Ahlu

l-Fatra
Who are they and what is their ruling in sharia

‫أھﻞ اﻟﻔﺘﺮة‬

 Ahlu l-Fatra

!"#$﷽


First: Allah does not forgive shirk. Whoever dies upon shirk will enter hellfire. He is not
tested or forgiven.

❝Allah ‫ ﷻ‬said:
‫ﻚ ﻟِ َﻤﻦ ﯾَ َﺸﺎ ُء‬ َ ِ‫ك ﺑِ ِﮫ َوﯾَ ْﻐﻔِ ُﺮ َﻣﺎ ُدونَ ٰ َذﻟ‬ َ ‫ﷲَ َﻻ ﯾَ ْﻐﻔِ ُﺮ أَن ﯾُ ْﺸ َﺮ‬ ‫ إِ ﱠن ﱠ‬
❝Indeed, Allah does not forgive shirk, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He
wills...❞
(An-Nisa, 48)

‫ﷲُ َﻋﻠَ ْﯿ ِﮫ ْاﻟ َﺠﻨﱠﺔَ َو َﻣﺄْ َواهُ اﻟﻨﱠﺎ ُر‬ ‫ إِﻧﱠﮫُ َﻣﻦ ﯾُ ْﺸ ِﺮ ْك ﺑِ ﱠ‬
‫ِ ﻓَﻘَ ْﺪ َﺣ ﱠﺮ َم ﱠ‬N‫ﺎ‬
❝Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his
refuge is the Hellfire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.❞
(Al-Mā'idah, 72)


About the definition of Ahlu l-Fatra:

They are peoples who lived in a period of ignorance in between two prophets, so they were
not warned.

Allah says:

‫ﯾﺮ ﻓَﻘَ ْﺪ‬ ٍ ‫ب ﻗَ ْﺪ َﺟﺎ َء ُﻛ ْﻢ َرﺳُﻮﻟُﻨَﺎ ﯾُﺒَﯿﱢﻦُ ﻟَ ُﻜ ْﻢ َﻋﻠَ ٰﻰ ﻓَ ْﺘ َﺮ ٍة ﱢﻣﻦَ اﻟﺮﱡ ﺳ ُِﻞ أَن ﺗَﻘُﻮﻟُﻮا َﻣﺎ َﺟﺎ َءﻧَﺎ ِﻣﻦ ﺑَ ِﺸ‬
ٍ ‫ﯿﺮ َو َﻻ ﻧَ ِﺬ‬ ِ ‫ ﯾَﺎ أَ ْھ َﻞ ْاﻟ ِﻜﺘَﺎ‬
‫ﷲُ َﻋﻠَ ٰﻰ ُﻛﻞﱢ َﺷ ْﻲ ٍء ﻗَ ِﺪﯾ ٌﺮ‬ ‫ َﺟﺎ َء ُﻛﻢ ﺑَ ِﺸﯿ ٌﺮ َوﻧَ ِﺬﯾ ٌﺮ َو ﱠ‬

O followers of the Book! indeed Our Apostle has come to you explaining to you after a
period [of suspension] of apostles, lest you say: There came not to us a giver of good news
or a warner, so indeed there has come to you a giver of good news and a warner; and Allah
has power over all things.
Al-Maida:19

: ‫قال رسول اهلل ﷺ‬
7‫ ﻓَﻬُﻢْ ﺃَﻫْﻞُ ﺍﻟﻨَّﺎﺭ‬،7‫ﻴّﺔ‬7‫ﻠ‬7‫ﻦَ ﺍﻟﺠَﺎﻫ‬7‫ ﺇﻻ ﻛَﺎﻥَ ﺑَﻴْﻨَﻬُﻤَﺎ ﻓَﺘْﺮَﺓٌ ﻣ‬7‫ﻭَﺇﻧَّﻪُ ﻟَﻢْ ﻳَﻜُﻦْ ﺭَﺳُﻮﻻﻥ‬
_`\\]^ ‫تفسير الطبري‬
The prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: “between every two prophets there is a period of jahiliyya, and they
are the people of the hell.”
Tafsir Al-Tabari 18/560

So this makes clear what the definition of ahlu fatra is. The jews and Christians they heard
about the prophets and about the message. Yet they were also ahlu fatra, the same as the
Arabs. The Quraysh still had some rituals of the religion of Ibrahim alayhi al salam, like the
Hajj, but they were not warned.

Allah says in Surat Yaa-Seen:

َ‫ﻟِﺘُﻨ ِﺬ َر ﻗَ ْﻮ ًﻣﺎ ﱠﻣﺎ أُﻧ ِﺬ َر آﺑَﺎ ُؤ ُھ ْﻢ ﻓَ ُﮭ ْﻢ َﻏﺎﻓِﻠُﻮن‬

That you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned. So they are heedless.
(6)
َ‫ﻖ ا ْﻟﻘَ ْﻮ ُل َﻋﻠَﻰ أَ ْﻛﺜَ ِﺮ ِھ ْﻢ ﻓَ ُﮭ ْﻢ َﻻ ﯾُﺆْ ِﻣﻨُﻮن‬
‫ﻟَﻘَ ْﺪ َﺣ ﱠ‬

Certainly the Word has proved true over most of them. so they don’t believe. (7)

So these Arab peoples were also ahlu fatra, and they were disbelievers and heedless,
unaware. And they in Hellfire for sure.

Imam Muslim narrated from Anas bin Malik:

َ‫ قَالَ يَا رَسُول‬،ً‫ أَنَّ رَجُال‬،q‫ عَنْ أَنَس‬،q‫ت‬7‫ عَنْ ثَاب‬،َ‫ حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَة‬،ُ‫ حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّان‬،َ‫ي شَيْبَة‬7‫ بْنُ أَب‬7‫حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْر‬
. " 7‫ي النَّار‬7‫ي وَأَبَاكَ ف‬7‫نَّ أَب‬7‫ فَلَمَّا قَفَّى دَعَاهُ فَقَالَ " إ‬. " 7‫ي النَّار‬7‫ي قَالَ " ف‬7‫ أَيْنَ أَب‬7َّ‫اهلل‬
‫ ﺻﺤﯿﺢ ﻣﺴﻠﻢ‬
Verily, a person said: Messenger of Allah, where is my father? He said: (He) is in the Hellfire.
When he turned away, he (the Holy Prophet) called him and said: Verily my father and your
father are in the Hellfire. Sahih Muslim 203



The clear evidences of the Hujjah (Proof) being established for anyone who do not Single
their Rabb out in ‘Ibadah, and that they deserve punishment thereby!...

‫ امليثــاق‬-
‫رَبِّكُمْ قَالُواْ بَلَى‬7‫مْ أَلَسْتُ ب‬7‫ه‬7‫مْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنفُس‬7‫ه‬7‫ن ظُهُور‬7‫ي آدَ‹َ م‬7‫ن بَن‬7‫ذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ م‬7‫ ))وَإ‬: ‫يقول تعالى‬
ْ‫م‬7‫ه‬7‫ن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِّن بَعْد‬7‫نَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا م‬7‫نيَ أَوْ تَقُولُواْ إ‬7‫ل‬7‫نَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَذَا غَاف‬7‫ إ‬7‫يَامَة‬7‫دْنَا أَن تَقُولُواْ يَوْ‹َ الْق‬7‫شَه‬
‫عُونَ ((سورة األعراف‬7‫ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْج‬7‫كَ نُفَصِّلُ اآليَات‬7‫لُونَ وَكَذَل‬7‫مَا فَعَلَ املُْبْط‬7‫كُنَا ب‬7‫أَفَتُهْل‬

، ‫ وذلك أنها أحكمت بيان القضية ثم فصلته في ذات الوقت‬, ‫وهذه اآلية من أعظم دالئل القرآن املجيد وأجلها‬
‫ سواء بالجهل‬, ‫ ثم فصلت انقطاع العذر بهذه الحجة‬, ‫فبينت إقامة الحجة باألشهاد وأخذ امليثاق على التوحيد‬
‫أو التقليد في قوله تعالى‬
‫جاهلني‬# ‫ أي‬: َ‫ني‬7‫ل‬7‫نَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَذَا غَاف‬7‫ إ‬7‫يَامَة‬7‫أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْ‹َ الْق‬
‫كانوا_مقلدين‬# ‫ أي‬: ْ‫م‬7‫ه‬7‫نْ بَعْد‬7‫نْ قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً م‬7‫نَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا م‬7‫أَوْ تَقُولُوا إ‬


...And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their
loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves
 (saying): "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day
of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this." (A'raf 172)
Or lest you should say: "It was only our fathers afortime who took others as partners in
worship along with Allah, and we were (merely their) descendants after them; will You then
destroy us because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Batil (i.e. polytheism and
committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allah)?"
(A'raf 173)

This verse is from the greatest evidences in the Quran because it clarified the issue clearly
and detailed: it made clear that the hujjah is established by our testifying and the taking of
the mithaaq of tawhid. And then it detailed that there is no excuse because of this hujjah.
Not because of ignorance neither because of blind-following. Because Allah said: “lest you
should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this” ie. We have
been ignorant. And he said: “Or lest you should say: "It was only our fathers afortime who
took others as partners in worship along with Allah, and we were (merely their) descendants
after them” ie. We were blind followers.

Al-Bukhari narrated from Anas bin Malik:

،q‫ عَنْ أَنَس‬،ِّ‫ي‬7‫مْرَانَ الجَوْن‬7‫ي ع‬7‫ عَنْ أَب‬،ُ‫ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَة‬،7‫ث‬7‫دُ بْنُ الحَار‬7‫ حَدَّثَنَا خَال‬،q‫ حَدَّثَنَا قَيْسُ بْنُ حَفْص‬- §§§¨
:َ‫ قَال‬،ْ‫ نَعَم‬:َ‫؟ قَال‬7‫ه‬7‫ي ب‬7‫ كُنْتَ تَفْتَد‬q‫نْ شَيْء‬7‫ م‬7‫ي األَرْض‬7‫ لَوْ أَنَّ لَكَ مَا ف‬:‫ عَذَابًا‬7‫ النَّار‬7‫ أَهْل‬7‫َهْوَن‬7‫نَّ اهللََّ يَقُولُ أل‬7‫ " إ‬:ُ‫يَرْفَعُه‬
" َ‫الَّ الشِّرْك‬7‫ فَأَبَيْتَ إ‬،‫ي‬7‫كَ ب‬7‫ أَنْ الَ تُشْر‬،َ‹َ‫ آد‬7‫ي صُلْب‬7‫نْ هَذَا وَأَنْتَ ف‬7‫فَقَدْ سَأَلْتُكَ مَا هُوَ أَهْوَنُ م‬
‫صحيح البخاري‬

The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, "Allah will say to that person of the (Hell) Fire who will receive the
least punishment, 'If you had everything on the earth, would you give it as a ransom to free
yourself (i.e. save yourself from this Fire)?' He will say, 'Yes.' Then Allah will say, 'While you
were in the backbone of Adam, I asked you much less than this, i.e. not to commit shirk, but
you insisted on shirk.' "
Sahih al-Bukhari 3334

In Tafsir Al-Tabari:

15344
‫ عن ابن عباس‬
(‫ )وإذ أخذ ربك من بني آد‹ من ظهورهم ذريتهم‬
‫قال‬
‫ أخذ ذريته من ظهره مثل الذر‬: ‹‫ملا خلق اهلل آد‬
, ‫فقبض قبضتني‬,
‫فقال ألصحاب اليمني‬:
"‹‫"ادخلوا الجنة بسال‬,
‫وقال لآلخرين‬:
"‫"ادخلوا النار وال أبالي‬.
‫تفسير الطبري‬13/227



Abu Kurayb told us that Yahya bin Isa said that Al-A'mash said that Habib bin Abi Thabit said
that Said bin Jubayr said Ibn Abbas said: about the words of Allah " And when thy Lord took
from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed, and made them testify against
themselves, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, we testify'-- lest you should say on the Day
of Resurrection, 'we were heedless of this,'. (Al-A'raf: 172): "When he had created Adam, he
took his offspring from his back like seed, and took two handsfull and said to those in his
right hand: "enter paradise with peace" and to the rest he said: "enter the hell and I do not
care”.
Tafsir Al-Tabari 13/227 No.: 15344



﴾_]_﴿ َ‫نَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُون‬7‫ فَإ‬
37/As-Saffat-161: Fa innakum va mea taa’budoon(taa’budoona).
And surely you and what you worship. (161)
﴾_]»﴿ َ‫ني‬7‫ن‬7‫فَات‬7‫ ب‬7‫ مَا أَنتُمْ عَلَيْه‬
37/As-Saffat-162: Mea antum aalayhi bi faatineen(featineena).
You cannot cause anyone to fall into mischief. (162)
﴾_]§﴿ 7‫يم‬7‫ الْجَح‬7‫الَّ مَنْ هُوَ صَال‬7‫ إ‬
37/As-Saffat-163: Illea man huva saalil djaaheem(djaaheemi).
Except those who will go to Hell. (163)

‫ عن ابن عباس قوله ) فإنكم وما تعبدون ما أنتم‬، ‫ عن علي‬، ‫ ثني معاوية‬: ‫ ثنا أبو صالح قال‬: ‫حدثني علي قال‬
. ‫ وال أضل منكم إال من قد قضيت أنه صال الجحيم‬، ‫ ال تضلون أنتم‬: ‫عليه بفاتنني ( يقول‬
‫ عن ابن عباس قوله ) ما أنتم‬، ‫ عن أبيه‬، ‫ ثني أبي‬: ‫ ثني عمي قال‬: ‫ ثني أبي قال‬: ‫حدثني محمد بن سعد قال‬
‫ إال من قد سبق له أنه صال‬، ‫ ما أنتم بفاتنني على أوثانكم أحدا‬: ‫عليه بفاتنني إال من هو صالي الجحيم ( يقول‬
‫ تفسير الطبري‬.‫الجحيم‬

Ibn Abbas ‫ رضي اهلل عنهما‬said about these ayaat: except those of whom it is destined that
they will enter the hellfire.
Tafsir Al-Tabari


At last: about the shubha that people have concerning the hadeeth about Ahlu Fatra being
tested as mentioned in musnad Ahmad and tafsir books like Tabari Tafseer and Ibn Abi
Hatim:

The hadith by Al-Aswad Ben Saree’ that the prophet said:

‫ أَ ﱠن‬،‫ﯾﻊ‬ ٍ ‫ ﻋ َِﻦ ْاﻷَ ْﺳ َﻮ ِد ﺑ ِْﻦ َﺳ ِﺮ‬،‫ﺲ‬ ٍ ‫َﻒ ﺑ ِْﻦ ﻗَ ْﯿ‬ِ ‫ ﻋ َِﻦ ْاﻷَﺣْ ﻨ‬،َ‫ ﻋ َْﻦ ﻗَﺘَﺎ َدة‬،‫ َﺣ ﱠﺪﺛَﻨِﻲ أَﺑِﻲ‬:‫ ﻗَﺎ َل‬،‫ َﺣ ﱠﺪﺛَﻨَﺎ ُﻣ َﻌﺎ ُذ ﺑْﻦُ ِھ َﺸ ٍﺎم‬،ِ‫َﺣ ﱠﺪﺛَﻨَﺎ َﻋﻠِ ﱡﻲ ﺑْﻦُ َﻋ ْﺒ ِﺪ ﷲ‬
َ
‫ َو َر ُﺟ ٌﻞ َﻣﺎتَ ﻓِﻲ‬،‫ َو َر ُﺟ ٌﻞ ھَ َﺮ ٌم‬،ُ‫ َو َر ُﺟ ٌﻞ أﺣْ َﻤﻖ‬،‫ﺻ ﱡﻢ َﻻ ﯾَ ْﺴ َﻤ ُﻊ َﺷ ْﯿﺌًﺎ‬ َ َ‫ َر ُﺟ ٌﻞ أ‬:‫ " أَرْ ﺑَ َﻌﺔٌ ﯾَﻮْ َم ْاﻟﻘِﯿَﺎ َﻣ ِﺔ‬:‫ﺻﻠﱠﻰ ﷲُ َﻋﻠَ ْﯿ ِﮫ َو َﺳﻠﱠ َﻢ ﻗَﺎ َل‬ َ ِ‫ﻲ ﷲ‬ ‫ﻧَﺒِ ﱠ‬
ُ‫اﻹﺳ َْﻼ ُم َواﻟﺼﱢ ْﺒﯿَﺎن‬ ِْ ‫ ﻟَﻘَ ْﺪ َﺟﺎ َء‬، ‫ َربﱢ‬:‫ﻖ ﻓَﯿَﻘُﻮ ُل‬ ُ ‫ َوأَ ﱠﻣﺎ ْاﻷَﺣْ َﻤ‬،‫اﻹﺳ َْﻼ ُم َو َﻣﺎ أَ ْﺳ َﻤ ُﻊ َﺷ ْﯿﺌًﺎ‬ ِْ ‫ ﻟَﻘَ ْﺪ َﺟﺎ َء‬، ‫ َربﱢ‬:‫ﺻ ﱡﻢ ﻓَﯿَﻘُﻮ ُل‬ َ َ ‫اﻷ‬ ْ ‫ﺎ‬ ‫ﻣ‬َ
‫ﻓَ ْﺘ َ ٍ ﱠ‬
‫ﺄ‬َ ‫ﻓ‬ ،‫ة‬ ‫ﺮ‬
َ ُ ْ ْ ‫ﱠ‬ َ
‫ َﻣﺎ أﺗَﺎﻧِﻲ‬، ‫ َربﱢ‬:‫ َوأ ﱠﻣﺎ اﻟ ِﺬي َﻣﺎتَ ﻓِﻲ اﻟﻔَﺘ َﺮ ِة ﻓَﯿَﻘﻮ ُل‬،‫اﻹﺳ َْﻼ ُم َو َﻣﺎ أ ْﻋﻘِ ُﻞ َﺷ ْﯿﺌًﺎ‬َ ْ َ ُ ْ
ِ ‫ ﻟﻘَ ْﺪ َﺟﺎ َء‬، ‫ َربﱢ‬:‫ َوأ ﱠﻣﺎ اﻟﮭَ َﺮ ُم ﻓَﯿَﻘﻮ ُل‬،‫ْﺮ‬ َ ْ
ِ ‫ﯾَﺤْ ِﺬﻓُﻮﻧِﻲ ﺑِﺎﻟﺒَﻌ‬
‫َﺖ َﻋﻠَ ْﯿ ِﮭ ْﻢ‬ ْ ‫ ﻟَﻮْ َد َﺧﻠُﻮھَﺎ ﻟَ َﻜﺎﻧ‬،‫ ﻓَ َﻮاﻟﱠ ِﺬي ﻧَ ْﻔﺲُ ُﻣ َﺤ ﱠﻤ ٍﺪ ﺑِﯿَ ِﺪ ِه‬:‫ ﻗَﺎ َل‬،‫ ﻓَﯿُﺮْ ِﺳ ُﻞ إِﻟَ ْﯿ ِﮭ ْﻢ أَ ْن ا ْد ُﺧﻠُﻮا اﻟﻨﱠﺎ َر‬،ُ‫ ﻓَﯿَﺄْ ُﺧ ُﺬ َﻣ َﻮاﺛِﯿﻘَﮭُ ْﻢ ﻟَﯿ ُِﻄﯿ ُﻌﻨﱠﮫ‬،ٌ‫ﻚ َرﺳُﻮل‬ َ َ‫ﻟ‬
‫ﺑَﺮْ دًا َو َﺳ َﻼ ًﻣﺎ‬.

“Four types of people will be tested on the day of judgement: a deaf man who cannot hear
anything, a mad man, an old aged man and a man who died during fatrah (a period of time
when no messenger was sent to people). The deaf man will say: “Oh Allah, Islam came while
I cannot hear anything!”. The mad man will say: “Oh Allah, Islam came while the boys throw
animals’ excrement on me!”. The old aged man will say: “Oh Allah, Islam came while I can
understand nothing”. And the man who died during a fatrah will say: “Oh Allah, I witnessed
no messenger from You”. Then Allah takes a promise from them to obey Him. Then He will
command them to enter hell, and who enters it will find it peace and cool, and who disobeys
will be dragged to hell”

1 This narration is weak because in all its narration chains there are weak narrators or flaws.
For example Qatada (born 61 H) did not hear from Al-Ahnaf bin Qays (died 67 H). And
Qatada was also “Mudallis” [someone covering up a break in the chain], as mentioned by Al-
Nasaaie in his book “dhikr al-mudalliseen”. So whenever al-Tadlees is proven in the Hadīth,
then it’s a ‘ila (hidden defect), and there’s no dispute in this.

2 there is no mention in this weak hadeeth that it is about people who were doing shirk, like
idol worshippers. It is apparent that it is about what is lesser than shirk, about a people who
didn’t have a sharia. But it is weak anyways so we can’t base a ruling upon a weak narration.

Allah is known by Fitra and intellect and Tawheed is known by Fitra and intellect. Everyone
can know without revelation that shirk is wrong. So, nobody has an excuse against Allah in
doing shirk. The ayaat are clear about this (like al-a’raaf 172), so whoever claims otherwise is
a kafir. And who claims that mushrikin will be tested, has rejected the Quran, because of his
foolishness by interpreting a weak narration according to his desires.
May Allah guide us and let us see the truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood.

Wa Al-Hamdolillah