By Shakiel Humayun
Perfection and all praises are for Allāh, the Most High, and may He mention His Messenger, Muhammad :saw:, amongst the angels.
Allāh is the only one worthy of worship. He is the King of kings, the Lord of the Great Throne, the All-Just.
His knowledge encompasses everything. He knew what happened in the past, He knows what is happening in the present, He knows what will happen in the future, He knows what would have happened if a certain event were not to happen, He, the Magnificent, the Sublime, knows what He Himself would do before He does it. His knowledge is perfect without any defects or deficiencies.
Allāh has created mankind for the purpose that they worship only Him. Allāh said,
[Sūrah adh-Dhāriyāt 51:56]
| Quran wrote: |
| Sura 51 - Adh-Dhariyat [The Winnowing winds] Verse 56-56: 56. وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإنْسَ إِلا لِيَعْبُدُونِ |
| Quran translation wrote: |
| Sura 51 - Adh-Dhariyat [The Winnowing winds] Verse 56-56: 56. I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me. |
He has created paradise to reward those who believe in Him and in His Messengers and He has created the hellfire to punish those who disbelieve in Him and in His Messengers. There will also be some sinners amongst the Muslims, who did not seek repentance, or were not forgiven, or did not have their sin atoned, who will enter the hellfire temporarily.
The Prophet :saw: said,
"I was shown the hellfire and most of its inhabitants were women"
[al-Bukhari]
How was the Prophet :saw: able to see the future? Allāh enabled the Prophet :saw: to see the future and the inhabitants of the hellfire.
Allāh knows who the inhabitants of paradise and hellfire would be before they were created. The fact that Allāh knew who the inhabitants of the hellfire would be in no way forces the people to go to hellfire such that they have no will at all. Allāh is Just and does not do any least bit of injustice to anyone.
Allāh has created mankind upon the fitrah, He has sent to them Prophets and Messengers to guide them to the path of Islām. It is their choice and their will to disobey Allāh and His Messengers. And whatever anyone wills is subjected to the will of Allāh:
[Sūrah at-Takwīr 81:29]
| Quran wrote: |
| Sura 81 - At-Takwir [The overthrowing] Verse 29-29: 29. وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ |
| Quran translation wrote: |
| Sura 81 - At-Takwir [The overthrowing] Verse 29-29: 29. But ye shall not will except as Allah wills,- the Cherisher of the Worlds. |
However, the statement of the Prophet :saw:, "I was shown the hellfire and most of its inhabitants were women", is a great mercy and benefit for the ummah.
Some of the benefits are as follows:
1. We learn from this hadīth that Allāh has knowledge of the unseen, the past, present, and future. His knowledge is perfect and has no limits or defects. Thus, we can not speak about the unseen, the unheard, the past, or the future through rationale or speculation but only through evidences from the Qurān and Sunnah.
2. We learn about the kindness of Allāh and the care and concern of His Prophet :saw: for the women of this ummah. This hadīth awakens both the men and the women.
Firstly, it serves as a caution to the women. They are being told in advance about what will happen in the future. They can benefit from this by preparing beforehand and making sure they do their utmost to not become one of these statistics. Thus, it serves as a caution and motivation for them to obey Allāh and His Messenger :saw:.
Secondly, it places the responsibility on the men who are responsible for their womenfolk, be it their daughters or wives, that they make sure they give them the proper cultivation and development to obey Allāh and His Messenger :saw:.
3. It induces fear in the hearts of the believing women. Fearing the punishment of the hereafter is an aspect of imān. The fear is to be balanced with the hope of Allāh's mercy. Both fear and hope are balanced qualities of a believer who does not go into extremes of either one of them or neglects one these qualities at the expense of the other.
Women will form the majority of the inhabitants of the hellfire - a fact spoken by the trusted and the trustworthy Muhammad :saw:. The statements of Allāh and His Messenger :saw: are not subjected to the rationalization of any human. The statements of Allāh are the truth and are just. They are not subjected to the acceptance of mankind to qualify being the truth or just. Allāh said:
[Sūrah al-'Anām 6:115]
[quote="Quran"]Sura 6 - Al-Anaam [Cattle, Livestock] Verse 115-115:
115. وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلا لا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
[/quote]
| Quran translation wrote: |
| Sura 6 - Al-Anaam [Cattle, Livestock] Verse 115-115: 115. The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfilment in truth and in justice: None can change His words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all. |
It has been completed truthfully in its information and justly in its commands and prohibitions. There is no misinformation or injustice.
However, the believing woman will do her utmost to get into paradise. The Prophet :saw: has shown her the way:
"If a woman prays her five, fasts her month, guards her private parts, and obeys her husband, then it is said to her, 'Enter into Paradise from any of the gates you wish'"
[Musnad Ahmad]
The believing woman will not embark upon those aspects which will bring her into or closer to the hellfire. The Prophet :saw: said:
"I was shown the hellfire 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 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 to one of them and then she sees something in you, she will say, 'I have never received any good from you'"
[al-Bukhari]
The believing woman will make sure that she does not ascertain such characteristics. If she does, then that is her choice and she is responsible for the outcome.
It may be that most of the inhabitants of the hellfire are women because there would be more women than men, but Allāh's knows best. The Prophet :saw: said:
"Amongst the signs of the Hour is the knowledge being uplifted, abundance of ignorance, abundance of adultery and fornication, abundance of drinking alcoholic beverages, decrease of men, and abundance of women such that fifty women will be looked after by one man"
[al-Bukharī, at-Tirmidhī]
Whatever the reason, the concern of the believing woman is to obey Allāh and His Messenger with knowledge, certainty, acceptance, compliance, love, and sincerity. And to be busy with that which will bring her closer to paradise and farther from the hellfire as was the case of the companions:
Muadh bin Jabal asked, "O Messenger of Allāh, inform me of an action that will enter me into paradise and farther me from the hellfire."
[at-Tirmidhī]
And Allāh knows best.
