Pursue the right course and be as close to it as possible, and keep in mind that none of you will be saved by his deeds." They said: O Messenger of Allah, not even you? He said: "Not even me unless Allah encompasses me with mercy and favor from Him

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) urges the Companions to offer good deeds and fear Allah as much as they can, with neither extremism nor negligence, and to intend what is right by their deeds through being fully sincere to Allah and complying with the Sunnah so their deeds would be accepted and would be a cause for bestowing mercy upon them. Then he informed them that none of them would be saved by his deeds alone; rather, there must be Allah's mercy. They said: O Messenger of Allah, not even you would be saved by your deeds despite their great significance? He said: Not even me unless Allah conceals me by virtue of His mercy.

Benefits

• An-Nawawi said: (Pursue the right course and be as close to it as possible): seek the right path and act upon it, but if you are unable to do so, then be as close to it as possible, i.e., keep close to it. The right course: the sound path, which lies in the middle between exessiveness and negligence, so neither go to extreme nor be negligent.
• Ibn Bāz said: Righteous deeds are the cause of entering Paradise just as evil deeds are the cause of entering Hellfire. The Hadīth shows that their admittance to Paradise is not guaranteed because of their deeds alone; rather, this must be joined with the pardon and mercy of Allah Almighty. So they entered Paradise via their deeds, but this has been affirmed by Allah's mercy, pardon, and forgiveness.
• One should not be proud or amazed by his deeds, no matter what level it reaches, because the right of Allah is greater than his deeds. Rather, one must combine fear and hope all together.
• Allah's favor and mercy upon His slaves are far broader than their deeds.
• Righteous deeds are a cause for entering Paradise, but attaining it is only through the favor and mercy of Allah.
• Al-Kirmāni said: "If all people do not enter Paradise except by Allah's mercy, then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is particularly mentioned here to prove that although he will definitely enter Paradise and he will still not enter it except by Allah's mercy, then this applies to others with greater reason."
• An-Nawawi said: Regarding the meaning of Allah's statement: {Enter Paradise for what you used to do.} [Surat an-Nahl: 32], {That is Paradise, which you will inherit for what you used to do.} [Surat az-Zukhruf: 72] and the like of these verses denoting that deeds are a means of entering Paradise, they do not contradict these Hadīths. Rather, such verses mean that deeds are a means of entering Paradise; however, guidance to such deeds, adopting sincerity in performing them, and their acceptance are all attained by Allah's mercy and favor. Hence, it is true that one does not enter Paradise by his deeds merely, which is the indication of the Hadīths, and it is also true that he enters it by his deeds, i.e., because of them, which is a sign of Allah's mercy.
• Ibn Al-Jawzi said: This leads to four possibilities. First: Guidance to perform good deeds is from Allah's mercy, and had it not been for Allah's prior mercy, one would not have attained the faith or obedience that results in salvation. Second: The slave's benefits are for his Master; thus, his deeds are due to His Lord, and no matter how great the reward He bestows upon him is, it indicates His grace. Third: It is mentioned in some Hadīths that the act of entering Paradise itself is by virtue of Allah's mercy, but determining the degree therein depends on deeds. Fourth: Acts of obedience are performed in a brief time; however, the reward is endless. So, when an eternal blessing is given as a reward for something transient, this indicates Allah's favor rather than giving one compensation for his deeds.
• Ar-Rāfi‘i said: One should not rely upon his good deeds when seeking salvation and high ranks because he acted only by virtue of success from Allah and was able to avoid sins only through Allah's protection. So, all of this occurs with Allah's favor and mercy.