The People of the Interregnum

Q: A question from Sudan as well: The questioner says: Allah the Exalted said in His Noble Book: [Al-Isra: 15] And it was reported in some hadiths that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed that his parents are in the Fire.
The question: Were they not among the People of the Interregnum, and is the Qur'an not explicit that they are saved? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.

A: Regarding the People of the Interregnum, there is nothing in the Qur'an indicating that they are saved or destroyed. Rather, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: [Al-Isra: 15] So Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), in the perfection of His justice, does not punish anyone except after sending a Messenger to them. Therefore, whoever the call did not reach is not punished until the proof is established against him. And He (Exalted is He) informed that He does not punish them except after establishing the proof. The proof may be established against them on the Day of Resurrection, as the Sunnah came that the People of the Interregnums are tested on that day. Whoever responds and obeys is saved, and whoever disobeys enters the Fire. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When a man asked him about his father, he said: When he saw the change in his face, he said: Muslim narrated it in his Sahih.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that to him so that he might be consoled and know that the ruling is not specific to his father. Perhaps the argument reached both of them, namely the man's father and the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) father. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: : He said these words with knowledge, peace and blessings be upon him, because he does not speak from desire. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said: Your companion has not gone astray, nor has he erred, nor does he speak from desire, it is only a revelation that is revealed [Surah al-Najm: 1 - 4]. Perhaps the argument was established against 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, the father of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), because of what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding him. And the knowledge of this was what the Quraysh knew of the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), for they were upon the religion of Ibrahim until 'Amr ibn Lu'ay al-Khuza'i took over Makkah and what he innovated spread among the people, namely the spreading of idols and the call to worship them other than Allah. Perhaps 'Abdullah was informed of what indicates that this is false, which is what the Quraysh practiced in worshipping idols, so he followed them in their falsehood. For this reason, the argument was established against him. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: .
And from this is what came in the hadith that he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked permission to seek forgiveness for his mother, but it was not permitted for him. Then he asked permission to visit her, and it was permitted for him. Muslim narrated it in his Sahih. Perhaps what establishes the proof against her regarding the falsity of the religion of the Quraysh reached her, just as it reached her husband Abdullah. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) was prohibited from seeking forgiveness for her. It can be said: The People of the Pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance are treated like the disbelievers in this world, so they are not called to [guidance] and forgiveness is not sought for them; because they do the deeds of the disbelievers and are treated accordingly, and their affair is with Allah in the Hereafter.
So whoever the proof was not established against in this world is not punished until he is tested on the Day of Resurrection; because Allah (Exalted is He) said: [Al-Isra: 15] So everyone who was in an interregnum where the call of a Prophet did not reach them, they are tested on the Day of Resurrection. If they respond, they go to Paradise, and if they disobey, they go to the Fire.
And so is the old man to whom the call did not reach, and the insane to whom the call did not reach, and their like, such as the children of disbelievers; because when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about them, he said: So the children of disbelievers are tested on the Day of Resurrection like the People of the Interregnum. If they respond with a correct response, they are saved, otherwise they are with the destroyed.
And a group of scholars said: (The children of disbelievers are among the saved; because they died upon the fitrah (innate natural disposition); and because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw them when he entered Paradise in a garden with Ibrahim (peace be upon him), they and the children of Muslims). And this is a strong opinion due to the clarity of its evidence.
As for the children of Muslims, they are among the people of Paradise by the consensus of the people of the Sunnah and the community. And Allah knows best and is most wise.