I have read in several places that their will be more women in hell than men,
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
i have
read in several places that their will be more women in hell than men,please
forgive me for saying this, as i may come accross as a man hater but most of
the evil today without a doubt is propagated, committed by men,which ever
country you look at , and whatever crime you look into, be it, Rape, murder,
sexual abuse,corruption, it is committed by men,Now the women that will be in
hell will have either displeased Allah (swt) or their husbands,i understand
this can happen,but is the punishment for this worse than what men are doing to
women all over the world, in the name of islam? women are being raped,girls are
being sexually abused in many muslim and non muslim countries,men are much more
powerful than women mentally and physically in many aspects of life so would
allah (swt) not have mercy on women? i know its probably wrong for me to think
this, but surely a woman being raped.abused etc is a much worser crime than her
being disobedient to her husband? i cannot comprehend how women could possibly
outweigh men in hell,especially when i see the state of this world that we live
in.
im sorry if i may have said anything out of turn or offensive.
can i have a reply on my email address asap please and not on the website,and
keep my identity confidential?
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
More Women in Hell
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person, no
grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Beloved sister in Islam, never ever hesitate or apologize
for asking any questions in the deen; for the deen or ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam
is based on the Perfect Wisdom and Knowledge of the All Knowing Lord, and every
single command of the All Wise Lord is abundant in common-sense and logic. Asking any type of questions in Islam to gain
more knowledge, or to confirm the Truth so that one’s heart is more content, or
to understand and thus follow with more conviction the dictates of the deen is
not only permissible, but absolutely encouraged in Islam. It is the right of the brother or sister to
ask anything they wish to clarify in the deen; and it is the responsibility and
duty of the good scholars to address the question asked to the best of their
knowledge and ability, and in the most polite and humble manner.
What is discouraged in Islam is if one asks questions for
the sake of asking, or arguing to ridicule the Truth with absolutely no
intention of obeying or following when the Truth is made clear to them,
etc. But if one asks questions to
clarify and seek knowledge so that one may better follow the deen; such seeking
of the Knowledge of Truth is absolutely encouraged in Islam
Your
Question: i cannot comprehend how women could possibly outweigh men in
hell,especially when i see the state of this world that we live in.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah
Ahzaab verse 35:
35 For muslim men and women, for believing men and
women, for devout men and women, for true men and
women, for men and women who are patient and constant,
for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women
who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men
and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women
who engage much in Allah's praise; for them has Allah prepared Forgiveness and
a Great Reward.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah
Ahzaab verse 72:
72 Allah hath promised to believers, men and women, Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell
therein and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure
of Allah: that is the supreme felicity.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 48 Surah
Al-Fath verse 5:
5 That He may admit the men and women who believe to
Gardens beneath which rivers flow to dwell therein for aye and remove their
ills from them; and that is in the Sight of Allah the Highest Achievement
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 57 Surah
Hadid verses 11-12:
11 Who is he that will loan to Allah a beautiful Loan? For (Allah) will
increase it manifold to his credit and he will have (besides) a liberal reward.
12 One Day shalt thou see the believing men and the believing women
how their Light runs forward before them and by their right hands: (their
greeting will be): "Good News for you this Day! Gardens beneath which flow
rivers! To dwell therein for aye! This is indeed the Highest Achievement!"
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah
Ahzaab verses 72-73:
72 We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the
Mountains: but they refused to undertake it being afraid thereof: but man
undertook it he was indeed unjust and foolish.
73 (With the result) that Allah has to punish the hypocrites men and
women, and the unbelievers men and women, and Allah turns in Mercy to the
believers men and women: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah
Ale-Imraan verse 195:
195 And their Lord hath accepted of them and answered them: "Never
will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you be he male or female:
ye are members one of another; those who have left their homes or been driven
out therefrom or suffered harm in My Cause or fought or been slain verily I
will blot out from them their iniquities and admit them into Gardens with
rivers flowing beneath; a reward from the presence of Allah and from His
presence is the best of rewards."
Dear and Beloved Sister in Islam, rest assured that the
All-Wise All-Just Lord does not Judge His creation according to their gender,
or color, or race, or nationality, or anything else over which one did not
possess any control….but the principle of Justice of the Lord Most Just is
based on the beliefs and deeds of each individual, absolutely regardless of
their gender or color, etc.! Whosoever’s
weight of good deeds is heavier in the Supreme Scales of Allah Subhanah will be
shown His Forgiveness and Mercy; and whosoever’s weight of evil is heavier will
deserve the Lord’s Wrath and Anger.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 103 Surah
Al-Qariah verses 6-11:
6 Then he whose balance (of good deeds)
will be (found) heavy
7 Will be in a life of good pleasure and
satisfaction.
8 But he whose balance (of good deeds) will
be (found) light
9 Will have his home in a (bottomless) pit.
10 And what will explain to thee what this
is?
11 (It is) a Fire Blazing fiercely!
My dear and beloved sister, now to answer your specific
question regarding the quoted hadith, whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws)
warned that he (saws) was shown Hell Fire and he (saws) saw that the majority
of its inhabitants were women.
The Prophet (saws) said: "I was shown
the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were
ungrateful." It was asked, "Do they disbelieve in
Allah?" (or are they ungrateful to Allah?)
He (saws) replied, "They are ungrateful to their husbands and are
ungrateful for the favors and the good done to them. If you have always been
good (benevolent) to one of them and then she sees something in you (not of her
liking), she will say, 'I have never received any good from you!"
Although most people have taken this authentic quotation
of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and used it against the womenfolk, the truth
is that most of them have not truly understood the wisdom behind the wise
counsel of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and the depth and reality of the
wisdom behind the statement.
One can only imagine the importance the Prophet (saws) and
Islam lays on the development of peace, tranquility, and harmony in a marriage
in Islam. The above statements of the
Messenger of Allah (saws) were said when he was addressing the womenfolk, and
he (saws) guided them how detestable is their act of constantly complaining and
being ungrateful to their husbands in the Sight of Allah, and how this constant
complaining and nagging effects the very core of the relationship between a
husband and his wife in marriage!
There are several ahadeeths of the Messenger of Allah
(saws) whereby he warned the men, when his audience were men, regarding the
severity and important of being merciful, kind, charitable, and forgiving
towards their wives, and keeping good harmonious relations with their wives in
marriage.
The Prophet (saws) said: ‘The most perfect
Muslim in the matter of faith is one who has excellent behaviour; and the best
among you are those who behave best towards their wives.’
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "The best
of you is he who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to my
family."
Sahih Muslim Hadith 3465 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The whole
world is a provision, and the best object of benefit of the world is the pious
woman.’
Sahih Muslim Hadith 3469 Narrated by
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘a believing
man should not hate a believing woman (his wife); if he dislikes one of her
characteristics, he will be pleased with another.
The Prophet (saws) said, "One who
treats badly those under his authority will not enter
The wisdom behind the statement of the Messenger of Allah
(saws) warning the believing woman was not to belittle or demean the role of
women, but rather a warning and a guidance to make sure they fulfill their part
in developing peace, harmony and tranquility in their marriage; and Allah is
our witness sister, nothing is more hurtful to men than to hear these words
from their wives after a lifetime of sacrifices that ‘'I have never received any good from you!"
My dear and beloved sister in Islam, I tell you as a man
myself, nothing on this planet earth crushes and crumbles the heart of the man
to pieces than to hear this one statement from the one whom he has cherished
and loved a lifetime!
Rest assured my beloved sister, that the men who harm,
abuse, oppress, tyrannize, and are unjust to anyone, leave alone their wives,
will have to pay retribution in full to the victims of their tyranny in the
Majestic Presence of the Lord Most Majestic on that Inevitable Day of
Justice…and Allah is our witness sister, not a single soul will be wronged in
that Majestic and Tumultuous gathering!
Sahih Muslim Hadith 6251 Narrated by
Allah's Messenger (saws) asked: ‘Do you know
who is a ‘muflis’ (an absolute and abject pauper)?’ They (the Companions of the Prophet (saws))
said: ‘A ‘muflis’ amongst us is one who has neither dirham with him nor
wealth.’ He (the Prophet (saws)) said:
‘The ‘muflis’ (or absolute pauper) of my Ummah would be he who would come on the
Day of Resurrection with prayers and fasts and Zakat but (he would find himself
bankrupt on that day as he would have exhausted his funds of virtues) since he
hurled abuses upon others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully consumed
the wealth of others, shed the blood of others, and beat others, and his
virtues would be credited to the account of one (who suffered at his hand). And
if his good deeds fall short to clear the account, then his sins would be
entered in (his account) and he would be thrown in the Hell-Fire!’
Although most people who do not fully and truly understand
the wisdom behind the statement of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and have taken
the words ‘I was shown the Hell-fire and that the
majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful’ literally,
assume that the Hell Fire mentioned in the above hadith refers to the complete
expanse and all the inhabitants of the Hell-Fire! The Truth is that just as
When the Messenger of Allah (saws) relates in truth that
the inhabitants of the Hell-Fire he was shown had a majority of women as its
inhabitants, it is very probable that he (saws) was warning about only a
particular section and level of Hell where those who were constantly ungrateful
were held. There are many authentic
narrations whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) was shown and talks about
particular sections and levels of the Hell Fire and its inhabitants…..
The Prophet (saws) said: ….. I had seen (a
dream) last night that two men (
The man went to pick it up and by the time he
returned to him, the crushed head had returned to its normal state and the man
came back and struck him again (and so on). I said, 'Who is this?' They told me
to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a hole like an oven; with a
narrow top and wide bottom, and the fire was kindling underneath that hole.
Whenever the fire-flame went up, the people were lifted up to such an extent
that they were about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the
people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said,
'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a
river of blood and a man was in it, and another man was standing at its bank
with stones in front of him, facing the man standing in the river. Whenever the
man in the river wanted to come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth
and caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted
to come out the other would throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to
his original position. I asked, 'What is this?' They told me to proceed on and
we did so till we reached a well-flourished green garden having a huge tree and
near its root was sitting an old man with some children. (I saw) another man
near the tree with fire in front of him and he was kindling it up. Then they
(i.e. my two companions) made me climb up the tree and made me enter a house,
better than which I have ever seen. In it were some old men and young men,
women and children.
Then they took me out of this house and made
me climb up the tree and made me enter another house that was better and
superior (to the first) containing old and young people. I said to them (i.e.
my two companions), 'You have made me ramble all the night. Tell me all about
that I have seen.' They said, 'Yes. As for the one whose cheek you saw being
torn away, he was a liar and he used to tell lies, and the people would report
those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will be
punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.
The one whose head you saw being crushed is
the one whom Allah had given the knowledge of Qur'an (i.e. knowing it by heart)
but he used to sleep at night (i.e. he did not recite it then) and did not use
to act upon it (i.e. upon its orders etc.) by day; and so this punishment will
go on till the Day of Resurrection. And those you saw in the hole (like oven)
were adulterers (those men and women who commit illegal sexual intercourse).
And those you saw in the river of blood were those dealing in Riba (usury). And
the old man who was sitting at the base of the tree was
In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the
Quran and Sunnah, it is absolutely evident that the Lord Most High does not
base His Justice, His Rewards, and His Sentences of Punishments based on one’s
gender or race or color, etc.; but every soul shall reap the results of only
what one had sown in their test period of one life on this earth; and Allah is
our witness sister, no one will be wronged in the least in that Majestic and
Supreme Presence of their Lord Most High.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 36 Surah
Yaseen verses 53-54:
53 It will be no more than a Single Blast when lo! They will all be
brought up before Us!
54 Then on that Day not a soul will be wronged in the least, and ye
shall but be repaid (in full) the meeds of your past deeds.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in
Islam,
Burhan
Wister