THE MENTION OF THOSE WHO ARE A MAJORITY IN HELL
Hell-fire inhabitants (ahlul-naar), who are its real inhabitants, who will be eternally living therein, and to whom it is prepared, as Allah, the Exalted said:
“…prepared for the disbelievers. “ (Al-Baqarah (2): 24)
We have already stated the hadith narrated on the authority of Abu Sa’id (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), wherein the Prophet (pbuh) said: “The (permanent) inhabitants of the Fire are those who are doomed to it, and verily they would neither die nor live in it.” Such are its permanent inhabitants, and they are more than those who enter it from the disobedient believers, who will exit from it after being refined and purified.
This is supported by what Abu Sa’id (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah will Say on the day of Judgement, ‘OAdam!’Adam will reply, ‘Labbayk wa Sadayk, (Lit: I respond to Your Call, I am obedient to Your Order) and all the good is in Your Hands!’ A voice will say to Adam, ‘Allah Commands you to bring out the delegation (destined) for the Fire.’ Adam will say, ‘What is the delegation for the Fire?’ Allah will say, ‘Out of every thousand (take out) nine hundred and ninety-nine (persons).’ At that time, the pregnant woman will abort her pregnancy and children will become white-haired,
“and you will see the people [appearing] intoxicated while they are not intoxicated; but the punishment of Allah is severe.”’ (Al-Hajj (22): 2)
That news distressed the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) so much, until their faces changed. He (pbuh) said, “Nine hundred and ninety-nine will be from Yajuj and Majuj, and the one [to be saved will be] from you.” He added “Your example in comparison to the other people, is like that of a black hair on the side of a white bull, or a white hair in the side of a black bull. I Hope that you will be a quarter of the people of Paradise.” Upon hearing this, we said: “Allahu Akbar!” He (pbuh) said: “A third of the people of Paradise.” We said: “Allahu Akbar.” He (pbuh) then said: “A Half of the people of Paradise,” and we said: “Allahu Akbar.” This is stated in both Bukhari and Muslim ( Bukhari, #3348, #4741, #6530, #7483 and Muslim, #222) and the wording is that of Al-Bukhari.
Hilal Ibn Khabab narrated from ‘Ikrimah, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (radi Allahu ‘anhuma) that the Prophet (pbuh) said a hadith with similar meaning, wherein he said: “You are but one in a thousand.” Reported by Imam Ahmad and Al-Hakim, who deemed it authentic. (Ahmad in his al-Musnad, 1/388 and Hakim, 4/568 who authenticate it and Dhahabi agreed.)
Imam Ahmad and Tirmidhi stated similarly from Al-Hasan, from ‘Imran, from Husayn, from the Prophet (pbuh), “Close your ranks and be straight forward, for there was never any Prophethood but there was a time of ignorance just before its advent, so the number will be taken from that time of ignorance, and if that is not enough, it will be made up of the hypocrites. The parable of you and the other nations is that you are like a mark on the foreleg of an animal, or a mole on the flank of a camel.”
In another version, he (pbuh) said: “Strive hard and receive the good news. By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, you will be counted with two creations who are immense in numbers; Yajuj and Majuj, and those who have died among the progeny of Adam and the progeny of Iblis.” (Ahmad in his al-Musnad., 4/432, 435, Tirmidhi, #3168 and Hakim, 4/567 who authenticated it and Dhahabi agreed.)
Ibn Abi Hatim stated a similar hadith on the authority of Anas (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), from the Prophet (pbuh) who said: “and those who have disbelieved among the progeny of Adam and the progeny of Iblis.”
These hadith and its counterparts prove that the majority of inhabitants of the Hell-fire are people; and proves that the followers of Messengers are few compared to others. Those who did not follow the Messengers are all in Hell-fire, except those whom the message of Messengers did not reach, or who were not able to comprehend it, despite the debate in this regard. Many of the followers of Messengers clung to abrogated religions and replaced scriptures, and they are of among the people of Hell-fire as well, as Allah the Exalted said:
“But whoever disbelieves in it from the [various] factions—the Fire is his promised destination.” (Hud (11): 17)
As for the followers of the precise Book, the affirmed Law and the religion of Truth, many of them are also people of Hell-fire. This refers to the hypocrites who will be in the lowest depths of the Fire. As for its followers in secret and in openness, many of them succumbed to doubts—these are the people of fabrication and aberration.
Hadiths were narrated to indicate that this Ummah will be divided into seventy-something groups, all of which are in Hell-fire, except one. In addition, many of them were seduced with forbidden desires whose punishment is Hell-fire—even if it does not necessitate eternal life therein—so they did not escape the threat of Hell-fire. No one deserves the absolute promise of Paradise from this Ummah except one group, they are the followers of the Way of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions, and those who escaped the seduction of desires and doubts. These are very few, especially in the later days. The Qur’an testifies that most people are bound for Hell-fire—those who followed Shaytan, as Allah the Exalted said:
“And Iblis had already confirmed through them his assumption, so they followed him, except for a party of believers. “ (Saba (34): 20)
He the Exalted also said:
“[That]I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them that follow you all together.’” (Sad (38): 85)
As for the disobedient believers, most of whom who enter Hell-fire are women, as stated in both Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyAllahu ‘anhuma), that the Prophet (pbuh) said in the Sermon of the Eclipse, “I saw Hell and I observed that most of its inhabitants were women, for reason of their ingratitude (kufr).“ (The Arabic word ‘kufr’ could mean ingratitude or disbelief.) It was said: “Do they disbelieve in Allah?” He said: “[Not for their disbelief in Allah] but for their ingratitude to their husbands and ingratitude to kindness. If you were to forever treat one of them kindly and she later saw anything (displeasing) in you, she would say, ‘I have never seen any good in you.’” (Bukhari, #29, #431, #738, #1052, #3202, #5197 and Muslim, #907.)
It is narrated in Sahlh Muslim on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyAllahu ‘anhuma), that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “I saw Hell and I observed that most of its inhabitants were women.” (Bukhari, #5196, #6547 and Muslim, #2736)
Al-Bukhari narrated the same hadith from ‘Imran Ibn Husayn (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), from the Prophet (pbuh). (Bukhari, #3241, #5198, #6449, #6546 and TirmidhI, #2605, #2606)
They also stated in both Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “O women! Give charity, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you.”They asked, “Why is it so, OAllah’s Messenger?” He replied, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone deficient in intelligence and religion such you, yet a cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you. “ (Bukhari, ##304, #956, #1462, #2658 and Muslim, #889 and others.)
Muslim stated similarly from Jabir, Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhum), from the Prophet (pbuh). (Muslim, #885, #79, #80)
Also stated in both Bukhari and Muslim, from Usamah Ibn Zayd (radiyAllahu ‘anhuma), that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “I stood at the gate of Paradise, and (I saw) the majority of those who entered it are the poor, and the wealthy were kept confined.The inmates of the Fire had been ordered to (enter) Hell-fire, and I stood at the gate of Hell and saw the majority of its inmates are women.” (Bukhari, #5196, #6547 and Muslim, #2736)
Imam Ahmad stated from ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘As (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “I observed Paradise and found the majority of its inhabitants are the poor, and I observed Hell-fire and found the majority of its inhabitants are women and the wealthy.” (Ahmad in his al-Musnad, 2/173 and its chain is jayyid.)
In Sahih Muslim, (Muslim, #2738 and Ahmad in hi al-Musnad’ 4/427, 436, 443) it is stated on the authority of ‘Imran Ibn Husayn (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Amongst the inmates of Paradise the women form a minority.” People found problems reconciling this hadith with the one narrated by Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), where the Prophet (pbuh) said about the inhabitants of Paradise, “ For every man of them are two wives. “ (Muslim, 17/171) It is also stated in Sahlh Muslim, (Bukhari, #3245, Muslim, #2834 and Tirmidhi, #2540.) from Ayyub, that Ibn Sirin reported that some people stated with a sense of pride and some discussed whether there would be more men in Paradise or more women. Thereupon, Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) said: “The first group to enter Paradise would have their faces as bright as full moon during the night, and the next to this group would have their faces as bright as the shining stars in the sky, and every person would have two wives and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath the flesh and there would be none without a wife in Paradise.”
Some of them tried to reconcile the two hadiths by explaining that the scarcity of women in Paradise is before the disobedient believers get out of the Fire, and when they do exit, women in Paradise will be more than men. However, the correct explanation is that Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) meant there would be more females in general than men, because each man has two wives; he did not mean to specify women from the sons of Adam.
This is supported by the fact that in some of the authentic versions of this hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), it states, “and every person would have two wives from the Houris.” (Virgin maidens of Paradise, created especially as companions for men who are admitted to Paradise.) It was also narrated by Yunus, from Muhammad, on the authority Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), from the Prophet (pbuh), and stated through this chain of narrators by Imam Ahmad. It was also narrated by Hisham, from Muhammad Ibn Sirin, from Muhammad, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), from the Prophet (pbuh), and recorded by Al-Bayhaqi. This wording was stated by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, from Abdu’l-Rahman Ibn Abu ‘Amrah, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu), from the Prophet (pbuh).
This is also supported by the fact that in some versions of this hadith narrated [as stated in Bukhari] on the authority of by Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) as well, it says, “and their wives are Houris,” instead of “and every person would have two wives from the Houris.” Therefore, these two Houri wives are obligated for each man entering Paradise. As for the abundance over that, it is according to ranks and deeds. Nothing is narrated to indicate restricting the Houri wives to two.
This is also supported in what the previously mentioned hadlth stated by Muslim in his Sahih, (Muslim, #188) on the authority of Abu Sa‘id (radijAllahu ‘anhu), that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Among the lowest ranking inhabitants of Paradise, will be a person whose face Allah will turn away from the Fire and towards Paradise … “ (Ahmad, 2/297, 427, Ibn Majah, #2798 and its chain is weak.) and he stated the hadith, at the end of which he (pbuh) said: “He will then enter his house and his two Houri wives with large and dark eyes will enter after him.” This means that each resident of Paradise has two Houri wives, even if he is the lowest in rank among the inhabitants of Paradise; and Allah knows best.
‘Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, narrated [through a chain of narrators] that Abu Salih said: “We heard that the majority of sins of the people of Hell-fire are in women’ as if he is referring to adultery and everything related to it (of sexual nature).
Ibn Abi Dunya narrated [through a severed chain of narrators] that Ibn Mas‘ud (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) said: ‘Two types of sins are not forgiven,’ and he mentioned one of them as, ‘A man to whom the evil of his deed has been made attractive so he considers it good, as this is what leads many of this Ummah to destruction’—referring to misguided doubts.
And Allah knows best.
By Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali
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