What he answered when they pressed him
They asked the obvious follow-up and he did not soften it.
وَلاَ أَنَا، إِلاَّ أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَنِي اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ، سَدِّدُوا وَقَارِبُوا، وَاغْدُوا وَرُوحُوا، وَشَىْءٌ مِنَ الدُّلْجَةِ
Wa lā anā, illā an yataghammadaniya-Llāhu bi-raḥmah. Saddidū wa qāribū, wa-ghdū wa rūḥū, wa shayʾun mina-d-duljah
“Not even me, unless Allah wraps me in mercy. So aim straight and keep near, and go in the morning and the evening, and something of the night.”
Where this comes from
He said no one's deeds will save them. They said: not even you? Taghammada is to cover something over completely, the way a sheath covers a blade.
The full narration
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The deeds of anyone of you will not save you (from the (Hell) Fire)." They said, "Even you (will not be saved by your deeds), O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)?" He said, "No, even I (will not be saved) unless and until Allah bestows His Mercy on me. Therefore, do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise)
Source
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī · 6463
- Agreed upon as authentic (al-Bukhārī / Muslim)