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:

Assalamuikum...brothers and sisters in Islam,

Question:  Will a Muslim wife go to the Hell Fire because she has decided to continue living with her Atheist husband who was once Muslim on their wedding day and early years of their marriage, but now no longer believes in Allah and an Atheist?

Your sister,

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Answer:

Is wife responsible for husband’s deeds?

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.

Every person will be accountable for his own deeds in the Just Court of Allah Subhanah. No wife will be punished because her husband was a disbeliever; and similarly, no husband will be punished if his wife was a disbeliever! But the bond of marriage is so sacred and so noble, that it would be only natural that if one saw his/her spouse on the path of Hell Fire, he/she should make it known to his/her partner in clear terms the consequences of the path he/she is following. One who has made his/her partner aware of their acts of disobedience to Allah and His Messenger (saws), and have tried to the best of their ability to warn them, has indeed done his/her duty.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 66 Surah Tahreem verse 6:O you who have believed, save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel shall be men and stones; over which shall be appointed fierce and stern angels, who never disobey Allah’s Command, and they only do as they are commanded!

Your Question: Will a Muslim wife go to the Hell Fire because she has decided to continue living with her Atheist husband who was once Muslim on their wedding day and early years of their marriage, but now no longer believes in Allah and an Atheist?

In the Just Court of Allah Subhanah, the wife will not be judged for her husband’s deeds. If the wife believed and did righteous good deeds according to the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah; she will, Insha Allah, be rewarded with Paradise in the Hereafter. Her husband will be responsible for his belief and his deeds, and the wife will not be questioned about it!

The biggest proof of such an incident is the case of one of the best and most righteous woman who ever walked on this planet earth: Hadrat Asiya, the wife of the evil and arrogant Pharoah whom Allah Subhanah has condemned in the Holy Quran to the everlasting Fire of Hell. But Pharoah’s wife, Asiya, was a believer and an extremely righteous woman, and Allah Subhanah accepted her supplication to build her a mansion in Paradise.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 66 Surah Tahreem verse 11:And Allah sets forth as an example to those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh: Behold she said: "O my Lord! Build for me in nearness to Thee, a mansion in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong";

In the same Surah, Allah also sets forth an example of the evil and unrighteous wives of righteous husbands. The righteous husbands will be in Paradise, and their disbelieving wives in the fire of Hell.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 66 Surah Tahreem verse 10:Allah sets forth for an example to the Unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were (respectively) under two of Our righteous servants, but they were false to their (husbands) and they profited nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: "Enter ye the fire along with (others) that enter!"

Thus, in the Just Court of Allah Subhanah, even if the wives of the noble Prophets of Allah disbelieved, they will be condemned to the Fire of Hell! No one will be saved simply because they are related to a righteous believer; nor will anyone be punished for being related to an evil and disobedient person. On that Inevitable Day, every person will be judged according to his/her own deeds.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan