Are the Parents of the Prophet (Blessings and Peace upon Him) Saved?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Are the Prophet’s parents saved from Hellfire? According to one hadith, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told a man that his father and the man’s father are both in Hell. Could you please clarify?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Brief Answer

According to the majority of scholars, the Prophet’s parents (may Allah bless him and give him peace) are saved and among the inhabitants of Paradise.

There are some evidences, such as the Prophetic narration in question, whose outward purport may seem contrary to the majority position. Still, the scholars, despite this narration, affirmed the salvation of the Prophet’s parents.

The reasons for this decision and not taking this narration are elaborated below.

The Narration in Question

Anas (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man said, “O Messenger of Allah, where is my father (Abi) ?” He (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “My (Ab) and your (Ab) are in Hell.” [Abu Dawud]

Understanding the Richness of the Word (Ab)

The word “Ab” in the above narration was intentionally left untranslated. In Arabic, the word “Ab” has two meanings: father and uncle. [Sawi, Sharh al-Sawi ‘Ala Jawhara al-Tawhid]

There are many examples where the term “Ab” is used to mean uncle. See the following examples:

1) From the Quran:

“Or did you witness when death came to Jacob? He asked his children, ‘Who will you worship after my passing?’ They replied, ‘We will (continue to) worship your God, the God of your forefathers  —Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac—the One God. And to Him we (all) submit.” [Quran, 2:132-3]

When mentioning Ya‘qub’s (Jacob) forefathers (Aabaik: the plural of Ab), the Quran mentions Abraham, who is Ya‘qub’s grandfather; then it mentions Isma‘il (Ishmael), who is not a forefather of Ya‘qub, rather his uncle and the brother of Ishaq (Isaac). Lastly, the direct father of Ya‘qub, Ishaq (Isaac), is mentioned last.

2) From the Prophetic Biography:

Ibn Hisham (Allah have mercy on him) mentions in his famous book of Sira the following quote from Ibn Ishaq (Allah have mercy on him):

“When they finished (having their meal), he (Buhaira, the Monk) came to Abu Talib and said, ‘What is your relation to this young man?” Abu Talib replied, ‘He is my son.’ Buhaira said, ‘He can’t be your son. This young man’s father should not be alive.’ Abu Talib clarified, ‘He is my nephew.’ (…)” [Ibn Hisham, Sirat Ibn Hisham]

This is another situation where the uncle is treated and even referred to as the father (ab).

The Prophet’s Parents

It is the opinion of the vast majority of scholars of the Sunni mainstream (Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama‘a) that the parents of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) are saved. [Sawi, Sharh al-Sawi ‘Ala Jawharat al-Tawhid]

There are various reasons for this conclusion, some of which are as follows:

• The narration mentioned above, although authentic (sahih), is a singular narration. Singular narrations (Ahad) cannot be used to amend verdicts established in the Quran or other sources that are mass transmitted (mutawatir).
• The narration above is authentic (sahih) but has been abrogated by later verses of the Quran and Prophetic narrations. Amongst these verses is the following:
  Allah Most High says, “Your Lord would never destroy towns without first raising a messenger in their midst to recite Our messages to them, nor would We destroy towns unless their inhabitants were evildoers.” [Quran, 28:59]

The People Between Messengers (Ahl al-Fatra)

The parents of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) were those who lived at a time when no messenger or prophet was sent. Due to this, they are not accountable for believing and are thus saved. [Sawi, Sharh al-Sawi ‘Ala Jawharat al-Tawhid]

Allah Most High mentions regarding the Arabs, “(This is) a revelation from the Almighty, Most Merciful, so that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, and so are heedless.” [Quran, 36:5-6]

Despite the validity of the above Prophetic narration, this verse, later revealed, clarified to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) that they are, in fact, saved and of the People of Paradise.

Allah Granted the Parents of the Prophet Life, and They Believed

A third understanding is that despite dying in unbelief, Allah Most High honored the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) by granting his parents new life, after which they accepted Islam and died once again.

There are narrations to indicate this as well.

Summary

The majority of scholars deemed the Prophet’s parents amongst the inhabitants of Paradise. A minority of scholars took the narration’s outward meaning and concluded otherwise.

It is best to follow the majority opinion and not the opinion of a small few. Furthermore, the scholars took the majority opinion because of the immense amount and quality of its proofs.

Regardless of the opinion the scholars choose, two things are absolutely essential for everyone:

1) Consignment the Truth to Allah

All of the above is an intellectual overview of the evidence in the Quran and Hadith. These are merely scholarly attempts to reach the truth. In the end, only Allah Most High knows the absolute truth. For this reason, it is not our prerogative nor our right to deem a human, especially the parents of the greatest of Allah’s creation, to be people of Hellfire.

2) Having Manners for the Prophet’s Sake

Even in worldly terms, if someone speaks harshly, dooming one’s parents in Hellfire, one would be offended – even if it may be true.

Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) said, “Respect Muhammad with regard to his family.” [Bukhari]

In another narration, he said, “By Allah, for me to join ties with the family of the Messenger of Allah is more beloved to me than joining my own family’s ties.” [Ibid.]

One should be very wary of letting their tongue speak harshly of anyone whom the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) cared for and loved. This applies to the parents of the Prophet, Abu Talib, and others – especially if there is a valid difference of opinion therein.

Lastly, speaking about these matters, except for scholarly discussion, is of no benefit and may lead to one saying things that are unbecoming of the believer or being a means for others to speak such.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.

He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.

In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.