Al-Bukhaari (2145) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The

Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever keeps a dog,
a qiraat from his good deeds will be deducted every day, except a dog for farming or herding
livestock.” 

Muslim (2978) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever keeps a dog
that is not a dog for hunting, herding livestock or farming, two qiraats will be deducted from
his reward each day.” 

Muslim (2943) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever keeps a dog,
except a dog for herding livestock or a dog for hunting, a qiraat will be deducted from his good
deeds each day.” ‘Abd-Allaah said: Abu Hurayrah said: Or a dog for farming. 

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: This hadeeth shows that it is permissible to keep a dog for hunting and
herding livestock, and also for farming. 

Ibn Maajah (3640) narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels do not enter a house in
which there is a dog or an image.” 

And it was said that that at first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
that one qiraat would be deducted, then the punishment was increased after that, so he said that
two qiraats would be deducted in order to put people off from keeping dogs even more. 

The qiraat is an amount that is known to Allaah, may He be exalted, and what is meant is that
some of the reward for a person’s good deeds will be deducted. 

1
See Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi, 10/342; Fath al-Baari, 5/9 

Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim (10/340): 

Is it permissible to keep a dog to guard houses, alleys and the like? There are two points of
view. The first is that it is not permissible, because of the apparent meaning of the ahaadeeth,
which clearly state that keeping dogs is forbidden except for farming, hunting and herding. The
more correct view is that it is permissible, by analogy with those three cases, knowing that the
reason that is understood from the ahaadeeth is necessity. End quote. 

The hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels do not enter a house in which there is a
dog or images.”

(Agreed upon).

The hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) returned from a journey and I had covered an
alcove with a blanket on which there were images. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw it, he tore it down and said, ‘The people who will be
most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection will be those who imitate the creation of
Allaah.’”

(Agreed upon).

The hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Jibreel came to me and said: ‘I came
to you yesterday and nothing prevented me from entering except that there was a statue by your
door, and there was a curtain in your house with images on it, and there was a dog in the house.
So tell someone to cut the head off the statue by your door, so it will look like a tree; tell
someone to cut up the curtain and make it into floor-cushions that will be stepped on; and tell
someone to put the dog outside.’” So the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) did that.

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) gave a brief answer to this
question, when he was asked: is it permissible to pray in synagogues and churches where there
are images, or not? Can we say that they are the houses of Allaah, or not? He replied: they are

2
not the houses of Allaah, for the houses of Allaah are the mosques. These (churches etc.) are
houses in which people express their disbelief (kufr) in Allaah. Even though Allaah may be
mentioned in them, the house is the same as its occupants, and their occupants are kuffaar, so
they are the houses of worship of the kuffaar.

As regards praying in them, there are three scholarly views in the Madhhab of Ahmad and
others: absolute prohibition, which is the view of Maalik; absolute permission, which is the
view of some of the companions of Ahmad; and the third view, which is the correct view and
was narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and others, and from Ahmad and others. This view
states that if there are images in the church, we should not pray there, because the angels do
not enter a house in which there are images, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did not enter the Ka’bah until the images inside it had been wiped out.
Similarly, ‘Umar said: we do not enter their churches if there are images inside.

In al-Saheehayn it says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was told
about a church in Ethiopia, and the adornments and images inside it. He said: “When a
righteous man among them dies, they build a mosque (place of worship) over his grave and put
those images there. They will be the most evil of people with Allaah on the Day of
Resurrection.”

Al-Bukhaari (3226) and Muslim (2106) narrated from Abu Talhah (may Allah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said; “The angels do not
enter a house in which there is an image.” 

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The scholars said: The reason why they do not enter a house in which there is an image is
because it is a grievous sin, and it is competing with the creation of Allah, may He be exalted,
and some of them are images of things that are worshipped instead of Allah, may He be
exalted. 

With regard to these angels who do not enter a house in which there is a dog or an image, they
are the angels who go round with mercy, blessings and prayers for forgiveness. With regard to
the recording angels, they enter every house and never leave the sons of Adam under any
circumstances, because they are enjoined to list and record their deeds. End quote. 

Sharh Muslim, 14/84 

It says in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (8/72):  

3
The words “the angels do not enter” mean: the angels of mercy, not the recording angels or the
Angels of death. End quote. 

Ibn al-Atheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

What is meant is the angels who travel about and not the recording angels and those who are
present at the time of death. End quote. 

Al-Nihaayah, 4/789. 

Al-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Al-Khattaabi said: What is meant is the angels who bring mercy and blessings, not the
recording angels. End quote. 

Sharh al-Nasaa’i, 1/141 

Al-Khattaabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The angels do not enter a house in which
there is a dog or an image that it is forbidden to keep. With regard to that which it is not
forbidden to keep, such as a dog for hunting, farming or guarding livestock, or images that are
not dealt with in a respectful manner (such as) those on carpets, pillows and the like, the angels
are not prevented from entering because of them. End quote.

Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 8/72 

The hadeeth that was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (135) from Jaabir (may Allah be pleased
with him) who said: A man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
and said: O Messenger of Allah, what are the two deeds that make entering Paradise or Hell
inevitable?

He said: “Whoever dies not associating anything with Allah will enter Paradise, and whoever
dies associating anything with Allah will enter Hell.” 

An-Nawawi said: With regard to the words, “What are the two deeds that make entering
Paradise or Hell inevitable?” what is meant are the characteristic that makes Paradise inevitable
and the characteristic that makes Hell inevitable. End quote. 

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

4
“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives
except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in
worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin”

[an-Nisa’ 4:48]. 

The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained, in the hadeeth about
intercession, the situation of the sinners in Hell, and he explained that no one will be brought
out of Hell except those who died believing in Tawheed and uttered the Shahaadah (testimony
of faith), and had in their hearts something of faith: “There will be brought out of the Fire
anyone who said, Laa ilaaha ill-Allah (there is no god but Allah) and had in his heart goodness
equal to the weight of a grain of barley. Then there will be brought out of the Fire anyone who
said Laa ilaaha ill-Allah (there is no god but Allah) and had in his heart goodness equal to the
weight of a grain of wheat. Then there will be brought out of the Fire anyone who said Laa
ilaaha ill-Allah (there is no god but Allah) and had in his heart goodness equal to the weight of
a small ant.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6861; Muslim, 285. 

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And indeed it has been revealed to you (O Muhammad SAW), as it was to those (Allahs
Messengers) before you: ‘If you join others in worship with Allah, (then) surely (all) your deeds
will be in vain, and you will certainly be among the losers.’

Nay! But worship Allah (Alone and none else), and be among the grateful”

[az-Zumar 39:65-66]. 

The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The covenant that
stands between us and them – i.e., the characteristic that separates the Muslims from the
disbelievers – is the prayer. Whoever does not pray has disbelieved.”

Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 2545; an-Nasaa’i, 459.

Al-Bukhaari (6933) and Muslim (1659) narrated that Abu Dharr said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Jibreel appeared to me at the side of the
harrah and said: ‘Give your ummah the glad tidings that whoever dies not associating anything
with Allah will enter Paradise.’ I said: ‘O Jibreel, even if he steals and even if commits zina?’ He

5
said: ‘Yes.’ I said: ‘Even if he steals and even if commits zina?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ I said: ‘Even if he
steals and even if he commits zina?’ He said: ‘Yes, and even if he drinks alcohol.’” 

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find
for them”

[an-Nisa’ 4:145]. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Between a man and shirk and
kufr there stands his giving up prayer.” Narrated by Muslim, 82.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We shall turn to whatever deeds they (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) did, and We shall
make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust”

[al-Furqaan 25:23] 

“If you join others in worship with Allaah, (then) surely, (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you
will certainly be among the losers”

[al-Zumar 39:65]

Al-Bukhaari narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever forsakes ‘Asr prayer, his deeds are in vain.” (al-Bukhaari, 553). What is meant by “his
deeds are in vain” means that they become invalid and will not avail him anything. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said concerning the meaning of this hadeeth:

“The apparent meaning of this hadeeth is that those who do not pray are of two types: those
who do not pray at all, which renders all of their deeds invalid, and those who do not pray
some days, which renders his deeds on that day invalid. So the loss of all good deeds happens
to those who do not pray at all, and the loss of some deeds happens to those who miss some
prayers.” From Kitaab al-Salaah, p. 65 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has given glad tidings to those who
repent when he said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin at all.”

Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4250

6
Imaam Ahmad said that the one who does not pray because of laziness is a kaafir. This is the
more correct view and is that indicated by the evidence of the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah
of His Messenger, and by the words of the Salaf and the proper understanding.

(Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad al-Mustanqi’, 2/26).

The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“But if they repent [by rejecting Shirk (polytheism) and accept Islamic Monotheism], perform
As-Salaat (Iqaamat-as-Salaat) and give Zakaat, then they are your brethren in religion.” [al-
Tawbah 9:11]

Allaah also says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salaat (the prayers) [i.e.
made their Salaat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them
perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they
will be thrown in Hell. Except those who repent and believe (in the Oneness of Allaah and His
Messenger Muhammad), and work righteousness. Such will enter Paradise and they will not be
wronged in aught.” [Maryam 19:59-60]

The hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Between a man and
shirk and kufr there stands his neglect of the prayer.”

(Narrated by Muslim in Kitaab al-Eemaan from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)).

It was narrated that Buraydah ibn al-Husayb (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘The covenant that
distinguishes between us and them is the prayer, and whoever neglects it has disbelieved
(become a kaafir).’”

(It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah).
َُ ُ َ ُ ْ ُ َ َّ ُ ُ َّ ‫َ ُ َأ َّ ُ ُ َّ َ ُ ُّ َ ُ ْ َ ُ ُّ َ ُ ْ َ ُ َ ُّ َ َ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ُ َ ُّ َ َ َ ْ ْ َ َ ُ َأ‬
‫ضون ُه ْم َو ُي ْب ِغضونك ْم‬ ‫ِخيار ِئ م ِتكم ال ِذين ت ِحبونهم وي ِحبونك َأم ويصلون عليكم وتصلون علي ِهمَأ ورِش ار ِئ م ِتكم ال ِذين تب ِغ‬
‫ُ ُ َّ َ َ َ َ َ َأ ْ ُ ْ ْ ُ َ ُ ْ َ ْ ًئ‬ َ َ َ َ َ ْ َّ ُ ُ َ ُ َ َ ‫َ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ ْ َ َ ْ َ ُ َ ُ ْ َ َ َ ُ َ هَّلل‬
‫ال ال َما ق ُاموا ِفيكم الصالة وِإ ذا ر يتم ِمن وال ِتكمشي ا‬ ‫ول ا ِ فال نن ِابذه ْم ِبالسي ِففق‬ ‫وتلعنونهم ويلعنونكم ِقيل يا رس‬
َ َ ْ ً َ ُ ‫َ َ َ ُ َ َ َ زْن‬ ُ َْ َ َُ ُ َْ َ
‫تكرهونه فاكرهوا عمله وال ت ِ عوا يدا ِمن طاع ٍة‬

7
 “The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, who pray for you and
you pray for them. The worst of your leaders are those whom you hate and who hate you, and
you send curses on them and they send curses on you.”

He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah should we not fight them by the sword?” He said, “Not
as long as they are establishing prayer amongst you. And if you see from those in authority over
you something that you hate then hate his action and do not remove your hand from
obedience”

(Muslim)

‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) called us and we gave bay’ah (oath of allegiance) to him. Among the things that we
pledged to do was to listen and obey him both when we felt enthusiastic and when we were
disinclined to act, both at times of difficulty and times of ease, and at times when others were
given preference over us, and that we would not oppose those in authority. He said: ‘unless they
made a blatant show of kufr and you have evidence from Allaah that what they are doing is
indeed kufr.’”

(Agreed upon).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (p. 70, Al-
Sunnah Al-Muhammadiyyah edn.), concerning the hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) ““There are two qualities that exist among people which are
qualities of kufr”:

“The phrase ‘which are qualities of kufr’ means that these two qualities which exist among
people are qualities of kufr because they are among the deeds of kufr and they exist among
people. But not everyone who has a part of kufr becomes a kaafir because of it, unless there
exists in his heart the reality of kufr. Similarly, not everyone who has a part of faith becomes a
believer because of it, unless there exists in his heart the essential reality of faith. So there is a
distinction between kufr that is preceded [in the original Arabic] by the definite article “al”, as
in the hadeeth ‘Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands nothing but his neglecting the
prayer’, and kufr that is not preceded by the definite article but is used in an affirmative sense.’”

8
The author of Lisaan al-‘Arab [a famous Arabic-language dictionary – Translator] said: La’n
(curse) means being cast out far from goodness, and it was said that it means being cast away
far from Allaah, and from people. 

Cursing happens in two ways: 

Cursing the kuffaar and sin in general terms, such as saying “May Allaah curse the Jews and
Christians,” or “May Allaah curse the kaafirs, evildoers and wrongdoers,” or “May Allaah curse
the wine-drinker and thief.” This kind of curse is permissible and there is nothing wrong with
it. Ibn Muflih said in al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah, 1/203: “It is permissible to curse the kuffaar in
general.” 

The second is where the curse is applied to a specific person, whether he is a kaafir or an
evildoer, such as saying, “May Allaah curse So and so,” mentioning him by name. This may fall
into one of two categories: 

1 – Where there is a text which states that he is cursed, such as Iblees, or where there is a text
which states that he died as a kaafir, such as Pharaoh, Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl. Cursing such
persons is permitted. 

Ibn Muflih said in al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah, 1/214: “It is permissible to curse those concerning
whom there is a text stating that they are cursed, but there is no sin involved if one does not do
this.” 

2 – Cursing a particular kaafir or evildoer concerning whom there is no text stating that they are
cursed – such as wine-drinkers, those who offer sacrifices to anything other than Allaah, the
one who curses his parents, those who introduce innovations in religion, and so on. 

“The scholars differed as to whether it is permissible to curse these people, and there are three
points of view:

(i)That it is not permissible under any circumstances

(ii)That it is permissible in the case of a kaafir but not of a (Muslim) evildoer
(iii)That it is permissible in all cases.”

Al-Adaab al_Shar’iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 1/303 

The report narrated by al-Bukhaari (4070) from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar, that he heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when he raised his head

9
 from rukoo’ in the final rak’ah of Fajr prayer and said: “O Allaah, curse So and so, and So and
so, and So and so,” after he had said, “Sami’a Allaahu li man hamdih, Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd.”

Then Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Not for you (O Muhammad, but for Allaah) is the decision; whether He turns in mercy to
(pardons) them or punishes them; verily, they are the Zaalimoon (polytheists, disobedients and
wrongdoers)”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:128]

The report narrated by al-Bukhaari (6780) from ‘Umar, that there was a man at the time of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whose name was ‘Abd-
Allaah, but his nickname was Himaar (donkey), and he used to make the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) laugh. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) had had him flogged for drinking, then he was brought one day and he
commanded that he be flogged, and a man who was there said, “O Allaah, curse him, how
often he is brought [for this reason]!” But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Do not curse him, for by Allaah what I know about him is that he loves Allaah and
His Messenger.” 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 6/511. 

It is permissible to curse all those whom Allaah and His Messenger have cursed, but as for
cursing specific people, if it is known that the person died in kufr, then it is permissible to
curse him. But with regard to a specific [Muslim] evildoer, we should not curse him, because
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade cursing ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Himaar who used to drink wine, even though he had cursed the wine-drinkers in general;
however cursing a specific person if he is an evildoer or promoter of bid’ah is a point of
dispute among the scholars. 

Muslim (2767) narrated that Abu Moosa said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: “When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allah will give every Muslim a
Jew or a Christian, and He will say: This is your ransom from the Fire.” 

Muslim also narrated (2767) from Abu Burdah that he told ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, from his
father, that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No Muslim man dies
but Allah causes a Jew or a Christian to enter the Fire in his stead.” ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez

10
 asked him to swear by Allah, besides Whom there is no other god, three times that his father
narrated that to him from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he
swore to him. 

Ibn Maajah (4341) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no one among you who does not have two abodes:
an abode in Paradise and an abode in Hell. If he dies and enters Hell, the people of Paradise
inherit his abode. This is what Allaah says: ‘These are indeed the inheritors’ [al-Mu’minoon
23:10].

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

“Ransom” means salvation and sacrifice. What this hadeeth means is that which is mentioned
in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah: everyone has an abode in Paradise and an abode in Hell. If
the believer enters Paradise, the disbeliever in Hell will take his place, because he deserves that
due to his disbelief. What is meant by the words “your ransom from the Fire” is that you were
exposed to the risk of entering the Fire, and this is your ransom, because Allah, may He be
exalted, decreed a number for it to fill it. Because the disbelievers will enter it because of their
disbelief and sin, they will become like ransoms for the Muslims.

End quote from Sharh Muslim by an-Nawawi (17/85) 

Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Because every accountable person has a place in Paradise and a place in Hell, whoever believes
truly, his place in Hell will be replaced with a place in Paradise, but for the one who does not
believe it will be the opposite, and it will be as if the disbelievers took the places of the
believers in Hell. Moreover, because Allah has sworn to fill Hell, it will be filled with the
disbelievers so as to save the believers from the Fire. So in that regard they are like a ransom for
the believers. Perhaps the reason why the Jews and Christians are singled out for mention is
because they are well known for their opposition to the Muslims and for being their opposites
with regard to believing in the Messenger, which dictates that they should be saved.

End quote from Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh (8/3525). 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

No evil doer or anyone who has a trace of evildoing will enter Paradise. Whoever is purified in
this world and meets Allah pure and free of any impurities, will enter it with out ma’ooq.
Whoever is not purified in this world, if his impurity is inherent, as in the case of the

11
disbeliever, he will not enter paradise under any circumstances, but if his impurity is acquired
because of sin and is transient, he will enter Paradise after having been purified in the Fire from
that impurity, then he will be brought out of the Fire.

End quote from Ighaathat al-Lahfaan (1/56) 

Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever sats Laa ilaaha
ill-Allah, it will benefit him someday in his life, no matter what befalls him before that.”

Narrated by at-Tabaraani in al-Mu ‘jam al-Awsat (6396)

This hadeeth is to be found in Saheeh Muslim (2767), narrated from Abu Moosa (may Allaah
be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said:

“On the Day of Resurrection, some of the Muslims will come with sins like mountains, but
Allaah will forgive them and will put them (the sins) onto the Jews and Christians.” So this
hadeeth is saheeh. 

With regard to its meaning, al-Nawawi said in his commentary: “The meaning of this hadeeth
is the same as the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah: “For each person there is a place in
Paradise and a place in Hell.” When the believer enters Paradise, his place in Hell is taken over
by the kaafir because he deserves that because of his kufr. The meaning of the phrase “your
ransom from the Fire” is that you could have entered Hell, but this is your ransom because
Allaah has decreed a certain number to fill it; when the kuffaar enter Hell because of their kufr
and sins, this is like a ransom for the Muslims. With regard to the report, “On the Day of
Resurrection, some of the Muslims will come with sins” – Allaah will forgive the Muslims these
sins and will absolve them of them, and He will put the like of those sins onto the Jews and
Christians because of their kufr and sins. So they will enter Hell because of their own actions,
not because of the sins of the Muslims.

It says in Mughni al-Muhtaaj (6/192):

If someone dies owing expiation, then what must be done is to offer from his estate the option
that is lowest in cost. End quote.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

12
Expiation is required in the case of accidental killing.… – If the person who owes expiation
dies without having offered that expiation, then his next of kin should feed sixty poor persons
on his behalf, because that is instead of the fasting that the deceased was unable to do; as he
would feed the poor on his behalf with regard to Ramadan fasts that the deceased owes, this is
more appropriate.

End quote. Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (34/170).

It says in the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik that Umm al-Rubayyi’ bint al-Bara’ , who was the
mother of Haarithah ibn Suraaqah, came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and said: O Prophet of Allaah, will you not tell me about Haarithah?” – who had
been killed at the battle of Badr by a stray arrow. “If he is in Paradise I will bear it with patience
but if it is otherwise then I shall weep long and hard for him.” He said: “O Umm Haarithah,
there are gardens in Paradise – according to another report: many gardens – and your son has
attained the highest Firdaws.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2809. 

The least severe (in torment) of its levels – from which we seek refuge with Allaah – was
mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth reported
by al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “The least severely punished of the people of Hell will be a man who has
two shoes and shoelaces of Fire – according to another version: two live coals will be placed on
the soles of his feet – because of which his brains will boil as a pot boils. He will not think that
anyone is being punished more severely than him, but he will be the one who is punished most
lightly.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6562; Muslim, 212.

The person is named specifically in a report narrated by Muslim, where it says that this is Abu
Taalib, the paternal uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for
whom Allaah will reduce the punishment because of the role he played in protecting Islam at
the beginning. 

The hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr, who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “It will be said to the companion of the Qur’aan: ‘Recite and rise in status
as you used to recite in the world, and your position will be at the last verse you recite.’”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1646; al-Tirmidhi, 2914

Al-Mundhiri said in al-Targheeb: al-Khattaabi said: It said in the report that the number of
verses in the Qur’aan is the number of degrees or levels of Paradise in the Hereafter, and it will
be said to the reader: ‘Rise through the levels to the extent that you used to read the verses of
the Qur’aan. Whoever recites all of the Qur’aan, will reach the highest degree of Paradise in the
Hereafter, and whoever recites part of it will reach a level commensurate with that, and the
limit of his reward will match the limit of his reading. Al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 2/228 

The highest of the degrees of Paradise is al-Firdaws, as it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “… When you ask of Allaah, ask Him for al-Firdaws, for it is in the middle of

13
 Paradise and is the highest part of Paradise, and above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful,
and from it spring forth the rivers of Paradise.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2637; Muslim, 2831 

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The people of Paradise will be able to see
the people in the apartments above them as you see the shining stars on the horizon in the east
and the west, because of the differences in their status.” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, is
that the status of the Prophets which no one else will reach besides them?” He said: “No, by
the One in Whose hand is my soul, they are men who had faith in Allaah and believed in the
Messengers.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2082; Muslim, 2831. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In Paradise there are one hundred
degrees which Allaah has prepared for those who strive in jihad for the sake of Allaah. The
distance between each two degrees is like the distance between the heavens and the earth.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2637. 

It was narrated from Sahl ibn Haneef that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Whoever asks Allaah sincerely for martyrdom, Allaah will cause him to reach the
status of the martyrs even if he dies in his bed.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1909. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The poor came to
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “The rich people have taken
all the highest positions. They pray as we pray, and they fast as we fast, but they have surplus
wealth with which they perform Hajj and strive in jihad and give in charity…” Narrated by al-
Bukhaari, 807; Muslim, 595. 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Shall I not tell you of something by means of which Allaah erases
sins and raises you in status?” They said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said: “Doing
wudoo’ well even when it is difficult, taking many steps to the mosques and waiting for prayer
after prayer. That is (equivalent) to guarding the frontier.” Narrated by Muslim, 251. 

‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “It will be said to the companion of the Qur’aan: ‘Recite and rise in status as you used to
recite in the world, and your position will be at the last verse you recite.’” Narrated by Abu
Dawood, 1646; al-Tirmidhi, 2914.

Imaam Ibn Hazm said in his book Maraatib al-Ijmaa’: “Hell is real; it is an abode of torment
that will never cease to exist, and its people will never cease to exist, they will remain there
without end.” 

And he said in his book al-Fasl fi’l-Milal wa’l-Ahwa’ wa’l-Nihal: “All the sects of the ummah are
agreed that Paradise and its delights will never cease to exist, and that Hell and its torments will
never cease to exist, except for al-Jahm ibn Safwaan, Abu’l-Hudhayl al-‘Allaaf and some of the

14
Raafidis. As for Jahm, he said that Paradise and Hell will cease to exist, as will their people.
Abu’l-Hudhayl said that Paradise and Hell will not cease to exist, and neither will their people,
but their movements will cease and they will remain immobile, never moving, and their people
will be alive, being blessed or tormented. And that group of Raafidis said that the people of
Paradise will come out of Paradise, and the people of Hell will come out of Hell, to wherever
Allaah wants to take them.” 

(al-Fasl 4/154, Dar al-Jeel edition) 

Al-Tahhaawi said in his ‘Aqeedah: “Paradise and Hell are two created entities that will never
cease to exist or come to an end.” 

The commentator of al-Tahhaawiyyah said: “Many reports of the Sunnah indicate that those
who said Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah will be brought forth from Hell. The ahaadeeth about
intercession clearly indicate that the sinners among the people of Tawheed will be brought
forth from Hell and that this applies only to them; if the kuffaar were to be brought forth from
it, they would be like the believers, and that contradicts the exclusiveness indicated in the
hadeeth.”

(Sharh al-Tahhaawiyyah, p. 430, al-Maktab al-Islami edition). 

With regard to the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“They will abide therein for ages [ahqaab].

Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink.
Except boiling water, and dirty wound discharges”

[al-Naba’ 78:23-25]

what is meant, as al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, is “They will stay in the Fire
for as long as those ages last, and these ages will never cease. Every time one age ceases,
another will come. Huqub means a lifetime or an age, and (the plural) ahqaab means ages.
Hiqbah means a year, the plural of which is hiqab. Huqb means eighty years, or it was said that
it means more than that, as we shall see, and the plural is ahqaab. The meaning in this verse is
that they will abide therein for the ages of the Hereafter, to which there is no end. The verse
does not specifically mention the Hereafter (by saying “the ages of the Hereafter”) because it is
clear that the context here is speaking of the Hereafter. It is like saying the days of the

15
Hereafter, days after days, without end. If it was referring to time it would have mentioned a
specific length of time, such as five ages or ten ages, etc. The word ahqaab/huqub is used
because that was the longest period of time according to the Arabs, so they would understand
that. It is a metaphor for eternity, i.e., that they would abide therein forever. And it was said that
ages (ahqaab) were mentioned rather than days because ahqaab is more indicative of eternity.

These meaning are very similar. 

This eternal abiding is for the mushrikeen. The verse may also be interpreted as referring to the
sinners who will be brought forth from Hell after these ages have passed. 

And it was said that ahqaab refers to the time when they will drink the hameem (boiling water)
and ghasaaq (dirty wound discharges). When that comes to an end they will have another kind
of punishment. Hence Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

‘They will abide therein for ages [ahqaab].

Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink.
Except boiling water, and dirty wound discharges’

[al-Naba’ 78:23-25].” 

(From Tafseer al-Qurtubi) 

With regard to the aayah: 

“As for those who are wretched, they will be in the Fire, sighing in a high and low tone.
They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your
Lord wills. Verily, your Lord is the Doer of whatsoever He intends (or wills).”

[Hood 11:106-107 – interpretation of the meaning]

Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned in his Tafseer eleven scholarly
opinions, all of which indicate that the kuffaar will abide forever in Hell.  One of these
opinions states that the exception applies only to the sinners among the believers, who will be
brought forth from Hell after some time. On this basis, the phrase ‘As for those who are
wretched’ is general and applies to both kaafirs and sinners, and the exception refers to the
word ‘khaalideena [translated here as dwell therein for all the time]’.

In al-Saheeh it is narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Some people will enter Hell, then when they are like

16
ashes, they will be brought forth from it and admitted to Paradise, and it will be said, ‘These are
the Jahannamiyyeen (the hellish ones).’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6896). 

 It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah and Anas ibn Maalik that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no deceased person for whom a group of Muslims
numbering one hundred offer the funeral prayer, all of them interceding for him, but their
intercession for him will be accepted.” Narrated by Muslim, 947. 

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no Muslim man who dies
and forty men who do not associate anything in worship with Allaah stand and pray for him,
but Allaah will accept their intercession for him.” Narrated by Muslim, 948. 

The intercession of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and others for
sinners on the Day of Resurrection, as is narrated in mutawaatir reports in the ahaadeeth about
intercession, such as the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in
the saheeh hadeeth, “My intercession will be for those among my ummah who committed
major sins,” and “I was given the choice between admitting half of my ummah to Paradise and
intercession, and I chose intercession because it is more general and greater. Do you think it
will be only for the pious? No, it will be for the sinners who contaminated themselves with
sins.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah 4311

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Allaah created mercy
on the day that He created it, and divided it into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts
and sent one to all of His creation. If the kaafir knew of all that is with Allaah of mercy, he
would never despair of Paradise, and if the believer knew of all that is with Allaah of
punishment he would never feel safe from Hell.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6469. 

And the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will
draw the believer close and screen him and will say, ‘Do you admit such and such sin, do you
admit such and such sin?’ and he will say, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ Then when he has admitted his sins
and thinks that he is doomed, [Allaah] will say, ‘I concealed them for you in the world and I
forgive you for them this Day.’ Then he will be given the book of his good deeds. But as for the
kaafir and the hypocrite, “the witnesses will say, “These are the ones who lied against their
Lord!” No doubt! the Curse of Allaah is on the Zaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers,
oppressors)’ [Hood 11:18 – interpretation of the meaning]”

17
 Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2441. 

It is proven in al-Saheehayn that when the believers have crossed al-Siraat, they will be detained
on a bridge between Paradise and Hell, where they will settle their scores with one another.
Then when they have been cleansed and purified, they will be given permission to enter
Paradise. It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the believers
have been saved from the Fire, then they will be detained on the bridge between Paradise and
Hell. There they will settle the scores between them for any wrongs that they did to one
another in this world, and when they have been cleansed and purified, they will be given
permission to enter Paradise. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, each of
them will recognize his dwelling in Paradise better than he recognizes his dwelling in this
world.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6535. 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

“When the believers have been saved from the Fire” means when they have been saved from
falling into it after they have crossed al-siraat. 

Al-Qurtubi said: These believers are the ones whom Allaah knows that settling scores will not
use up all of their good deeds. 

I (al-Haafiz) say: Perhaps the people of al-A’raaf are among them, according to the more
correct opinion referred to above. Excluded from this are two groups of believers: those who
will enter Paradise without being brought to account, and those who are doomed by their
deeds. 

“they will be detained on the bridge between Paradise and Hell” – al-siraat is a bridge placed
across Hell, and Paradise lies beyond that. So the people will pass across it according to their
deeds. Among them will be those who are saved, who are the ones whose good deeds outweigh
their bad deeds, or they are equal, or Allaah has forgiven them. Some of them will fall into Hell,
and they are the ones whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds, except for those whom
Allaah forgives. Those believers in Tawheed who fall will be punished for as long as Allaah
wills, then they will be brought out by intercession and other means. The ones who are saved
may have some scores which others need to settle with him, but they have good deeds that
equal that or outweigh it, so some of their good deeds equivalent to those scores that need to
be settled, and thus is will becomes free of responsibility.  

“and when they are cleansed and purified” means cleansed and freed of all responsibilities. End
quote. 

18
 It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “… until when Allaah has finished passing judgement amongst His
slaves, and He wants to bring forth from Hell those whom He wants of those who used to
testify that there is no god except Allaah, He will command the angels to bring them forth and
they will know them by the traces of the mark of sujood. Allaah will forbid the Fire to
consume the mark of sujood on the sons of Adam. So they will bring them forth and they will
have been burned, then water that is called the water of life will be poured on them, and they
will grow like seeds growing after a flood recedes.” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6574; Muslim, 172. 

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: “As for the people of Hell who belong there, they will neither die nor live
therein, but people who entered Hell because of their sins, they will die once, then when they
have become like coals, permission will be given for intercession, so they will be brought forth
group after group and scattered on the rivers of Paradise, then it will be said, ‘O people of
Paradise be generous to them, then they will grow like seeds growing after a flood recedes.” 

Narrated by Muslim, 185. 

References: 

Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah, 7/498-501; Minhaaj al-Sunnah, 6/238; Fath al-Baari, 11/406; al-Bihaar
al-Zaajirah, 242;

Muslim (2845) narrated from Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are some whom the Fire will
seize up to the ankles, and some whom it will seize up to the waist, and some whom it will seize
up to the neck.”  

Al-Haafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

It may be that this was narrated concerning those among the people of Tawheed who enter the
Fire, and the circumstances of their punishment will vary according to their deeds. As for the
disbelievers, they will be fully immersed in the Fire.

End quote from Fath al-Baari (11/394) 

19
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Similarly the punishment of the sinners among the people of Tawheed in Hell will vary
according to their deeds. The punishment of those who committed major sins will not be like
the punishment of those who committed minor sins, and the punishment of some of them
may be reduced by virtue of other good deeds that they did, or for other reasons as Allah wills.
Hence some of them will die in Hell.

End quote from at-Takhweef min an-Naar (p. 182) 

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes
manifest to them that this (the Quran) is the truth”

[Fussilat 41:53]. 

Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The words “We will show them Our Signs” mean: indicators of Our Oneness and might
“in the universe [different regions of the earth]” that is, the ruins of the dwellings of past
nations “and in their own selves” by means of calamities and sickness. 

Ibn Zayd said: “in the universe” means the signs of the heavens, “and in their own selves”
means events on earth. 

Mujaahid said: “in the universe [different regions of the earth]” refers to the conquest of cities.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, enabled His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) and the caliphs after him and the supporters of His Religion to conquer cities
throughout the world, east and west, and in the west in particular He enabled them to make
conquests the like of which He had not enabled any ruler on earth to make before them, and to
overwhelm tyrants and kings, and He caused the small numbers (of the Muslims) to overcome
the great numbers (of their enemies), and caused the weak (Muslims) to prevail over the strong
(disbelievers). And He caused to happen at their hands remarkable and extraordinary feats.
“and in their own selves” refers to the conquest of Makkah. This is the view favoured by at-
Tabari. 

‘Ata’ and Ibn Zayd said: “in the universe” means the different phenomena in the heavens and
the earth, such as the sun, moon, stars, night, day, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, storms, plants,
trees, mountains, oceans, and so on…

20
“and in their own selves” refers to the precise nature of man’s creation and the brilliant wisdom
in everything than Allah designed in man, even the way of defecation and urination, for food
and drink enter one place, then separation occurs and they come out from two places. And we
see the precise creation and wisdom of Allah in the eyes, which are like two drops of water,
through which he sees the distance between heaven and earth, which is the distance of five
hundred years; and in the ears which can distinguish between various sounds, and other
examples of the precise and brilliant creation of Allah. 

“until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur’an) is the truth”. There are four opinions
as to what is referred to by “this”:

1.that it is the Qur’an

2.that it is Islam, which the Messenger brought to them and called them to

3.that what Allah shows them and does of that is the truth

4.that Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the true Messenger.

End quote from Tafseer al-Qurtubi (15/374-375) 

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

That is, We will show them Our evidence and proof that the Qur’an is true and has indeed
been sent down from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, to His Messenger (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), on the basis of external signs “in the universe”, such as the
conquests and prevalence of Islam in various regions and over all other religions. 

Mujaahid, al-Hasan and as-Saddi said: The signs in their own selves include the battle of Badr,
the conquest of Makkah, and similar events that happened to them, in which Allah granted
victory to Muhammad and his companions, and inflicted a humiliating defeat on falsehood and
its followers.

 It may also be that what is meant here is man and his physical composition, as is explained in
the science of anatomy, which points to the wisdom of the Creator, may He be blessed and
exalted, and the different inclinations and opposite natures that people have, good and bad and
in between, and the divine decrees to which man is subjected, which he cannot escape and over
which he has no control.

End quote from Tafseer Ibn Katheer (7/187) 

21
Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shinqeeti said in Adwa’ al-Bayaan (7/67-68): 

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “It is He, Who shows you His Ayat (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.)” [Ghaafir 40:13]. What Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, says in this verse is that He is the One Who shows His creation His signs,
and He explains that and clarifies further elsewhere; He states that He will show them His signs
in the universe and in their own selves, and the purpose behind that explanation is to highlight
to them that what Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought is truth, as
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes
manifest to them that this (the Quran) is the truth”

[Fussilat 41:53]. 

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has highlighted the wonders of His creation in the
different regions of the heavens and the earth, which indicate to every wise person that He is
the Lord Who alone is deserving of worship. These wonders include the sun, moon, stars,
trees, mountains, animals, oceans, and so on. 

He also explains that another of His signs which He shows them and of which they cannot
deny anything, is the fact that He has subjugated livestock animals to them so that they may
ride them, eat of their flesh, and make use of their milk to make butter, ghee and yoghurt, and
make clothes from their skins, wool and hair, as He, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):

“Allah, it is He Who has made livestock animals for you, that you may ride on some of them
and of some you eat.

And you have (many other) benefits from them, and that you may reach by their means a desire
that is in your breasts (i.e. carry your goods, loads, etc.), and on them and on ships you are
carried”

[Ghaafir 40:79-80]. 

Among other signs that He shows to some of His creation are the miracles of His Messengers,
for miracles are signs that highlight the truthfulness of the Messengers, as Allah, may He be
exalted, says concerning Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):

22
“And indeed We showed him (Fir‘awn (Pharaoh)) all Our Signs and Evidences, but he denied
and refused”

[Ta-Ha 20:56]. 

In another verse, Allah states that among the signs He shows to His creation is His punishment
of those who disbelieve in the Messengers, as He, may He be exalted, said in the story of the
destruction of the people of Loot (interpretation of the meaning):

“And indeed We have left thereof an evident Ayah (a lesson and a warning and a sign the place
where the Dead Sea is now in Palestine) for a folk who understand”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:35]. 

And He said concerning His punishment of Pharaoh and his people with the flood, locusts and
lice, etc. (interpretation of the meaning):

“So We sent on them: the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood: (as a succession
of) manifest signs”

[al-A‘raaf 7:133].

End quote. 

It was narrated by Imam Ahmad (16301), Ibn Hibbaan (7357) and at-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer
(841) from al-Aswad ibn Saree‘ that the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) said: “There are four (who will make their excuses to Allah) on the Day of
Resurrection: a deaf man who never heard anything, an insane man, a very old man, and a man
who died during an interval between the sending of two Messengers. The deaf man will say, ‘O
Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything.’ The insane man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but
the children ran after me and threw dung at me.’ The very old man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam
came but I did not understand anything.’ The man who died during the interval between the
sending of two Prophets will say, ‘O Lord, no Messenger from You came to me.’ He will accept
their pledges to obey Him, then He will send word to them to enter the Fire. By the One in
Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them.”

Classed as saheeh by al-Bayhaqi in al-I‘tiqaad (p. 169). Al-Haythami said in al-Majma‘ (7/216):
Its men are the men of as-Saheeh 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him), that he said: “By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, no

23
one of this nation, Jew or Christian, hears of me then dies without having believed in that with
which I was sent, but he will be one of the people of the Fire.” Narrated by Muslim (240).

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

From this it may be understood that whoever was not reached by the call of Islam will be
excused.

End quote from Sharh Saheeh Muslim (2/188).

It was narrated soundly from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he
said: “Verily no one will enter Paradise except a Muslim soul.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3062)
and Muslim (111).

It was narrated from al-Aswad ibn Saree‘ that the Prophet of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: “There are four (who will protest) to Allah on the Day of
Resurrection: the deaf man who never heard anything, the insane man, the very old man, and
the man who died during a fatrah (the interval between two Prophets). The deaf man will say,
‘O Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything.’ The insane man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came
but the children ran after me and threw stones at me.’ The very old man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam
came but I did not understand anything.’ The man who died during the fatrah will say, ‘O Lord,
no Messenger from You came to me.’ He will accept their promises of obedience, then word
will be sent to them to enter the Fire. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if
they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them.”

Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad (26/228).

 A similar report was also narrated from Abu Hurayrah, except that he said at the end: “…
whoever enters it, it will be cool and safe for him, and whoever does not enter it will be
dragged to it.” Al-Musnad (26/230).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There are many hadiths regarding this
matter, to the extent that they support one another. The scholars classed some of them as
saheeh, such as al-Bayhaqi, ‘Abd al-Haqq and others, who classed the hadith of al-Aswad ibn
Saree‘ as saheeh.

The isnad of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah is saheeh and complete. End quote from Ahkaam
Ahl adh-Dhimmah(2/1149).

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

24
With regard to the hadiths which speak of this matter, some of them are saheeh, as more than
one of the leading scholars have stated; some of them are hasan, and some are da‘eef (weak)
but are strengthened by the saheeh and hasan reports.

When the hadiths on a particular topic support one another to this extent, this is regarded as
proof concerning that topic.

End quote from Tafseer Ibn Katheer (5/58).

Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The issue of testing in the case of the insane and those who died during a fatrah (interval
between two Prophets) is proven to be sound via saheeh isnaads. End quote.

Fath al-Baari (3/246).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Allah will judge between His slaves on the Day of Resurrection by His wisdom and justice, and
He will not punish anyone except those against whom proof is established through the
Messengers. This category of people will definitely be dealt with in that manner.
But as for the question of whether or not proof is established against any particular individual,
this is a matter to be decided by Allah and we cannot issue rulings concerning specific
individuals in that regard. Rather what is required is to believe that everyone who follows a
religion other than Islam is a disbeliever, and that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, does
not punish anyone except after proof has been established against him through the Messenger.
This is in general terms; with regard to specific individuals, the matter is left to the knowledge
and judgement of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.

End quote from Tareeq al-Hijratayn (2/900).

The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) differed concerning the people of the fatrah –
who are those lived  in the time when no Messenger came to them and were in a place where
the call did not reach them – and those who come under the same rulings as them, such as the
children of the mushrikeen. There are several points of view, the most correct of which is that
they will be tested on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever obeys the command of Allaah will be
saved and whoever disobeys Him will be doomed. There are many ahaadeeth from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which support this view, such as that which was
quoted in full by Imam Ibn Katheer in his commentary on the verse (interpretation of the
meaning): “And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)” [al-Isra’
17:15].

25
These ahaadeeth strengthen one another, and show that this view is supported by the Sunnah.
This is what was stated by Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash’ari who is a scholar of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-
Jamaa’ah. 

Imam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Among the ahaadeeth on this topic, some are saheeh, as was stated by more than one of the
leading scholars, and some are hasan, and some are da’eef but are supported by the saheeh and
hasan reports. When the ahaadeeth on any particular topic support one another in such a
fashion, it provides strong evidence to prove the point.  

Tafseer Ibn Katheer (5/58). 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, discussing the different points of
view on this topic: 

… They will be tested in the Hereafter by having a fire caused to appear before them. Whoever
enters it will find it cool and safe, and whoever refuses will be punished. This was narrated by
al-Bazzaar from the hadeeth of Anas and Abu Sa’eed, and it was narrated by al-Tabaraani from
the hadeeth of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal. The issue of being tested has been proven in the case of one
who is insane and the one who died during the fatrah (interval between two Prophets) via
saheeh isnaads. Al-Bayhaqi stated in Kitaab al-I’tiqaad that it is the correct view. 

This view was rejected by some scholars – such as Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr – who said that the
Hereafter is the place of recompense, not the place of testing; there will be no commands or
prohibitions in the Hereafter. This objection has been refuted and dealt with in general terms
and in detail. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, Imam Ibn Katheer and others refuted it in general
terms, and Imam Ibn al-Qayyim refuted it in detail, covering nineteen points. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Accountability ends when one enters the abode of recompense, be it Paradise or Hell, or but
when people are resurrected they may be tested as they are tested in al-barzakh. It will be said
to one of them: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? Who is your Prophet? Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “(Remember) the Day when the Shinshall be laid bare (i.e. the
Day of Resurrection) and they shall be called to prostrate themselves (to Allaah), but they
(hypocrites) shall not be able to do so” [al-Qalam 68:42].  And it is proven in the books of
Saheeh in more than one hadeeth that Allaah will appear to His slaves in the place of standing
when it is said: “‘Let every people follow that which they used to worship.’ So the mushrikeen
will follow their gods and the believers will be left. Then the Lord will appear to them in a form

26
other than that which they know, and they will not recognize Him, then He will appear to them
in the form that they know, and the believers will prostrate to Him but the backs of the
hypocrites will remain like the horns of cattle; they will want to prostrate but they will not be
able to. Then he quoted the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “(Remember) the Day when
the Shinshall be laid bare (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) and they shall be called to prostrate
themselves (to Allaah), but they (hypocrites) shall not be able to do so” [al-Qalam 68:42].   

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (4/303, 304). 

 Imam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Shaykh Abu ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-Barr al-Namari mentioned some of the ahaadeeth about testing
that have been quoted above, then he said: The ahaadeeth on this topic are not strong, and
cannot be taken as evidence. The scholars reject them because the Hereafter is the abode of
recompense, not the abode of striving or testing, so how can they be commanded to enter the
fire when that is not possible for created beings and Allaah does not burden any soul beyond its
scope? 

He answered that by explaining that the ahaadeeth on this topic are strong, as we have quoted
from him above, then he said: 

As for his saying that the Hereafter is the abode of recompense, there is no doubt that it is the
abode of recompense but that does not mean that there will be no accountability in when
people are resurrected, before they are admitted to either Paradise or Hell, as Shaykh Abu’l-
Hasan al-Ash’ari narrated was the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah with regard to the
testing of children. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “(Remember) the Day when the
Shinshall be laid bare (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) and they shall be called to prostrate
themselves (to Allaah), but they (hypocrites) shall not be able to do so” [al-Qalam 68:42].   And
the Sunnah, in the books of Saheeh and elsewhere, proves that the believers will prostrate to
Allaah on the Day of Resurrection, but as for the hypocrite, he will not be able to do that; his
back will remain straight. Every time he wants to prostrate he will fall over backwards. In al-
Saheehayn it is narrated concerning the man who will be the last of the people of Hell to be
brought out therefrom that Allaah will take his pledge and covenant that he will not ask for
anything more than he has, and he will repeat that several times, and Allaah will say: “O son of
Adam, how treacherous you are,” then He will give him permission to enter Paradise. 

As for saying: How can they be commanded to enter the fire when they are not able to do that?
This does not mean that the hadeeth is not valid, for Allaah will command the people on the
Day of Resurrection to cross over the siraat, which is a bridge over Hell that is sharper than the
edge of a sword and thinner than a hair. The believers will pass over it according to their deeds,
like lightning, or like the wind, or like the swiftest horses and mounts; some will run, some will

27
walk, and some will crawl, and some will fall on their faces in Hell. What has been narrated
concerning them is no less than this, rather it is greater.  

Moreover, the Sunnah proves that the Dajjaal will have with him a paradise and a hell (or a
garden and a fire) and the Lawgiver has commanded the believers who see him to drink from
that which he thinks is fire, for it will be cool and safe for him. This is akin to that. 
And Allaah commanded the Children of Israel to kill themselves, so they killed one another
until seventy thousand were killed in a single day; a man killed his father and his brother. That
was a punishment to them for worshipping the calf. This is also to difficult for anyone to do,
and is no less than what is mentioned in the hadeeth quoted. And Allaah knows best. 

Tafseer Ibn Katheer (5/28). 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

·The implication of these ahaadeeth is in accordance with the Qur’aan and the basic principles
of sharee’ah. It gives details of what is stated in the Qur'aan, that no one will be punished until
proof is established against him. Proof was not established against these people in this world,
and proof must be established against them. The most appropriate situation where proof must
be established is the Day when witnesses are brought (on the Day of Resurrection) and cases
are heard and proof is established, people dispute before the Lord and each one gives his proof
and excuses; the excuses of the wrongdoers will not benefit them but they will benefit others. 

·This view was narrated in saheeh reports from a number of the Sahaabah, and no other view
was mentioned in saheeh reports from them. The view that they will be the servants of the
people of Paradise was narrated in a saheeh report from Salmaan, and there is also a marfoo’
hadeeth concerning that, which has been quoted above, but the ahaadeeth which say that they
will be tested are more numerous, sounder and more well known.

·The command to enter the fire will not be a punishment for them; how can they be punished
if they did not sin? Rather it is a test and a trial for them to see whether they will obey or
disobey. If they obey and enter it, it will not harm them and it will be cool and safe for them.
But if they disobey and refuse to enter it, they will deserve to be punished for going against the
command. Kings may test those who show outward obedience to them to see whether they are
sincere in their obedience or not. So they may command them to do something that seems to
be very difficult to see whether they are willing to do it or not; if they decide to go ahead and
do it, they may let them off, but if they refuse and disobey, they may force them to do it or
punish them with something more severe.  

28
Allaah commanded al-Khaleel (Ibraaheem) to sacrifice his son, but His only aim was to train
him to obey and submit, and to give love for Allaah precedence over his love for his son. When
he did that, He waived the command to sacrifice him. 

As for the idea that this is not something that people can do, this has been answered by Ibn al-
Qayyim from two standpoints:  

1 – That they are able to do that, even if it is difficult for them. You can see the worshippers of
fire rushing to throw themselves into it in obedience to the shaytaan. They do not say “we are
not able to do it” even though they feel such pain. The slaves of the Most Merciful, if they are
commanded by the Most Merciful of those who show mercy to obey Him by jumping into the
fire, how can they not be able to do that, when He is only commanding them to do that for
their own benefit? 

2 – If they force themselves to obey Him and seek His pleasure, that will bring them joy and
will not harm them in the slightest. 

He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

The Sunnah, the views of the Sahaabah, and the basic principles of sharee’ah cannot be refuted
on such grounds. And Allaah knows best. 

See: Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah (2/1148-1158). 

The hadeeth of al-Aswad ibn Saree, who reported that the Prophet of Allaah SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: There are four (who will protest) to Allaah on the Day
of Resurrection: the deaf man who never heard anything, the insane man, the very old man,
and the man who died during the fatrah (the interval between the time of Eesaa (Jesus, upon
whom be peace) and the time of Muhammad SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)). The deaf man will say, O Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything. The insane man
will say, O Lord, Islam came but the children ran after me and threw stones at me. The very old
man will say, O Lord, Islam came but I did not understand anything. The man who died during
the fatrah will say, O Lord, no Messenger from You came to me. He will accept their promises
of obedience, then word will be sent to them to enter the Fire. By the One in Whose hand is
the soul of Muhammad, if they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them.

According to another report, he said: Whoever enters it, it will be cool and safe for him, and
whoever does not enter it will be dragged to it.

(The hadeeth was reported by Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan).

29
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked – as it says in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (11/646) – about
women who pile their hair on top of their heads, and they will not see Paradise or smell its
fragrance. But it is narrated in the hadeeth from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever says La ilaaha ill-Allaah will enter Paradise.” 

He replied:

It is proven in Saheeh Muslim and elsewhere from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are two types of the people of Hell whom I
have not seen: men with whips like the tails of cattle with which they strike the people, and
women who are clothed but naked, walking with an enticing gait, with something like the
humps of camels on their heads. They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance, and
its fragrance can be smelled from such and such a distance.”

Whoever claims that this hadeeth is not saheeh and that what it mentions of the severe
punishment is not true is ignorant and has gone astray from the path of sharee’ah, and he
deserves a punishment that will deter him and other ignorant people like him who object to the
saheeh ahaadeeth that are soundly narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). 

There are many saheeh ahaadeeth about this warning. For example: 

“Whoever kills a mu’aahid unlawfully will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its
fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years.” 

“No one will enter Paradise in whose heart is a mustard seed’s worth of arrogance.” 

“There are three to whom Allaah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection nor will He praise
them, and their will be a painful torment: an old man who commits zina, a king who tells lies
and a poor man who is arrogant.” 

There are verses in the Qur’aan which speak of this warning, such as the verse in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):  

“And whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad ‫)صىل هللا عليه وسلم‬, and
transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a
disgraceful torment”

[al-Nisa’ 4:14]

30
This is something on which the Muslims are agreed, that the warning in the Qur’aan and
Sunnah to those who commit major sins is true, but Allaah has stated in the Qur’aan and the
Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that the warning
mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah does not apply to the one who repents, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against
themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily,
Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53]

i.e., to the one who repents. 

In another verse Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He
forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills” [al-Nisa’ 4:48]. 

This applies to the one who does not repent. Shirk will not be forgiven, but with regard to
anything less than shirk, if Allaah wills He will forgive and if He wills He will punish for it. 
In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “No tiredness, exhaustion, worry, grief, distress or harm befalls a believer in this world,
not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah expiates some of his sins thereby.” 

Hence when the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “whosoever works evil, will have the
recompense thereof ” [al-Nisa’ 4:123] was revealed, Abu Bakr said: O Messenger of Allaah, this
is going to destroy us; who among us has not done evil? He said: “O Abu Bakr, do you not get
tired? Do you not grieve? Do you not go through hardship? That is part of the recompense.”  
By means of calamities in this world, Allaah expiates the sins of the believers that may be
expiated by means thereof, and the same applies to the good deeds that he does. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds” [Hood 11:114].
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The five daily prayers,
from one Jumu’ah to the next, and one Ramadaan to the next, are expiations for whatever (of
minor sins) come in between them, so long as one avoids major sins.” And Allaah does not
wrong His slaves in the slightest, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it.

8. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it”

[al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]. 

31
So the warning may be cancelled out, either by means of repentance, or by means of good
deeds that one does which are equal to the bad deeds, or by means of calamities through which
Allaah expiates sins, or by other means. End quote. 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim (17/191): 

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “will not enter
Paradise” may be interpreted in two ways: 

(i)

They may be interpreted as referring to the one who regards what is haraam as permissible,
despite knowing that it is haraam; so she is a kaafir who will abide forever in Hell and will never
enter Paradise. 

(ii)

It may be interpreted as meaning that she will not enter it at first along with those who are
successful. End quote. 

It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some
prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him),
and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching for someone. When she found
a small boy among the prisoners, she clasped him to her and started to breastfeed him. The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to us: “Do you think that
this woman would throw her child into the fire?” We said: No, by Allah, she would never do
that if she is able not to. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: “Allah is more merciful towards His slaves than this woman is towards her child.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5999; Muslim, 2754. 

Allah, may He be exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning)

“And those who joined others in worship with Allah said: ‘If Allah had so willed, neither we
nor our fathers would have worshipped aught but Him, nor would we have forbidden anything
without (Command from) Him’”

[an-Nahl 16:35]. 

32
 Then Allah, may He be exalted, refuted them by saying:

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): ‘Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghoot (all false deities,
i.e. do not worship Taaghoot alongside Allah).’ Then of them were some whom Allah guided
and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified”

[an-Nahl 16:36]. 

Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

In these verses, Allah explains that He did not approve of their disbelief, and that He sent a
Messenger to every nation, commanding them on the Messenger’s lips to worship Allah alone
and to avoid taaghoot (false gods), i.e., to keep away from the worship of any deity besides
Him. He also told them that Allah guided some of them to worship Him alone, and that some
of them went astray; in other words, their disbelief and doom were confirmed. 

Allah, may He be exalted, says in Soorat al-An‘aam (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: ‘With Allah is the perfect proof and argument, (i.e. the Oneness of Allaah, the sending of
His Messengers and His Holy Books, to mankind); had He so willed, He would indeed have
guided you all’”

[al-An‘aam 6:149].

The fact that He alone can help and guide people is the perfect proof and argument against His
creation. In other words: whoever We guide and bless with Our help, that is grace and mercy
from Us. And whoever We do not do that for, that is justice and wisdom from Us, because he
was not owed that by Us and did not deserve it from Us. Rather if We grant that, it is grace,
and if we do not grant it, it is justice.

End quote from Adwa’ al-Bayaan, 7/95, 96. 

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the
Hereafter he will be one of the losers”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:85].

33
 Because of that, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed Bilaal to
call out to the people: “No one will enter Paradise except a Muslim.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3062; Muslim, 178. 

 
It was narrated from Mu’aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood among us
and said: “Those who came before you of the people of the Book split into seventy-two sects,
and this ummah will split into seventy-three: seventy-two in Hell and one in Paradise, and that
is the jamaa’ah (main body of Muslims).”

Narrated by Abu Dawood (4597) and others; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim (1/128), who said:
it is an important hadeeth that represents a basic principle. It was classed as hasan by Ibn Hajar
in Takhreej al-Kashshaaf (63). It was classed as saheeh by Ibn Taymiyah in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
(3/345), al-Shaatibi in al-I’tisaam (1/430), and al-‘Iraaqi in Takhreej al-Ihya’ (9/133).

It is mentioned frequently and often quoted as evidence by the scholars in the books of
Sunnah, and it was narrated from a number of the Sahaabah via many isnaads, most of the
soundest of which specify the number of sects as being seventy-three. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described the saved group as the
jamaa’ah, i.e., the consensus of the Muslim scholars. In other reports he also described them as
“the vast multitude”, as in the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah and others which is recorded by Ibn
Abi ‘Aasim in al-Sunnah (1/34) and al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer (8/321), with an
isnaad that is hasan li ghayrihi (hasan because of corroborating evidence). 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also described them in the following
terms: “My ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of whom will be in Hell except one
group.” They said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “(Those who follow) that
which I and my companions follow.” This is mentioned in the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr
which was recorded and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi (2641). It was also classed as hasan by
al-‘Iraaqi in Ahkaam al-Qur’aan (3/432), al-‘Iraaqi in Takhreej al-Ihya’ (3/284)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Whoever says that the seventy-two sects have all committed kufr (disbelief) in a way that puts
them beyond the pale of Islam has gone against the Qur’an, Sunnah and the consensus of the
Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them all), and also the consensus of the four imams and

34
others. There is no one among them who regarded each one of the seventy-two sects as
disbelievers.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 7/218 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The Khaarijis were the first ones to regard the Muslims as disbelievers, saying that they become
disbelievers because of committing sins. They also regarded as disbelievers those who
disagreed with their innovation and regarded it as permissible to kill them and take their wealth.
This is how the innovators are: they introduce an innovation and regard as disbelievers those
who differ with them, concerning it. Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah follow the Qur’an and
Sunnah, and obey Allah and His Messenger; they follow the truth and show compassion to all
people.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 3/279 

And he said concerning the seventy-two sects: They regard one another as disbelievers because
of some of the ideas they believe in.

End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 7/218

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you lives
after I am gone will see a great deal of dissent.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (4067)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

The sign of the people of bid’ah is that they do not follow the salaf. End quote from Majmoo’
al-Fataawa (4/155).  

He also said (3/346): The sign of these groups – i.e., the seventy-two groups that go against
Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah – is that they forsake the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly
consensus. The one who follows the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus is one of Ahl al-
Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. End quote. 

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) says: 

35
Hence the saved group is described as Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and they are the greater
majority and the vast multitude. As for the other groups, they are followers of weird ideas,
division, innovation and whims and desires, and none of these groups reached anywhere close
to the size of the saved group, let alone being equal to them, rather some of these groups are
very small in number. The sign of these groups is that they go against the Qur'aan, Sunnah and
scholarly consensus. The one who follows the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus is one
of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (3/346). 

Al-Shaatibi has mentioned many names of the doomed groups in al-I’tisaam (1/453-460).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Similarly, with the other seventy-two groups, those that are hypocrites are inwardly kaafirs, and
those that are not hypocrites but rather believe inwardly in Allaah and His Messenger are not
inwardly kaafirs, even though they are mistaken in their interpretations, regardless of what that
mistake may be. Some of them may have some of the branches of hypocrisy, or they may not
have the kind of hypocrisy that dooms a man to the lowest depths of Hell. 

The one who says that each of the seventy-two sects is guilty of kufr that puts one beyond the
pale of Islam is going against the Qur’aan and Sunnah and the consensus of the Sahaabah (may
Allaah be pleased with them all), and the consensus of the four imams and others. None of
them regarded any of the seventy-two sects as kaafirs, rather they regard one another as
kaafirs. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (7/218). 

Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

These are regarded as sects because they differ from the saved group with regard to some
fundamental issues of religion and basic rules of sharee’ah, not with regard to minor issues,
because differences with regard to minor issues does not lead to division and factionalism,
rather factionalism occurs when there are differences concerning fundamental issues of Islam. 

Al-I’tisaam (1/439). 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “My ummah is an ummah which carries out the
commands of Allaah; those who let them down or differ from them do not harm them and
they will keep adhering to this path until the Day of Judgement.”

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 Mu‘aawiyah and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with them) reported that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘A group of my ummah will continue victoriously adhering
to the truth until the Last Hour begins.’”

Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu‘bah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace be upon him) say: “Some people of my ummah will remain victorious over the
people until the decree of Allaah reaches them.”

‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said: “A group of my ummah will continue fighting for the truth, and will prevail over
those who oppose them, until the last of them will kill al-Maseekh al-Dajjaal (the Liar or Anti-
Christ).”

Abu Tha‘labah al-Khashani (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace
be upon him) said: “After you there will come days of patience, in which the patience required
will be like having to hold a burning coal in one’s hand.”

Who are the people of the victorious sect?

Al-Bukhaari said: “They are the people of knowledge (the scholars).”

Many scholars said that the victorious group is the scholars of hadeeth.

Al-Nawawi said: “It is possible that this group is scattered among all types of believers. Some
may be brave fighters, or fuqahaa’, or scholars of hadeeth, or ascetics, or people who enjoin
good and forbid evil, and other types of good people.”

Al-Nawawi also said: “It could be a group of different types of believers, including those who
are brave and skilled in warfare, faqeehs, scholars of hadeeth, Qur’aanic commentators
(mufassireen), those who enjoin good and forbid evil, ascetics and devoted worshippers.”

Ibn Hajar, may Allaah have mercy on him, explained the matter as follows: “They do not have
to all be in one city; they could be gathered in one country or dispersed across the world. They
may be gathered in one city or in a part of it. It is possible that one group may exist, then
disappear, then be replaced by another group, and so on, until the Day of Judgement, when all
will disappear except for one group in one city, who will disappear when the breeze decreed by
Allaah comes.”

At-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

37
If a person does a righteous deed without fearing Allah – i.e., he is a mushrik or polytheist – he
will be given a reward for that in this world, such as if he upholds ties of kinship, gives to one
who is in need out of compassion, and other such righteous deeds. Allah will give him the
reward of his good deed in this world, such as increasing his livelihood and provision, giving
him joy in what He blesses himwith, warding off from him the harms of this world, and so on.
But he will not have any share (of reward) in the Hereafter. 

Tafseer at-Tabari, 15/265 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: There is scholarly consensus that the deeds of the disbelievers will not
benefit them [in the Hereafter]; they will not be rewarded for them with joy and no punishment
will be reduced for them, even though some of them will be more severely punished than
others. 

Al-Fath, 9/48 

It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: “If the kaafir does a good deed, he is fed because of it in this world.
As for the believer, Allah stores up his good deeds for him in the Hereafter and grants him
provision in accordance with his obedience in this world.

Narrated by Muslim (2808). 

According to another report: : “Allaah does not treat the believer unjustly with regard to his
good deeds. He blesses him because of them in this world and He will reward him for them in
the Hereafter. As for the kaafir, he is fed because of the good deeds that he does for the sake
of Allaah in this world, then when he passes on into the Hereafter, he will have no good deeds
left for which to be rewarded.”

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever wishes
for the quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily grant him what We will
for whom We like” [al-Isra’ 18:18]. 

Ash-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

38
It should be understood that this matter, for which we have quoted evidence from the Qur’an
and Sunnah, that the disbeliever may benefit from his righteous deeds in this world, such as
honouring his parents, upholding ties of kinship, honouring guests and neighbours, relieving
people of distress and so on – all of that is subject to the will of Allah, may He be exalted, as
He has stated in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Whoever wishes for the quick-
passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily grant him what We will for whom We
like” [al-Isra’ 18:18]. 

This verse is specific and specifies what is mentioned in general terms in other verses and
hadeeths. 

Adwa’ al-Bayaan, 3/450 

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

It is clearly stated in this hadeeth that (the disbeliever) is fed in this world because of what he
does of good deeds, i.e., what he does seeking thereby to draw closer to Allah of actions in
which their validity does not depend on the intention, such as upholding ties of kinship, giving
charity, manumitting slaves, hosting guests, and other good deeds. 

Sharh Muslim (17/150) 

Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever believes in
Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or else keep silent …” 

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “If he wants to speak, then if what he wants
to say is good and he is confident that he will be rewarded for it, whether it is obligatory or
praiseworthy, then let him speak, but if it does not seem to him that it is good and he will be
rewarded for it, then let him refrain from speaking, whether he thinks it is haram
(impermissible) or makrooh (disliked) or permissible. Based on this, it is recommended to
refrain from saying permissible words and we are enjoined to avoid this, lest it lead us into
something that is haram or makrooh, which is what happens in many cases or in most cases.

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

‘Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).’ [50:18] 

Al-Imam al-Shafi’i understood the hadeeth (narration) to mean that if a person wants to say
something, he should think about it: if it seems to him that it will not do any harm, then he

39
should speak, but if he thinks that it will do some harm or he thinks that this is most likely,
then he should refrain from speaking.” 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to control our
tongues in more than one hadeeth, such as that narrated by al-Tirmidhi from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir
(may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is salvation?’
He said, ‘Control your tongue, keep to your house and weep over your sin.’”

Al-Tirmidhi also narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to
Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him), after teaching him some of the laws of Islam, “Shall I
not tell you what is the foundation of all that?” I [Mu’adh] said: “Of course, O Prophet of
Allah.” He took hold of his tongue and said, “Control this.” I said, “O Prophet of Allah, will
we be held responsible for what we say with it?” He said, “May your mother be bereft of you,
O Mu’adh! Will the people be thrown into Hell on their faces or on their noses for anything
other than the harvest of their tongues?”

It was narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If my Companions are mentioned, then keep quiet; if
the stars are mentioned, then keep quiet; and if the divine decree is mentioned, then keep
quiet.” (Narrated by al-Tabarani and classed as saheeh / authentic). 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

“One of the basic principles of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah (followers of prophetic tradition) is
that they think and say nothing to criticize the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him), as Allah has described them in the verse in which He says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

‘And those who came after them say: Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have
preceded us in faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our
Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.’

[69:10] 

And they obey the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him): ‘Do not curse my Companions, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, if any one of
you were to spend the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, he would not reach the status of one
of them, nor even come half way.’ (Agreed upon).” Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 3/152. 

40
Abu Zar’ah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

“If you see a man criticizing any one of the sahabah (Companions), then know that he is a
heretic, because the Quran is true, and the Messenger is true, and what he brought is true, and
no one conveyed all of that to us but the sahabah. So whoever criticizes them means, in effect,
to say that the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic teachings) are false, so it is more appropriate that
he should be criticized and ruled to be a heretic who is misguided.” 

Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah ‘ala Ahl al-Rafd wa’l-Dalal wa’l-Zandaqah. 

Abu Ja’far al-Tahhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

“The divine decree is a secret known which Allah has hidden from His creation. No angel who
is close to Him and no Prophet whom He sent knows that. Pursuing such matters only leads to
failure and deprivation of the mercy of Allah, and it leads to injustice, so beware of looking
into the matter, thinking about it and wondering about it. Allah has kept knowledge of His
decree from His slaves, and has forbidden them to pursue the matter, as He says in His Book
(interpretation of the meaning): 

‘He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.’

[21:23] 

So whoever questions what Allah does has rejected the ruling of the Book, and whoever rejects
the ruling of the Book is a kafir (disbeliever).” Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhawiyyah. 

It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that a woman asked the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) about ghusl (full ablution) following menses, and he told her how to do
ghusl. “Take a piece of cloth scented with musk and purify yourself with it.” She said: How
should I purify myself ? He said: “Purify yourself with it.” She said: How? He said: “Subhaan-
Allah! Purify yourself.” I pulled her towards me and said: Follow the traces of blood with it. 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (308) and Muslim (332). 

What is meant by a piece of cloth perfumed with musk is a piece of wool or cotton on which is
that well-known kind of perfume. 

According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (309): 

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 It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that a woman of the Ansaar said to the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him): How should I do ghusl following menses? He said: “Take a piece
of cloth scented with musk and purify yourself with it three times.” Then the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) felt shy, so he turned his face away, or he said:
“Purify yourself with it.” I took her aside and told her what the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) meant. 

It was narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b that a man boasted in an ignorant manner of his tribal
lineage, so he told him to bite his father’s male member, and he did not use a metaphor. The
people looked askance at him, so he said to the people: I can see what you are thinking, and I
can only say this: that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
instructed us: “If you hear someone boasting in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage, then
tell him to bite his father’s male member, and do not use a metaphor.”

Narrated by Ahmad (35/157); classed as hasan by the commentators on al-Musnad. 

It was narrated from Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man boasted of his tribal
lineage, and Ubayy told him to bite his father’s male member, and they said: You were never
given to obscene speech! He said: We were instructed to do that.

Narrated by Ahmad (35/142); classed as hasan by the commentators on al-Musnad.

Abu Ja‘far at-Tahhaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

in this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave those
instructions concerning the one who is heard boasting in that ignorant manner. Someone said:

How could you accept this report from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) when you narrate from him the words, “Shyness is part of faith and faith leads to
Paradise, and foul speech is part of harshness, and harshness is of the Fire”? 

He said:

In this hadith it states that foul speech is in the Fire, and what is meant by foul speech being in
the Fire is that the people of foul speech will be in the Fire, because foul speech is not an entity
that exists by itself; rather what is meant by mentioning it is those who have that characteristic. 

Our response concerning that – with the help of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted – is as
follows: 

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The foul speech referred to in this hadith is something other than the foul speech referred to in
the first hadith. It is foul speech that is addressed to one who does not deserve to be spoken to
in that manner. The one who speaks in a foul manner to one who does not deserve that is
subject to the warning in the hadith mentioned. As for that which is mentioned in the first
hadith, it is a punishment to the one who promoted ignorant attitudes, because he is promoting
pride in a man who is one of the people of Hell. It is like when they used to call their tribes
with a sense of pride in being the descendants of Bakr, Tameem, Hamdaan, and so on
(ancestors of Arab tribes). Whoever shows pride in these people of Jaahiliyyah, who are among
the inhabitants of Hell, deserves to be punished, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) ordained that his punishment should be that he is responded to as mentioned in
the second hadith, so as to insult him and the one in whom he seeks pride, so that people
would stop doing that in the future and not go back to it. 

This hadith was also narrated without this particular wording:

It was narrated that ‘Utayy ibn Damurah said: One day I saw him – i.e., Ubayy ibn Ka‘b – when
a man was boasting in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage, and he told him to bite that part
of his father, and he did not use a metaphor. It was as if the people found that odd, so he said:

Do not blame me, for the Prophet of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to
us: “Whoever you see boasting in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage, then tell him to bite
that, and do not use a metaphor.” 

The meaning is the same as the hadith quoted above, because what is meant by “one who is
boasting in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage” is that he is attributing himself to the
people of Jaahiliyyah. 

Bayaan Mushkil al-Athaar (8/51-54) 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

Hence some of the scholars said that this indicates that it is permissible to bluntly state the
name of the private part if there is a need to do so or there is an interest to be served thereby,
and this does not come under the heading of obscene speech that is forbidden, as in the hadith
of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said:

“If you hear someone boasting in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage, then tell him to bite
his father’s male member, and do not use a metaphor.” Narrated by Ahmad. And Ubayy ibn
Ka‘b heard a man saying: O So and so, and he said: Bite your father’s penis. Something was said

43
to him about that, and he said: This is what the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) instructed us to do (in the case of such a person).

Minhaaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (8/408, 409) 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the hadith of Abu
Dawood: A man sneezed in the presence of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) and said: As-salaamu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you). The Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “And upon you be peace and upon your mother.” 
Mentioning the mother here is similar to mentioning the penis of the father in the case of one
who boasts in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage. It may be said to him: Bite your father’s
penis, and mentioning the father’s penis here is more effective in admonishing and rebuking the
one who boasts in an ignorant manner of his tribal lineage, because it is reminding him of the
part of his father from which he emerged, namely his father’s penis, so he should not go
beyond the bounds in pride and arrogance. Similarly, in the other example, mentioning the
mother is more effective in rebuking him, by suggesting that he is still as illiterate or ignorant as
the day on which his mother bore him [this is a play on words in Arabic, as the word ummiyyah
(illiteracy) is similar to the word umm (mother)]. And Allah knows best what the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) meant. 

Zaad al-Ma‘aad fi Hadiy Khayr al-‘Ibaad (2/438) 

This was also said by Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him), when ‘Urwah ibn
Mas‘ood, who came as a negotiator on behalf of the mushrikeen at al-Hudaybiyah, said to the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): By Allah I see faces, and I see a mixture
of people who are most likely going to flee and desert you. Abu Bakr said to him: Suck the
clitoris of al-Laat! Would we flee and desert him? He said: Who is that? They said: Abu Bakr. 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2581) 

Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The clitoris is the piece of flesh that remains in the woman’s vulva after circumcision (removal
of the prepuce of the clitoris). Al-Laat is the name of one of the idols that Quraysh and
Thaqeef used to worship. It was the custom of the Arabs to revile one another in this manner,
but by mentioning the mother, so Abu Bakr wanted to go further in reviling ‘Urwah by
referring to his object of worship instead of his mother. What made him do that was his anger
towards him when he accused the Muslims of being cowards and saying that they would flee.
This also indicates that it is permissible to say words that are regarded as foul or bad for the
purpose of rebuking one who behaves in a manner that leads to him deserving that. Ibn al-
Munayyir said: In the words of Abu Bakr we see an insult to the enemy, rejection of their

44
beliefs, and highlighting the flaws in their belief when they said that al-Laat was the daughter of
Allah – exalted be Allah far above that – by suggesting that if she was a daughter that she
would have what every female has. 

Fath al-Baari (5/340) 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The words of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq to ‘Urwah – “Suck the clitoris of al-Laat – indicate that it is
permissible to name of the private part bluntly, if that will serve the purpose, according to the
situation, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave permission to
mention the father’s male member bluntly to the one who boasted in an ignorant manner of his
tribal lineage, to whom it may be said: “Bite your father’s penis”, without using a metaphor.
Every situation is to be dealt in the manner that is appropriate to it. 

Zaad al-Ma aad fi Hadiy Khayr al-‘Ibaad (3/305) 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “Whoever offers a prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Kitaab (i.e., al-
Faatihah), it is defective” – and he said it three times. It was said to Abu Hurayrah, (What if) we
are behind the imam? He said, Recite it to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, “Allah said: I have divided prayer between Myself
and My slave into two halves, and My slave shall have what he has asked for. When the slave
says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin (All the praises and thanks be to Allaah, the Lord of the
‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists), Allah says: My slave has praised Me.

And when he says: Ar-Rahmaan ir-Raheem (The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful), Allah
(mighty and sublime be He) says: My slave has extolled Me and when he says: Maaliki yawm id-
deen (The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day
of Resurrection)), Allah says: My slave has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My
slave has submitted to My power.

And when he says: Iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nasta’een (You (Alone) we worship, and You
(Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)), He says: This is between Me and My slave,
and My slave shall have what he is asking for.

And when he says: Ihdina’s-siraata’l- mustaqeem, siraat alladheena an’amta alayhim ghayril-
maghdoobi alayhim wa la’ d-daalleen (Guide us to the Straight Way. The way of those on whom
You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those
who went astray), He says: This is for My slave, and My slave shall have what he has asked for.” 

45
 (Narrated by Muslim) 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope”

[al-Baqarah 2:286]

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfa said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, teach me something of
the Qur’aan that will suffice me, for I cannot read.” He said, “Say: Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu
Lillaah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar wa laa hawla wa la quwwata illa Billaah (Glory
be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god except Allaah and Allaah is Most great, there is
no god except Allaah and there is no power and no strength except with Allaah).” The man
made a grabbing gesture with his hand (indicating that he had learned a lot) and said, “This is
for my Lord, what is there for me?” He said, “Say: Allaahumma ighfir li warhamni wahdini
warzuqni wa ‘aafini (O Allaah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, and grant me provision
and good health).” He made another grabbing gesture with his other hand and stood up. 

(Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 924; Abu Dawood, 832. Its isnaad was classed as jayyid by al-Mundhiri
in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 2/430. al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar indicated that it is hasan in al-Talkhees
al-Habeer, 1/236) 

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

If a person does not know any Qur’aan, and he cannot learn it before the time for prayer is
over, then he must say Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu
akbar wa laa hawla wa la quwwata illa Billaah (Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is
no god except Allaah, Allaah is Most great and there is no power and no strength except with
Allaah), because Abu Dawood narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and said, “I am not able to learn anything of the Qur’aan, so teach me
something that will suffice me.” He said, “Say, Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar wa laa hawla wa la quwwata illa Billaah.” The man said, “This is for
my Lord, what is there for me?” He said, “Say: Allaahumma ighfir li warhamni warzuqni
wahdini wa ‘aafini (O Allaah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me provision, guide me, and
give me good health).” But he does not have to do more than say the first five phrases, because
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only said that, and he only told him
more when he asked for more. 

(end of Ibn Qudaamah’s words) 

46
Ibn Qudaamah said: 

It may be sufficient for him to say alhamdu-Lillaah (praise be to Allaah), laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
(there is no god but Allaah) and Allaahu akbar (Allaah is most great), because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whatever you know of Qur’aan, recite it,
otherwise praise Allaah, proclaim His Oneness and magnify Him.”  (Narrated by Abu
Dawood) 

(al-Mughni, 1/289, 290) 

As for those who are unable to do so, they should recite it as best as they can, and that does not
affect them, because Allaah does not burden a soul beyond its scope. One of the basic
principles established by the scholars is that nothing is obligatory when a person is unable to do
it. See al-Mughni, 2/154. 

In this case a person should recite al-Faatihah as best as he is able, and then glorify Allaah,
praise Him, magnify Him and proclaim His Oneness (by saying Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu
Lillaah wa Allaahu akbar wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah), so that this will make up for whatever he has
missed out of al-Faatihah. 

See al-Majmoo’, 3/375. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: 

Is the prayer of one who mispronounces al-Faatihah valid or not? 

He replied:  

If a person mispronounces al-Faatihah in a way that does not distort the meaning, his prayer is
valid, whether he is leading others in prayer or is praying alone. 

But with regard to the kind of mispronunciation that distorts the meaning, if the person knows
the meaning, such as if he says ‘Siraat allaadheena an’amtu ‘alayhim [meaning “The way of
those on whom I have bestowed my grace”, instead of the correct version an’amta (The way of
those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace)], and he knows that this verbal form is wrong,
then the prayer is not valid. But if he does not know that he is distorting the meaning, and he
thinks that this form is second person singular rather than first person, then there is a
difference of scholarly opinion on this point. And Allaah knows best. 

47
Majmoo’ al-Fataawam 22/443 

He was also asked about when a person ends a word with –i that should end in –a when
praying (or renders it genitive when it should be accusative).  

He replied: 

If he is aware of what he is doing and he does it deliberately, then his prayer is invalid, because
he is playing about in his prayer. But if he is unaware of that, then his prayer is not invalid,
according to one of the two scholarly views. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/444 

 It was narrated that ‘Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who is skilled in reciting Qur’aan
will be with the noble and obedient scribes (i.e., the angels?) and the one who reads the Qur’aan
and struggles with it because it is difficult for him will have two rewards.” 

(Narrated by Muslim, 798) 

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The one who struggles with it is the one who is hesitant in his recitation because he is not able
to memorize it well. He will have two rewards: the reward for reciting it and the reward for his
efforts in reciting it.  

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Shaqeeq al-‘Aqeeli, the great Taabi’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The
companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not think that
failing to do any action was kufr except prayer.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

But among people are some who are ignorant of some of these rulings and may be excused for
that, so no one should be judged to be a disbeliever unless proof is established in his case that
the message reached him, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “in order that mankind
should have no plea against Allaah after the (coming of) Messengers” [al-Nisa’ 4:165]. Hence if
a man became Muslim and did not know that prayer was obligatory upon him, or he did not
know that alcohol was haraam, he does not become a disbeliever for not believing that the

48
former is obligatory or that the latter is haraam; indeed he will not be punished unless proof
from the Prophet reached him. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (11/406) 

Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

There is no difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that if a man became
Muslim and did not know the laws of Islam, so he believed that alcohol was permissible and
that a person did not have to pray, and the ruling of Allah had not reached him, he is not a
disbeliever. And there is no difference of opinion concerning that, unless proof was established
to him and he persisted. In that case, according to the consensus of the ummah, then he is a
disbeliever. 

Al-Muhalla (11/206) 

Al-Qaraafi al-Maaliki (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The shar’i principle indicates that any kind of ignorance which the accountable person could
have dispelled does not count as evidence for the ignorant, for Allah sent His Messengers to
His creation with His messages, and He commanded them all to learn it, then act upon it. So
learning and acting upon it are obligatory, and the one who does not learn and act accordingly,
and remains ignorant, has committed two sins because he has failed to fulfil two obligations. 
Al-Furooq (4/264). 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

This excuse does not count unless one is unable to remove it, otherwise if a person is able to
learn the truth but falls short in that, he is not excused.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (20/280) 

Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

As for the one who is able to learn but he was careless about it, and gives precedence to
individual’s opinions over what he knows of the revelation, this is the one who is not excused.

Adwa’ al-Bayaan (7/357) 

In the ‫ ُ ُأ‬Sunnan of Abu Dawud that Abu Huraira said: that the Messenger‫ َأ‬of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ said: «
‫َ ىَل‬ ‫َ ىَل ْ َ َأ ْ ْ َ نْي َ َ ْ نيَ ْ َ ً َ َ ْ رَت‬ َّ َ َ َ ً َ َْ َ ‫ْ رَت َ ْ ُ ىَل‬
‫اف َ ق ْت ال َي ُهود َع ِإ ْحدى ْو ِثنت ِنْي َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة َوتف َّرق ْتالن َص َارى ع ِإ حدى و ِثنت ِ وسب ِع ِفرقة وتف ِ ق ميِت ع‬
َّ

49
 ًَ ‫َ اَل‬
‫» ث ٍث َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة‬. “The Jews were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects as were the
Christians. My Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.”   

‫َ َ َ ْ ُ ىَل‬
In the Sunnan of Tirmithi from Abu Huraira that Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬said: « ‫تف َّرق ْت ال َي ُهود َع‬
ًَ ‫ىَل َ اَل‬ ‫ْ َ َ َ ْ رَت ُ ُأ‬ َّ ً َ َ َ ْ ‫َأ‬ َ
‫»ِإ ْحدى َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ْو اثنت ِنْي َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة َوالن َص َارى ِمث َل ذ ِلك َوتف ِ ق َّميِت َع ث ٍث َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة‬،  “The Jews
were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects as were the Christians. My Ummah will be
divided into seventy-three sects.”   

In Al-Bab from Saad and Abdullah bin Amr and Auf bin Malik that Abu Isa said: the Hadith
of Abu Huraira is Hassan Sahih.

In Al-Mustadrak by Al-Hakim from Abu Huraira that he said, the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:
« ‫ وتفرت ق أميت‬،‫ وافرت قت النصارى عىل إحدى أو اثنتني وسبعني فرقة‬،‫افرت قت اليهود عىل إحدى أو اثنتني وسبعني فرقة‬
‫»عىل ثالث وسبعني فرقة‬ “The Jews were divided into seventy-one or seventy-two sects as were the
Christians. My Ummah will be divided into seventy-three sects.”   

He said that this is an authentic (Sahih) Hadith based on Muslim’s conditions, and they did not
extract it, and it has witnesses (i.e., it was narrated by other companions)… Az-Zahabi agreed
with him.

As for the second category with the addition “all in the fire except one”, many narrations
confirm that it is Sahih and Hassan:

– Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunnan: Mahmoud bin Ghailan told us, Abu Daud Al-Hafri told us
that Sufyan al-Thawri from Abd Al-Rahman bin Ziyad Al-Afriqi from Abd Allah bin Yazeed
َ ‫َو َّن َب رْس َ ا‬
from Abd Allah bin ‘Amr  that he said: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:  «… ‫يل‬ ‫ِإ يِن ِإ ِئ‬

50
َ ‫النار اَّل م َّل ًة َواح َد ًة َق ُالوا َو َم ْن َ َيا َر ُس‬
‫ول‬
َّ
‫م‬ْ ‫َعىَل َثاَل ٍث َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِم َّل ًة ُك ُّل ُه‬ ‫م‬َّ ‫َت َف َّر َق ْت َعىَل ث ْن َتنْي َو َس ْبعنيَ م َّل ًة َو َت ْفرَت ُق ُأ‬
‫يِه‬ ِ ِ ‫ِإ‬ ِ ‫يِف‬ ‫يِت‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ
‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬
َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َ َ َ ‫هَّلل‬
‫» ا ِ قال ما نا علي ِه و صحايِب‬ “‘The Children of Israel split into seventy two sects and my Ummah
will split into seventy-three sects; all of whom will be in Hell except one group.” ‘They said:
Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘(Those who follow) that which I and my
companions follow.’” Abu Isa said it is a Hasan and Ghareeb Hadith. 

Ibn Majah extracted in his Sunnan: Amr bin Othman bin Said bin Katheer bin Dinar Al-Homsi
told us, Abad bin Yusuf told us, Safwan bin Amr told us from Rashid bin Saad from Auf bin
ٌ َ َ ًَ َ ‫ْ رَت َ ْ ُ ىَل‬
Malik that he said: the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: «‫اف َ ق ْت ال َي ُهود َع ِإ ْحدى َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة ف َو ِاحدة يِف‬
َّ َّ ْ ٌ َ َّ َ َ َ ًَ َ ْ ‫ىَل‬ َّ َ ‫ْ رَت‬ َّ َ َّ ْ
‫ال َجن ِة َو َس ْب ُعون يِف الن ِار َواف َ ق ْتالن َص َارى َع ِثنت ِنْي َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة فِإ ْحدى َو َس ْب ُعون يِف الن ِار َو َو ِاحدة يِف ال َجن ِة َوال ِذي‬
َّ ْ ًَ ‫ىَل َ اَل‬ ‫َ َ ْ رَت َ ُأ‬
‫َ َ َ ُ َ هَّلل‬
‫ول ا ِ َم ْن‬
َّ َ َْ ٌ َ
‫س ُم َح َّم ٍد ِب َي ِد ِه لتف ِ ق َّن َّميِت َع ث ٍث َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة َو ِاحدة يِف ال َجن ِة َو ِثنت ِان َو َس ْب ُعون يِف الن ِار ِقيل يا رس‬ ُ ‫َن ْف‬
َُ َ َ ْ َ َ ْ ُ
‫اعة‬ ‫» هم قال الجم‬ “‘The Children of Israel split into seventy one sects; one in Paradise and seventy
in Hellfire. And the Christians split into seventy-two sects; seventy-one in Hellfire and one in
Paradise. By the one whose my soul is in hands, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects;
one group will be in Paradise and seventy-two will be in Hellfire’. ‘They said: Who are they, O
Messenger of Allah?’ ‘He said:‘The Jamma’ah.’”

Ahmad extracted in his Musnad:  Abu Al-Mughira said, Safwan told us, he said, Azhar bin
Abdullah Al-Hawzni told me that Abu Al-Mughira in the place of Al-Harazai from Abu Amir
Abdullah bin Luhai who said went to Hajj with Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan, when we approached
ْ ‫َّ َأ‬
Mecca, he prayed the noon prayer, and told us that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: «‫ِإ ن ه َل‬
َ ُّ ُ َ َ ْ ‫ْ َ ىَل ْ َ نْي َ َ ْ نيَ َّ ً َ َّ َ ُأْل َّ َ َ َ ْ رَت ُ َ ىَل َ اَل َ َ ْ نيَ َّ ً َ ْ َأْل‬ ُ َ ‫ْ َ َ نْي ْ رَت‬
‫ال ِكتاب ِ اف قوا يِف ِد ِين ِهم ع ِثنت ِ وسب ِع ِملة وِإ ن ه ِذ ِه ا مة ستف ِ ق ع ث ٍث وسب ِع ِملة يعيِن ا هواء كلها يِف‬
ُ َ َ َ ْ َ َ ً َ َ ‫َّ اَّل‬
‫اعة‬ ‫» الن ِار ِإ و ِاحدة ويِه الجم‬ The Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬ said: “Those who came before you of the
people of the Book split into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three:
seventy-two in Hell and one in Paradise, and that is the Jamaa’ah (main body of Muslims).”
At-Tabarani extracted in As-Saghir: Isa Bin Muhammad As-Simsar Al-Wasiti told us, Wahab Bin
Bakiya told us, Abdullah Bin Sufyan Al-Madani told us, from Yahya Bin Saeed Al-Ansari from
Anas Bin Malik who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his

51
family and companions) said: « ‫ وما يه‬:‫ قالوا‬،‫تفرت ق هذه األمة عىل ثالث وسبعني فرقة كلهم يف النار إال واحدة‬

‫ما أنا عليه اليوم وأصحايب‬ :‫»تلك الفرقة؟ قال‬ “‘This Ummah will split into seventy-three sects; all of
whom will be in Hell except one group.’” They said: ‘Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He
said: ‘(Those who follow) that which I and my companions follow.’”  Only Abdullah Bin Sufyan
narrated it from Yahya.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Dala’il An-Nubuwa: Abu al-Husain bin Al-Fadl Al-Qattan told us,
Abdullah bin Jaafar Al-Nahawi told us, Ya’qub bin Sufyan told us, Abu al-Yaman told us,
Safwan told us, from Al-Azhar bin Abdullah, on the authority of Abu Amir Abdullah bin Luhai
that he said: We went to Hajj with Muawiya, when we approached Makka, he prayed zhuhur,
and said: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: «‫ وإن‬،‫إن أهل الكتاب افرت قوا يف دينهم عىل اثنتني وسبعني ملة‬
‫ ويه الجماعة‬،‫ كلها يف النار إال واحدة‬،‫»هذه األمة ستفرت ق عىل ثالث وسبعني ملة يعين األهواء‬ “Those who came
before you of the people of the Book split into seventy-two sects, and this ummah will split
into seventy-three: seventy-two in Hell and one in Paradise, and that is the Jamaa’ah (main body
of Muslims).”

Al-Hakim narrated in Al-Mustadrak on the two Sahihs: Abu Al-Abbas, Muhammad bin Ya`qub
told us, from Muhammad bin Ishaq As-Saghani, from Abu Al-Yaman, Al-Hakam Bin Nafi ‘al-
Bahrani, from Safwan bin Amr, from Al-Azhar Bin Abd-Allah, from Abi Amir Abdullah Bin
Luhai, that he said, we went to Hajj with Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan, he got up and prayed
ً َّ َ َ ْ ‫ىَل‬ ُ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ ‫َّ َأ‬
zhuhur in Makka, he said: The Prophet  ‫ ﷺ‬said: «،‫ابتف َّرقوا يِف ِد ِين ِه ْم َع اثنت ِنْي َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِملة‬ ِ ‫ِإ ن هل ال ِكت‬
ُ َ َ َ ْ َ َ ً َ َ ‫َّ اَّل‬ ُّ ُ ‫َ ْ رَت ُ َ ُأْل ُ ىَل َ اَل‬
‫اعة‬ ‫»… َوتف ِ ق ه ِذ ِه ا َّمة َع ث ٍث َو َس ْب ِعنيَ كل َها يِف الن ِار ِإ و ِاحدة ويِه الجم‬ “The people of the Book split
over their religion into seventy-two sects, and my ummah will divide into seventy-three sects; all
of them will be in the Fire except for one, and that is the Jamā’ah.”

  Al-Hakim said these narrations (chain of transmission) are proofs to answer the argument on
the authenticity of this Hadith, Az-Zahabi agreed with him.

52
 Abu Daud narrated in his Sunan: Ahmad bin Hanbal and Muhammad ibn Yahya told us, Abu
Al-Mughirah told us, Safwan told us, and Amr bin Othman told us, Baqiya told us, he said,
Safwan told me something similar, he said Azhar bin Abdullah Al-Harazi told me from Ubai
Amir Al-Hawzni, from Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, that addressed us and said: The Messenger of
َ َّ ً َّ َ ْ ‫ىَل‬ ُ ‫َأ اَل َّ َ ْ َ ْ َ ُ ْ ْ َأ ْ ْ َ ْ رَت‬
Allah ‫ ﷺ‬addressed us and said:  «‫ َوِإ ن ه ِذ ِه‬،‫اباف َ قوا َع ِثنت ِنْي َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِملة‬ ِ ‫ِإ ن من قبلكم ِمن ه ِل ال ِكت‬
ُ َ َ َ ْ َ َ َّ َ ْ ٌ َ َ َ َّ َ َْ ‫ْ َّ َ َ ْ رَت ُ ىَل َ اَل‬
‫اعة‬ ‫ ويِه الجم‬،‫ وو ِاحدة يِف الجن ِة‬،‫ ِثنت ِان َو َس ْب ُعون يِف الن ِار‬:َ‫» ال ِملة َستف ِ ق َع ث ٍث َو َس ْب ِعني‬ “Those who came
before you of the people of the Book split into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split
into seventy-three: seventy-two in Hell and one in Paradise, and that is the Jamaa’ah (main body
of Muslims).” 

– Al-Aqeeli in “Ad-Dhu’afa’ Al-Kabeer”

Muhammad bin Marwan Al-Qurashi said: Muhammad bin Ubada Al-Wasiti said: Musa bin
Ismail Al-Jabali said: Mu’az bin Yasin Az-Zayat said: Al-Abrad bin Abi Al-Ashras, said from
َ
Yahya bin, from Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: «‫ت‬
َ ‫ َم ْن ُه ْم؟ َق‬، ‫ول اهَّلل‬ ُ َ ً َ ً َ ‫ْ َّ اَّل‬ ُّ ُ ً َ َ ‫َأ‬ ‫ىَل‬ ‫َ ُ ُأ‬
:‫ال‬ ِ : ‫ قال‬،‫ كل ُه ْم يِف ال َجن ِة ِإ ِف ْرقة َو ِاحدة‬،‫ف َّرق َّميِت َع َس ْب ِعنيَ ْوِإ ْحدى َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة‬
َ ‫وا َيا َر ُس‬
ُ َ َ ْ ُ ُ َ َ َّ
‫الزن ِادقة َوه ُم القد ِ َّرية‬ » “‘My Ummah will split into seventy or seventy-one sects; all will be in
Paradise, except one’ They said: ‘Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘Az-Zanadiqa
and they are Al-Qadariyah.’”

Al-Aqeeli said Mu’az bin Yasin Az-Zayat from Al-Abrad bin Al-Ashras is an unknown man and
his speech is not memorized.

– Al-Aqeeli also narrated in “Ad-Dhu’afa’ Al-Kabeer”

Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Khalid Al-Laithi said: Na’im bin Hammad said: Yahya bin Yaman said,
from Yasin Az-Zayat, from Sa’d bin Saeed, the brother of Yahya bin Saeed Al-Ansari from

53
 ً َ ‫ْ َّ اَّل‬ ُّ ُ ً َ ْ ‫ىَل‬ ‫َ ْ رَت ُ ُأ‬
Anas that he said, the Messenger of Allah said: «‫ كل َها يِف ال َجن ِة ِإ ِف ْرقة‬،‫تف ِ ق َّميِت َع ِبض ٍع َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة‬
ُ َ َ َّ َ َ ً َ َ
‫الزن ِادقة‬ ‫ ويِه‬،‫»و ِاحدة‬ “My Ummah will split into seventy-two sects, all will be in Paradise, except
one, Az-Zanadiqa.”

Al-Aqeeli said: this Hadith cannot be referred to for its authenticity, and perhaps Yassin took it
from his father or from Al-Abrad. This Hadith has no origin from the Hadith of Yahya Bin
Saeed or from the Hadith of Sa’d.

In Al-Maudow’at of Ibn Al-Jawzi (1/267) – the book of As-Sunnah Wa Tham Al-Bida’  – the
section of the division of this Ummah:

Abd Al-Wahhab Bin Al-Mubaarak said that Ibn Bakran said that Ibn Al-Atiqi said that
Muhammad ibn Marwan Al-Qurashi said: Muhammad Bin Ubadah Al-Wasiti said to us: Musa
Bin Ismail said to us, Mu’az Bin Yasin Az-Zayyat said to us, Al-Abrad Bin Al-Ashras from
‫َأ‬ ‫ىَل‬ ‫َ ْ رَت ُ ُأ‬
Yahya Bin Saeed from Anas Bin Malik said: The Messenger of Allah ‫ « تف ِ ق َّميِت َع َس ْب ِعنيَ ْو‬:‫ﷺ‬
ُ َ َ ْ ُ ُ َ َ َّ َ َ ْ ُ ْ َ ‫ْ َ ً َ َ ً َ ُ َ َ ُ َ هَّلل‬ َّ ْ ُّ ُ ً َ َ
‫الزن ِادقة َوه ُم القد ِ َّرية‬ :‫ يا رسول ا ِ من هم؟ قال‬:‫»ِإ ْحدى َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة كل ُه ْم يِف ال َجن ِة ِإ ال ِفرقة و ِاحدة قالوا‬ “‘My
Ummah will split into seventy or seventy-one sects, all will be in Paradise, except one’, They
said: ‘Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘Az-Zanadiqa and they are Al-Qadariyah.’”
It was narrated by Ahmad Bin Uday Al-Hafiz from the Hadith of Musa Bin Ismael from Bin
Yassin and Al-Abrad.

The second chain: Abd Al-Wahhab said that Ibn Bakran said that Al-Atiqi told us, Yusuf bin
Ad-Dakhil said, Al-Aqili said, Al-Hassan Bin Ali Bin Khalid Al-Laithi said, Na’im Bin Hammad
told us Yahya bin Yaman told us, from Yasin Az-Zayat from Sa’d Bin Saeed brother of Yahya
ْ ‫ىَل‬ ‫َ ْ رَت ُ ُأ‬
Bin Saeed Al-Ansari from Anas, he said: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said:  «‫تف ِ ق َّميِت َع ِبض ٍع‬

54
ُ َ َ َّ َ َ ً َ َ ً َ ْ َّ َ ْ َ ‫» َو َس ْبعنيَ ف ْر َق ًة ُك ُّل‬ “My Ummah will split into seventy-two sects; all
‫الزن ِادقة‬ ‫يِه‬‫و‬ ‫ة‬‫د‬‫اح‬
ِ ‫و‬ ‫ة‬ ‫ق‬‫ر‬ ‫ف‬ِ ‫ال‬ ‫ِإ‬ ‫ة‬
ِ ‫ن‬ ‫ج‬ ‫ال‬ ‫يِف‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ه‬ ِ ِ
will be in Paradise, except one, Az-Zanadiqa.

The Third chain: Al-Jariri said: Al-‘Ushari told us, Ad-Darqutni told us, Abu Bakr Muhammad
Bin Uthman As-Saydalani said, Ahmad Bin Daud As-Sajistani said, Uthman bin Affan Al-
Qurashi said: Abu Ismail Al-Ayli said: Hafs Bin  Umar from Mis’ar from Sa’d Bin Saeed said: I
ُّ ُ ً َ ْ ‫ىَل‬ ‫َ ْ رَت ُ ُأ‬
heard Anas Bin Malik say: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: « ‫تف ِ ق َّميِت َع ِبض ٍع َو َس ْب ِعنيَ ِف ْرقة كل َها يِف‬
َ َ َّ َّ ْ
‫الزن ِادق ِة‬ ‫» ال َجن ِة ِإ ال‬ “My Ummah will split into seventy-two sects; all will be in Paradise, except one,
Az-Zanadiqa.

Anas said, we believed they were Al-Qadariyah.

– Ibn Al-Jawzi in Al-Mawdhu’at mentioned the three narrations above and then he said:

“The experts in the field said: Al-Abrad (who is one of the men mentioned in the first chain)
was a liar and fabricator; Yasin narrated from him, and the narration was changed and he mixed
it up and was stolen by Uthman Bin Affan (who is one of the narrators in the third chain
above)

Regarding Al-Abrad, Muhammad Bin Ishaq Bin Khuzaymah said that he is a liar and a
fabricator.

As for Yasin (one of the narrators in second chain), Yahya said about him: “His speech is
insignificant.” An-Nasa’i said: “The Hadith will not be considered (Matrook)”

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Regarding Uthman, the scholars of narrations said; the Matrook Hadith (not considered) is not
permitted to be written except for learning (its example).

As for Hafs Bin Umar (a narrator in the third chain), Abu Hatim Ar-Razi said about him, “He
was a liar”, and Al-Aqili said that he fabricates what the scholars say)

In Lisan Al-Mizan by Ibn Hajr Al-Asqalani

362- Abrad Bin Ashras- from Yahya Bin Saeed Al-Ansari…

Ibn Khuzayma said: “he is a liar and a fabricator.”

Therefore the addition of “ all in Paradise except for one) is incorrect.

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