The fate of those who did not receive the message of Islam on the Day of Resurrection
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Question: What is the fate of the one who did not receive the message of Islam on the Day of Resurrection, given that he did not receive it and did not know Islam?
Answer: His ruling is the ruling of the people of the period of ignorance (al-fatra) to whom the message of the messengers (peace be upon them) did not reach. It has come in authentic hadiths that they will be tested on the Day of Resurrection: whoever succeeds among them will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys will enter the Fire. This applies to the one to whom the call of Islam did not reach, such as one who grew up in a state of pre-Islamic ignorance (jahiliyyah) far from the Muslims, as in our time, for example, in the remote parts of America or the coasts of Africa far from Islam, or similar regions to which Islam did not reach. Such a person will be tested on the Day of Resurrection; he will be commanded and prohibited on that day. If he responds to the command and obeys, he will enter Paradise, and if he disobeys, he will enter the Fire. The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) elaborated on this meaning in his book *Tariq al-Hijratayn* (The Path of the Two Migrations), at the end of the book, in a section he titled *Tabaqat al-Mukallafin* (The Ranks of Those Charged with Obligations). He lengthened this discussion, explained the words of the scholars, and mentioned the hadiths reported on this matter.
The person to whom the call did not reach because he is far from Islam and the Muslims, or a person who reached the age of accountability while insane or of unsound mind, and the children of polytheists if they die young among the polytheists, according to one of the opinions of the scholars regarding them, all of them will be tested on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever responds will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys will enter the Fire. We ask Allah for safety.
The correct opinion regarding the children of polytheists if they die young before the age of accountability is that they are from the people of Paradise, due to the authenticity of the hadiths indicating this.
Answer: His ruling is the ruling of the people of the period of ignorance (al-fatra) to whom the message of the messengers (peace be upon them) did not reach. It has come in authentic hadiths that they will be tested on the Day of Resurrection: whoever succeeds among them will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys will enter the Fire. This applies to the one to whom the call of Islam did not reach, such as one who grew up in a state of pre-Islamic ignorance (jahiliyyah) far from the Muslims, as in our time, for example, in the remote parts of America or the coasts of Africa far from Islam, or similar regions to which Islam did not reach. Such a person will be tested on the Day of Resurrection; he will be commanded and prohibited on that day. If he responds to the command and obeys, he will enter Paradise, and if he disobeys, he will enter the Fire. The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) elaborated on this meaning in his book *Tariq al-Hijratayn* (The Path of the Two Migrations), at the end of the book, in a section he titled *Tabaqat al-Mukallafin* (The Ranks of Those Charged with Obligations). He lengthened this discussion, explained the words of the scholars, and mentioned the hadiths reported on this matter.
The person to whom the call did not reach because he is far from Islam and the Muslims, or a person who reached the age of accountability while insane or of unsound mind, and the children of polytheists if they die young among the polytheists, according to one of the opinions of the scholars regarding them, all of them will be tested on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever responds will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys will enter the Fire. We ask Allah for safety.
The correct opinion regarding the children of polytheists if they die young before the age of accountability is that they are from the people of Paradise, due to the authenticity of the hadiths indicating this.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.