Hadith No: 2
Al-Suyuti - al-Hawi lil-Fatawa - Fatawa Hadithiyya
Book of Resurrection - Topic on the Hereafter - Masalik al-Hunafa fi Najati Waliday al-Mustafa
Volume: (1) - Page Number: (244)
- Issue: The judgement regarding the parents of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) is that they are both saved and not in hell.
Many scholars have explicitly stated this, and they have various methods to support it: The first method is that they died before the prophecy, and there is no punishment before it, due to the Almighty's statement: {
And We would not punish until We had sent a Messenger (Surah al-Isra: 15)}.
Our Ash'ari imams, both from the theologians and those of jurisprudence and fundamentals, have unanimously agreed that whoever dies without receiving the message will die saved, and that he will not be fought until invited to Islam, and if killed, he is to be compensated with blood money and atonement, as stated by Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with him) and the other scholars. In fact, some scholars added that it is obligatory to seek retribution for his killing, but the correct view is the opposite, as he is not a true Muslim and the condition for retribution is equivalence. Some jurists have reasoned that if he dies, he will not be punished because he is based on the original nature, and there was no stubbornness or rejection from him, nor did a Messenger come to him to be denied.
This method was the first I heard mentioned in this context from our شيخنا, Shaykh al-Islam Sharaf al-Din al-Manawi, when he was asked about the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) father. He vehemently roared at the questioner and, when asked whether his Islam had been established, replied, "He died in the time of trial, and there is no punishment before the prophecy."- This was also conveyed by Sabt ibn al-Jawzi in his book Mir'at al-Zaman from a number of people, for he narrated his grandfather's comments on the hadith of the mother's (peace be upon her) resurrection and then said the following:
And some said: Allah, the Exalted, has said: {
And We would not punish until We had sent a Messenger (Surah al-Isra: 15),}
and the call did not reach his father and mother, so what was their sin? Al-Abi firmly stated this in his commentary on Sahih Muslim. I will mention his wording.
There are also narrations regarding the people of the time of trial that they will be tested on the Day of Resurrection, and verses indicating that they will not be punished.- To this, the حافظ of the era, Shaykh al-Islam Abu al-Fadl ibn Hajar, inclined in some of his books, saying:
And it is presumed that the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) - meaning those who died before the prophecy - will obey during the trial in honor of him (peace be upon him and his holy progeny), so that his eyes may find comfort in them. I then saw him say in al-Isabah: It has been reported through several chains concerning the elderly shaykh, those who died in the time of trial, those born mute, blind, deaf, or born insane, or who became insane before maturity, and similar cases, that each of them will present a justification and say, "If I had been able to understand or remember, I would have believed." A fire will be raised before them, and it will be said, "Enter it." Whoever enters it will find it cool and safe, and whoever refuses will be compelled to enter. This is the essence of what has been reported on this matter. He stated that he had compiled its various sources in a separate volume.
We hope that Abdul Muttalib and the members of his household will be among those who enter it willingly and be saved, except for Abu Talib, for he witnessed the prophecy and did not believe, and it is established that he is in a shallow place in hell. I have included the story of the trial within this method, although it seems that it is an independent approach. However, I found it serves a subtle purpose that will not be lost on those with deep understanding.