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Q&A · Belief

What happens to those who never received the message of Islam?

Allah's justice is that He does not punish anyone until a messenger's call has reached them: "And We would never punish until We had sent a messenger." So a person who lived where the true message never authentically arrived — the ahl al-fatrah (people of an interval between prophets) — is not condemned merely for not following what they never knew. Reports transmitted through Imam Ahmad indicate that such people, along with others who had a valid excuse, will be tested on the Day of Judgment, and their final outcome rests with Allah's knowledge and mercy; we do not declare any specific individual to be in Hell.

Informational, not a personal fatwa. Consult a qualified scholar for rulings on your situation.

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