has not been established through authentic evidence, we should not state with certainty that Allah gave that angel such a name.
At the same time, a commonly known name may be mentioned while clarifying the level of evidence for it, so that it is not understood to be as firmly established as names explicitly mentioned in revelation.
There is no authentic evidence establishing that the name of the keeper of Paradise is “Ridwan.” The name appears in some unauthenticated narrations and later became widely used among scholars.
What is established in the authentic Sunnah is the existence of a keeper of Paradise and multiple keepers, without naming the keeper “Ridwan.”
Therefore, the more precise statement is:
“Ridwan is the name commonly used by scholars for the keeper of Paradise, but it has not been established in an authentic hadith.”
The establishment of this name should not be placed on the same level as the name Malik, the keeper of Hell, which is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an.
And Allah knows best.