Will the majority of women go to hell?

The Details of the Question

It is stated in some hadiths that most of the women are people of Hell. What are the original hadiths regarding the issue? Do they have sources? What is meant by them? How should we understand them?

The Answer

Dear Brother / Sister,

Allah’s compassion, mercy and justice are aimed at all the beings that He created. It is unthinkable that He treats men with compassion and does not forgive women, that He opens Paradise to His male slaves and punishes women in Hell just because they were created as women.

Anyone who knows about the basic principles of the religion of Islam, especially the names and attributes of Allah, a bit accepts unquestionably that Allah “will never oppress His slaves” and never doubts that He is just. As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty addressed the people of Hell as follows in His Book: “This is because of the (unrighteous deeds) which your hands sent on before ye: For Allah never harms those who serve Him.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/182)

One of the most obvious signs of Allah’s treating His slaves justly is that there is no distinction between men and women when He rewards or punishes His slaves. It is expressed as follows in another verse of the Quran:

“If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.” (an-Nisa, 4/124)

Therefore, whether a person belongs to Paradise or Hell depends upon that person’s deeds. Allah’s compassion, mercy and justice are aimed at all the beings that He created. It is unthinkable that He treats men with compassion and does not forgive women, that He opens Paradise to His male slaves and punishes women in Hell just because they were created as women because it is Allah who creates women as women and men as men.

“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you...” (al-Hujurat, 49/13)

Despite the existence of the clear verses like the ones above in the Quran stating that there is no superiority of sexes over each other and that gender is not a difference that determines the happiness or misery in the life of the hereafter, a narration included in the hadith literature suggests at first glance that it is contrary to those verses and needs to be explained.

The narration in question was reported from many Companions, including Abdullah b. Abbas, Jabir b. Abdullah and Abu Said al-Khudri, with some differences in the text of the hadith. The common point of all narrations is that the Prophet (pbuh) went over to the female congregation after the eid sermon on an eid day, preached to them and encouraged them to give sadaqah (alms/charity).

During that preaching, Abdullah b. Abbas, due to being a small child, was together with the Prophet. After the Prophet (pbuh) preached, Bilal al-Habashi collected the sadaqahs given by the women. The Companions who reported the content of his preaching stated that the Prophet (pbuh) described sadaqah as a deed that virtually protected from Hell.

According to the news reported from Abu Said al-Khudri, the Prophet addressed the women about the importance of sadaqah in that sense as follows:

O community of women! Give sadaqah. I saw that most of the people of Hell consisted of you.” (Bukhari, Hayd 6, Muslim, Iman 132)

The statement is as follows: in the narration from Ibn Abbas:

“Hell was shown to me. I saw that most of its inhabitants were women.” (Bukhari, Iman 21)

The statement in the narration reported by of Jabir b. Abdullah is as follows:

Give sadaqah because most of you are logs of Hell.” (Muslim, Salatul-Idayn 4)

The text of the hadith reported from the Companion called Hakim b. Hizam is as follows:

“The Messenger of Allah joined his fingers and said, “There are people among you who will enter Paradise” Then, he said, “Some of you are logs of Helland he separated his fingers.” (Ibn Hibban, as-Sahih, (tahqiq Shuayb al-Arnawud), Vol. 23, p. 477)

The joining of the fingers when the women of Paradise are mentioned and the separation of the fingers when the women of Hell are mentioned in the narration of Hakim b. Hizam can be interpreted as fewness and abundance. As a matter of fact, the above-mentioned narration of that Companion is reported with the following words in another hadith resource: “The Prophet joined his fingers and said, ‘There are some among you who will enter Paradise but most of you are logs of Hell’ and he separated his fingers.” (Tabarani, al-Mu’jamul-Kabir, Vol. 3, p. 153)

There are some differences of words among the texts but the common point of those narrations is that women will be the majority in Hell.

This news given by the Prophet (pbuh) must have caused anxiety or confusion among the women who listened to him at that time since one of them wanted to learn the reason of it and asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of Allah! Why?” The woman who asked that question was Asma bint Yazid, one of the narrators of the hadith in question. In some texts, her name is not mentioned; she is mentioned as follows: “one of the good women” or “a woman with red cheeks”.

Upon that question, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) explained the deeds that led women to Hell. The answer is as follows in the narration of Abu Said al-Khudri and Abdullah b. Umar:

“They damn a lot and are ungrateful to their husbands.” (Bukhari, Hayd 6)

According to the narration of Jabir b. Abdullah, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered it as follows:

“Because you complain about your state a lot and you are ungrateful to your husband’s favors.” (Muslim, Salatul-Idayn, 4)

It is remarkable that the Prophet (pbuh) talked about women of Hell also on the day of the solar eclipse in addition to his preaching on eid day. According to that narration, the Prophet stated the following:

“Hell was shown to me during prayer. I stepped back when I saw its fireballs. I saw that most of the people of Hell were women who revealed the secret, acted stingily when something was asked from them, acted insistently when they wanted something, and did not thank when they were given what they wanted.” Ahmad, Musnad, (tahqiq Shuayb al-Arnawut), Vol. 23, p. 109

Those reasons are mentioned as follows in the narration of Ibn Abbas:

“They were ungrateful to their husbands and favors. If you did one of them favors throughout life and if they saw a small mistake from you, they would say, ‘I have not received any favors from you.’” (Bukhari, Kusuf 16)

It is quite natural for the Prophet to talk about the crimes that led women to Hell on a day when he addressed only women. Thus, the Prophet warned the women there to keep away from those sins. For, there is no sentence in the text of the hadith stating that “all women committed or will commit those sins”.

When all of those narrations are considered together, one of the questions that comes to the mind is the question “why women?” is as Asma bint Yazid asked.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) answered that question by listing the deeds that led women to Hell. Therefore, it cannot be said based on those narrations that the reason why some women are punished in Hell is “their gender”. The reason why some women are people of Hell is the deeds mentioned in those narrations.

There is no doubt that deeds like “ungratefulness, not thanking, not appreciating favors, and damning a lot” are deeds that are incompatible with Islamic ethics and they are not attitudes that can be deemed legitimate for anyone, whether male or female.

Therefore, when men do those deeds, they will be punished in Hell too. However, the fact that the Prophet (pbuh) mentions women in particular is like the explanation of an outcome because Hell was shown to the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet explains some unknown news about the future.

That news explains an outcome. It is is similar to the news given by a teacher who explains that one class is more successful than another class after an examination, or that a significant part of the students of one class failed and explains the reasons for that failure. It cannot be imagined that a teacher who states that a class failed in the exam acts unfairly to that class; similarly, the fact that most of the people of Hell in the hereafter will consist of women cannot be perceived as Allah’s unfair treatment.

Only the following result can be obtained from that news:

 “The crimes mentioned in those narrations are generally the deeds that lead women to Hell. Women commit those crimes more than men do.”

On the other hand, the existence of equal numbers of men and women in Paradise and Hell does not show justice. The claim that as many men as women should go to Hell cannot be a claim belonging to a sane person.

It is quite natural for the Prophet to talk about the crimes that led women to Hell on a day when he addressed only women. Thus, the Prophet warned the women there to keep away from those sins. For, there is no sentence in the text of the hadith stating that “all women committed or will commit those sins”.

What is described in the hadith is the sins committed by women of Hell. The way to keep away from those sins is to give a lot of sadaqah. The fact that sadaqah keeps people away from such sins is probably due to reducing one’s loyalty to the world and strengthening belief in the hereafter.

The existence of the phrase “logs of Hell” in some texts of the hadith should not be considered as an insult. For, the main fuel of Hell is human beings, whether men or women. What makes man fuel or log of Hell is his deeds. That description is no different from the description in the following verse:

“… then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones.” (al-Baqara, 2/24)

There is another point that should not be overlooked the explanation of the narration: The ratio of the female and male population in the world.

Although that ratio is generally equal, it changed in favor of women in some societies and at certain times, the female population being higher. Apart from the female and male population ratio the world, a hadith about how the ratio will be when Doomsday approaches also sheds light on understanding the hadith stating that women constitute a large part of the people of Hell. According to the that narration, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) included the following among the signs of Doomsday:

One of the signs of Doomsday is the decrease in the number of men and the increase in the number of women so much that there will be fifty women per one man.” (Bukhari, Nikah 67; Muslim, Ilm 9)

Since the number of women will increase and there will be fifty women per one man as Doomsday approaches, it is natural that a similar rate will be in question in Hell. In that case, that most of the people of Hell consist of women originates from the fact that the female population is higher than men.

On the other hand, the deeds that lead women to Hell and cause women to form the majority in Hell are sins committed by women more than men. Therefore, every Muslim woman should try to keep away from mistakes like damning and ingratitude mentioned in those hadiths.

It is important to appreciate the favor that comes from anyone and to know how to thank for a favor. However, those who should appreciate each other’s favors most are the spouses who share a life.

Therefore, everybody, especially husbands and wives, should know how to appreciate each other’s favors, and they should not brush each other off when they see any mistakes. Ethical qualities such as appreciating a favor and thanking are important characteristics for both men and women.

Ingratitude is a sin for both men and women. It is regarded ingratitude for both men and women not to appreciate the favors of one’s spouse and to forget all good traits when they see a mistake.

In the hadith in question, the Prophet (pbuh) mentions women in particular
-
because he addresses only women,
- and he aims to distance them from those bad deeds.

In addition, it is known that the Prophet addressed everyone, both men and women, as follows: “He who does not thank people is not regarded to have thanked Allah.” (Abu Dawud, Adab 12)

The penalty that every ungrateful person who does not thank Allah will suffer in the hereafter is known.

Asst. Prof. Ayşe Esra Şahyar

Questions on Islam

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