Alert About the Misuse of My Talk (Non-Muslims: Are They All in Hellfire?)
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. May Allah keep you in good health and well-being, dear respected audience.
Warning Against Misuse of the Phrase "Non-Muslims: Are They All in Hell?"
Brothers, one of the brothers alerted me to the misuse of a phrase I previously published titled "Non-Muslims: Are They All in Hell?" I wanted to issue a warning so that the phrase is not misused.
The Origin of the Story and the Misunderstanding
What is the story initially? The story is that someone published a clip titled "No one will enter Paradise" or "No one will enter Paradise" which I did not attend, and currently, your brother is very busy indeed between the professional aspect in scientific research and preparing for quality episodes with which we conclude the series of the woman by the permission of Allah the Almighty, then we will return to the journey of certainty and try to be a reason for people to enter Paradise and save them from Hell, and this is the most important thing in the matter. Time is short, and since I did not watch the mentioned clip, I will not judge what is in it.
However, the important thing in the matter is that some people understood from this clip of this person that the majority of non-Muslims in the world today are excused because Islam has reached them in a distorted form, and because Muslims are not good ambassadors in representing Islam. Some of the brothers responded to them by saying that your speech is invalid, how are they excused? They said to them: Yes, and Dr. Iyad says similar words in a speech of his titled "Non-Muslims: Are They All in Hell?" Here is the crux of the matter.
Clarification of the Position on the Previous Statement
I am not here to re-discuss the topic of non-Muslims and their fate, nor to discuss the statement that caused controversy recently, but to say to those who misinterpret my words: No, do not quote my words for a false concept, if you will allow me.
In the statement "Non-Muslims: Are They All in Hell?" I mentioned the statements of Imam Ghazali and Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim may Allah have mercy on them all, about those upon whom the prophetic argument has been established and those upon whom it has not been established.
Categories of People According to Imam Ghazali
Ghazali spoke of three categories:
- He said: A category to whom the name of Muhammad peace be upon him did not reach at all, they are excused.
- And a category to whom his name and description reached, meaning his attributes and what appeared of miracles from him, and they are the neighbors of the Islamic countries and those who associate with them, and they are the disbelieving atheists.
- He said: And a third category between the two degrees, to whom the name of Muhammad peace be upon him reached but his description and attributes did not reach, but they also heard since childhood that a liar and a deceiver named Muhammad -may Allah be far from him- claimed prophethood, so these are, in my opinion, in the meaning of the first category, meaning the excused. For even though they heard his name, they heard against his attributes, and this does not move the call to consider, it does not move them nor does it urge them to look into his matter and verify the truth of his call.
The Fallacy of the "Distorted Call"
Now many people get excited and say to you: So then the majority of nations today from non-Muslims are of this third category to whom the call of Islam has reached in a distorted form. No, take heed, brothers, there is no prophet whose call was not distorted and whose promises were not broken, as Warqa bin Naufal said to our Prophet peace be upon him: "No man has ever come with what you have come with except that he was met with opposition" as in al-Bukhari. So there is no prophet whose call was not distorted and whose noble person was not distorted and whose promises were not broken, and the means of enmity at all times are distortion, slander, and attempts to undermine the character.
So not everyone to whom the call of Islam has reached in a distorted form is considered excused, but there is a minimum requirement of the call of Islam, if this minimum requirement reaches a person, then it is upon him to seek and ask to know the truth from falsehood.
The Minimum Requirement for the Establishment of the Argument
Here it is appropriate for us to ask the specific question: What is the minimum requirement of the call of Islam, which if it reaches a person, the argument is established upon him even if it is mixed with much distortion? The argument is established in such a way that this person is not excused. What is the limit that Imam Ghazali indicated with the expression "it moves the call to consider" meaning it obliges the person to search and seek?
Look, dear respected audience, what appears from the speech of the scholars and Allah knows best, the minimum requirement by which the argument is established is the meanings of the two testimonies and Surah Al-Ikhlas. That is: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, that Muhammad peace be upon him calls to the Oneness of Allah the Almighty and forbids shirk.
Surah Al-Ikhlas: "Say, He is Allah, the One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent." So Surah Al-Ikhlas describes Allah the Almighty with the attributes of absolute perfection, and this agrees with the human nature, and it refutes all other religions that have described Him with false attributes that contradict nature. "Allah is One" with no gods besides Him and all worshipped things besides Him are false. "He neither begets nor is born" contrary to the saying of the Christians. "Nor is there to Him any equivalent" and this also refutes the Jews who describe Allah the Almighty in their corrupted book with what does not befit His perfection, with what does not befit His perfection such as that He wrestled with Jacob and that He slept and rested and so on, Allah is far above what they say in a great exaltation.
Ah, it is upon him to search and seek, especially in this time when you can take out your mobile device and extract detailed information from it that will come to you while you are relaxed on your chair, you are relaxed on the chair, you press a button and you get complete information.
The Role of Nature in Seeking the Truth
Someone may say: But if everyone is required to seek about every person who claims to be a prophet, this will not work. We say to him: The call of Islam is not like any call, but rather Allah the Almighty has placed in the soul a nature that is attracted to monotheism, as in the verse of the covenant, Allah the Almighty said: "And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam from their loins their descendants and made them witness against themselves, [His saying to them], 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, we have testified' - lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'Indeed, we were of this unaware.' Or [lest] you should say, 'It was only our forefathers who associated partners [with Allah] before, and we were [merely] descendants after them. Then would you destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?'" [Al-A'raf: 172-173]. And we explain the verses and perhaps they will return.
There, dear respected audience, is a nature that will be attracted when they hear the call to monotheism, even if their fathers misguided them or Christianized them or Judaized them. There is a nature that makes them feel that what they are upon is false, "So do not say, 'It was only our forefathers who associated partners [with Allah] before, and we were [merely] descendants after them.'" Nature makes them feel the falsity of what they are upon and prefer monotheism over their corrupted religion. So the one to whom it reaches that Islam calls to the Oneness of Allah and describes Him with the attributes of perfection, this is the argument established upon him, and if Islam is distorted to him, then the amount that reached him about Islam should have moved him to search and verify, for it is an amount that fills a great innate spiritual void within him, it fills a great innate spiritual void within him, it moves him to move to search and verify.
The Ease of Access to Information in the Modern Age
Now with the spread of Muslims in all the countries of the world and the ease of obtaining detailed information about them and the existence of translations of the meanings of the Quran in all languages, it becomes false to say that the majority of people are excused due to media distortion or the misconduct of many Muslims.
Turning Away from the Truth According to Ibn Qayyim
Similarly, esteemed audience, in the statement "Non-Muslims: Are they all in Hellfire?" We mentioned the narration from Ibn Qayyim about the human being who turns away, who does not care to know his Creator, nor to worship Him, nor to distinguish between true religion and falsehood. This means he is not inquiring in Islam nor outside of it, but rather lives for his desires. We mentioned Ibn Qayyim's words that this is a form of disbelief by turning away, and its possessor is not excused. Do not hold a false belief about him, but rather they deny him, reject the evident truths of the mind, and oppose their innate nature. They do not burden themselves with seeking the true religion. These people are in falsehood when they claim they are excused.
The Fate of Those Who Were Not Reached by the Proof
Also, esteemed audience, in the statement "Are they all in Hellfire?" We mentioned that the more likely scenario is that those who were not reached by the proof from the categories mentioned, those who did not receive the call of Islam at all, wanted to know the truth but could not, these will be tested on the Day of Judgment. If we say about a person that the proof was not established upon him, this does not necessarily mean that he is from the people of Paradise and the saved from Hellfire, but rather he will be tested on the Day of Judgment as in the hadith that was authenticated by a number of scholars.
The Danger of Expanding on Excuses
Take heed, my brothers, expanding on excusing people without right is a nullification of the belief in Allah's statement, how so? It means if a person is not inquiring about the religion and does not burden himself to seek, but he has humanity, then he is in Paradise. And the one who heard about Islam in a distorted manner and did not become Muslim, did not strive, and did not burden himself to seek, he is also in Paradise. So, there is no need to call people to Islam, leave them in their ignorance and misguidance. And let our call be a humanitarian call so that they enter Paradise, because if we call them to the true Islam and they disbelieve in it, they will go to Hellfire. So, no, no, no, we should not call people to Islam.
Tell me by Allah, how can the Prophet, peace be upon him, be a mercy to the worlds? If someone is excused because he turned away from learning the religion in the first place, and someone is excused because he heard about it in a distorted manner and did not burden himself to seek, then why should we inform people about the truth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, fearing that they might disbelieve and enter Hellfire. No, leave them in their ignorance or turning away, and let us leave all the verses that command us to call people to the religion of the Lord of the Worlds. By Allah, does a sensible person say such words?
The Role of the Muslim in Conveying the Call
After all of this, focus on your role, O Muslim, to convey the true call and inform people about the true religion of Allah, and to be a tool of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, in saving people from Hellfire. And at the same time, believe and be certain of the truth which is one of the most affirmed truths in the Quran and the Sunnah: that the believers are in Paradise and the disbelievers are in Hellfire.
We ask Allah, the Great Lord of the Mighty Throne, to guide us and guide us through others, and to save people from Hellfire. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.