Fatwa No. : 82190
Fatwa Title : If someone never heard of Islam, will they go to hell?
Fatwa Date : / 01-06-1999
Question
I'm still student and want to know Islam deeply! as we know that non-Muslim will go to hell if they don't take Islam as their way of life. If someone never heard/known of Islam, Will they go to hell? If this type of people go to hell, Allah is not fair to His creatures. Please give me any dalil or statement from Hadith or Quran to assure me. Wassalam
Fatwa
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
This question deals with the last part of the verse (And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).} [17:15]. In fact, this verse includes three things of utmost importance:
Firstly, it is the person who decides his own fate, be it good or bad. It is he who masters his own mind and his own senses. Indeed Allah has shown all the people the way that leads to the good and the one that leads to the bad.
Secondly, no person bears another person's burden no matter how close they are to one another. As a matter of fact, everybody bears his own burden and shall not blame but his own soul when he finds himself alone on The Day of Resurrection.
Thirdly, Allah has provided His slaves with a great blessing when He decided not to punish people until He has sent a messenger to warn them against the Evil and call them for the Good. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {whoever goes right, then he goes right only for the benefit of his ownself. And whoever goes astray, then he goes astray to his own loss. No one laden with burdens can bear another's burden. And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).} [17:15].
There are many verses dealing with the same issue. All of them are agreed that Allah does not throw anyone into Hell unless He has sent messengers to them.
To conclude, Allah makes it clear that He does not punish any people before sending a messenger to them to guide them to the right path and warn them of the consequences of going astray giving evidence, setting Sharia rules and calling to the good and right religion.
There is no difference between the era of the Prophet Muhammad and the consecutive eras that came after him. But if the call to Islam does not reach someone and he does not hear about Prophet Muhammad his rule is then the same as the one who dies before the sending of Muhammad as a Prophet and did not know about other Prophets. It is narrated in a Hadeeth that such people will be tested and tried on The Last Day. Ahmad narrated that the Prophet said: "Four people will 'protest' on the Day of Judgement, a deaf who does not hear anything, an idiot, a decrepit and one who dies and in a period where no Prophet was sent (Fatra).
As for the deaf he says: "O my Lord! Islam came while I could not hear"; an idiot says: "O my Lord! Islam came while children were throwing me with dung. The decrepit says: "O my Lord! Islam came while I could not understand anything". The one who died in a period where no Prophet was sent says: "O my Lord! No Prophet came to me". Then Allah takes a covenant from them that they would obey Him and then He sends one to tell them to enter Hell. By Him in whose hand is my soul! If they enter Hell it will be cool, and a means of safety for them".
It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet said: "By him in whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire".
Allah knows best.
Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?lang=E&Id=82190&Option=FatwaId
Fatwa Title : If someone never heard of Islam, will they go to hell?
Fatwa Date : / 01-06-1999
Question
I'm still student and want to know Islam deeply! as we know that non-Muslim will go to hell if they don't take Islam as their way of life. If someone never heard/known of Islam, Will they go to hell? If this type of people go to hell, Allah is not fair to His creatures. Please give me any dalil or statement from Hadith or Quran to assure me. Wassalam
Fatwa
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
This question deals with the last part of the verse (And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).} [17:15]. In fact, this verse includes three things of utmost importance:
Firstly, it is the person who decides his own fate, be it good or bad. It is he who masters his own mind and his own senses. Indeed Allah has shown all the people the way that leads to the good and the one that leads to the bad.
Secondly, no person bears another person's burden no matter how close they are to one another. As a matter of fact, everybody bears his own burden and shall not blame but his own soul when he finds himself alone on The Day of Resurrection.
Thirdly, Allah has provided His slaves with a great blessing when He decided not to punish people until He has sent a messenger to warn them against the Evil and call them for the Good. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {whoever goes right, then he goes right only for the benefit of his ownself. And whoever goes astray, then he goes astray to his own loss. No one laden with burdens can bear another's burden. And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).} [17:15].
There are many verses dealing with the same issue. All of them are agreed that Allah does not throw anyone into Hell unless He has sent messengers to them.
To conclude, Allah makes it clear that He does not punish any people before sending a messenger to them to guide them to the right path and warn them of the consequences of going astray giving evidence, setting Sharia rules and calling to the good and right religion.
There is no difference between the era of the Prophet Muhammad and the consecutive eras that came after him. But if the call to Islam does not reach someone and he does not hear about Prophet Muhammad his rule is then the same as the one who dies before the sending of Muhammad as a Prophet and did not know about other Prophets. It is narrated in a Hadeeth that such people will be tested and tried on The Last Day. Ahmad narrated that the Prophet said: "Four people will 'protest' on the Day of Judgement, a deaf who does not hear anything, an idiot, a decrepit and one who dies and in a period where no Prophet was sent (Fatra).
As for the deaf he says: "O my Lord! Islam came while I could not hear"; an idiot says: "O my Lord! Islam came while children were throwing me with dung. The decrepit says: "O my Lord! Islam came while I could not understand anything". The one who died in a period where no Prophet was sent says: "O my Lord! No Prophet came to me". Then Allah takes a covenant from them that they would obey Him and then He sends one to tell them to enter Hell. By Him in whose hand is my soul! If they enter Hell it will be cool, and a means of safety for them".
It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet said: "By him in whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hell-Fire".
Allah knows best.
Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/Fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?lang=E&Id=82190&Option=FatwaId
