This article is summarised from discussions in Masalik al-Hunafa of Imam al-Suyuti and Hukmu Abaway Sayidina Muhammad ﷺ al-Sharifayn by Sheikh Abdullah Sirajuddin.
The Fatra is the period between Messengers where there is no Messenger. The people who lived between these years are called Ahl al-Fatra. An example is the time between the Prophet Isa (alayhisalam) and our Master the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ which was around 600 years. The majority of the scholars1 held the opinion that the Ahl al-Fatra are saved and they will not be punished because the message did not reach them.
Allah Most High has said in the Quran:
وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا
“And We would never punish (a people) until We have sent a messenger”
Surah al-Isra: 15
Imam ibn Abi Hatim in his Tafsir, narrates the following with a good chain:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The one who died during the Fatra will say ‘My Lord! No Book or Messenger came to me.’ Then he will recite the following ayah ‘Our Lord! If only You had sent us a messenger, we would have followed Your signs and become believers.’ ” (Surah al-Qasas:47)
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrate in their respective Tafsirs that Qatada said regarding this Ayah:
“Indeed Allah Most High will not punish anybody until news from Allah reaches him or until a proof from Allah reaches him. (i.e. by means of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ).”
In addition to the above, when we look at the ayaat regarding those who are punished in the next life, it is clear that they received the message of a Messenger but rejected it out of obstinance and arrogance.
Having said this, there are some Hadiths which mention the punishment of certain individuals who were from the time of Fatrah. There are number of explanations to these:
- They are all lone narrator reports (akhbar ahaad) so cannot oppose definitive (qati) verses of Quran.
- The punishment is restricted specifically to these individuals for a reason Allah Most High knows best about.
- This is the most correct opinion and does not contradict the second explanation; the punishment narrated for specific individuals is due to them actively misguiding those upon the Fitrah from their people. They would actively encourage things which were against the previous Shariahs, some traces of which remained.
The Ahl al-Fatra are therefore divided into three groups:
- Those who attained tawhid and believed in Allah due to their inner perception.
- Those who changed and altered what remained of previous Sharias and committed shirk and encouraged others to worship idols.
- Those who did not commit shirk nor did they adopt tawhid. They spent most of their lives unaware of these things.
Only the second group will be punished due to their committing kufr in a way for which they have no excuse. The third group are truly Ahl al-Fatra and they are not punished as proven by definitive evidence from the Quran. The first group are obviously saved and will enter paradise.2
[1] For example, this was clearly stated by Imam al-Shafi’i in Al-Umm and al-Mukhtasar.
[2] As for the noble parents of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, they are either of the first group or third group. There is certainly no proof to suggest they were of the second group! Imam as-Suyuti wrote six books proving that the noble parents attained salvation. A short article is forthcoming on this website which summarises the six books inshallah.
Orthodox Muslim 