"Is my kind neighbor going to Hell?"

Your neighbor is a kind Christian woman who brings food when someone is sick. Your best friend is Hindu. Then the questions come:

• Islam says it is the only true religion. Is that not arrogant?
• What about people who were born where nobody told them about Islam? Is it fair to punish them?
• Are all good people of other faiths going to the Fire?

These are fair questions. Asking them is not a sin. You care about people and about fairness. So does Allah. He says: Allah does not wrong anyone, not even by the weight of a tiny speck¹.

The short answer

• Islam does say it is the truth. Muslims believe it is Allah's last message to all people. Being honest about that is not hate.
• There is no force in religion². A Muslim lives in peace and fairness with people of other faiths.
• Allah does not punish anyone who never got the message. He says: We never punish until We have sent a messenger³.
• Only Allah judges. He knows what reached each heart, and how clearly. We do not decide who goes where.

Why does Islam say it is the truth?

Allah says: the religion with Allah is Islam⁴. And: whoever wants a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him⁵. These are clear words. To understand them, you need to know what Islam means in the Quran.

Islam is the message of every prophet

Islam means giving yourself to Allah. Muslims believe it is not a new religion, but the one message Allah gave to every prophet, from Adam to Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and Muhammad ﷺ.

• Allah says: We sent a messenger to every people, saying: worship Allah, and keep away from false gods⁶.
• Nabi ﷺ said: the prophets are brothers, with different mothers, but their religion is one. He said he is the closest of all people to Isa, son of Maryam⁷.
• Believers say: we make no difference between any of His messengers⁸.

So Musa and Isa were true prophets, each sent to his own people. Muhammad ﷺ came with the same message as the last messenger. He said: I was sent to all people⁹.

Is it arrogant to say you have the truth?

Not by itself. Everyone who believes something thinks it is true. An atheist, a Christian and a Muslim say opposite things, so they cannot all be right.

Arrogance is not in believing you are right. It is in looking down on people and treating them badly. Islam forbids that. The Quran even warns Muslims not to feel safe because of a label: it is not by your wishes, and not by the wishes of the People of the Book. Each person is paid for what he does¹⁰.

Why believe Islam's claim and not another? Other chapters answer that: How do we know Allah exists?, Could a person have written the Quran? and How do we know Muhammad ﷺ was a prophet?

If Islam is true, why not force people into it?

Because forced belief is not belief at all. It is only fear.

• There is no force in religion. The right way has become clear from the wrong way¹¹.
• If your Lord had wanted, everyone on earth would have believed. So will you force people to become believers?¹²
• Surah al-Kafirun ends: you have your religion, and I have mine¹³.

A Muslim's job is to pass on the message kindly¹⁴. Guidance is in Allah's hands. Even Nabi ﷺ could not guide his own uncle, whom he loved. Allah told him: you cannot guide whoever you love, but Allah guides whoever He wills¹⁵¹⁶.

How should a Muslim treat people of other faiths?

With kindness and fairness. This is not a modern idea. It is in the Quran and the life of Nabi ﷺ.

• Be kind and fair. Allah does not stop you from being kind and fair to people who have not fought you over your religion or driven you from your homes. Allah loves those who are fair¹⁷.
• Be fair, even with people you dislike. Allah says: do not let anger at a people make you unfair. Be just. That is closer to taqwa (being mindful of Allah)¹⁸.
• Do not insult what others worship¹⁹.
• Every life has worth. A funeral passed by, and Nabi ﷺ stood up. People told him it was a Jewish man. He said: is it not a soul?²⁰
• Family stays family. Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr, asked if she should be good to her mother, who was not Muslim. Nabi ﷺ said: yes, keep good ties with your mother²¹.
• Neighbors have rights. The Companion Abdullah ibn Amr slaughtered a sheep and asked twice: have you given some to our Jewish neighbor? Then he told how Jibril kept telling Nabi ﷺ to be good to neighbors²².
• Their safety is sacred. Whoever kills a person who lives in peace under an agreement with the Muslims will not even smell the scent of Jannah²³.

For the false idea that Islam tells Muslims to fight everyone who is not Muslim, see Jihad, war and terrorism.

Who are the People of the Book?

The Quran calls Jews and Christians Ahl al-Kitab, the People of the Book. They were given earlier books: the Tawrah (Torah) given to Musa and the Injil (Gospel) given to Isa. Muslims believe those books were true, but parts were later lost or changed. The Quran confirms the truth that came before it²⁵. See The revealed books.

• The same God. Allah tells us to say to them: our God and your God is One²⁶.
• A common word. O People of the Book, come to a word that is the same between us and you: that we worship none but Allah²⁷.
• Their food and marriage. Their food is halal for Muslims, and a Muslim man may marry a chaste Jewish or Christian woman²⁸. See Meat and slaughter for meat today.
• They are not all alike. Among them are people who recite Allah's words at night, believe in Allah and the Last Day, and hurry to do good²⁹. Some hear the Quran and their eyes overflow with tears because they know it is true³⁰.

About things they tell from their books, Nabi ﷺ said: do not believe them and do not call them liars³¹.

What about the verse that says Jews and Christians will be rewarded?

The verse says: the believers, the Jews, the Christians and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good, will have their reward with their Lord³².

Scholars explain that it speaks of people who truly followed the prophet of their own time, before Muhammad ﷺ came, and of those who believed in him when his message reached them. The Quran says believing in some messengers and rejecting others is not real belief³³. And Nabi ﷺ said: any Jew or Christian who hears of me, and dies without believing in what I was sent with, will be among the people of the Fire³⁴.

A few modern writers read Quran 2:62 as saying belief in Muhammad ﷺ is not needed. The great scholars of Islam, past and present, do not accept that reading, because of these other verses and hadith. But notice the words hears of me. That brings us to the next question.

What about people who never heard of Islam?

Think of a man in a forest 500 years ago whom no prophet's message ever reached. Would a just God punish him? The Quran answers: no.

• We never punish until We have sent a messenger³⁵.
• Allah sent messengers so that people would have no excuse before Allah³⁶. Without a messenger, the excuse remains.
• Allah does not put on any soul more than it can carry³⁷.
• No soul carries the load of another³⁸.

Scholars agree on this much: Allah will not punish a person for a message that never reached him. They differ on how Allah will deal with such people on the Day of Judgement.

What do scholars say will happen to them?

• They will be tested on that Day. Many scholars hold this, among them Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Kathir. They rely on reports from Nabi ﷺ in other hadith books, outside the six our site uses. Allah will give them a test, and whoever obeys enters Jannah.
• They are saved. Many scholars, especially Ash'aris, say a person with no messenger had no duty to follow one, so he will not be punished³⁹.
• They are asked only about the basics. Many Hanafi scholars, especially Maturidis, say a thinking adult can know by his own mind that there is one Maker. So he is asked about believing in one God, but not about laws that never reached him.

All three views are held by real scholars. All three agree that Allah is perfectly just and no one will be wronged. You may follow the view of a scholar you trust.

What does it mean to "hear" the message?

Is it enough that a person once heard the word "Muslim" on the news? Scholars have looked at this carefully.

• A clear, true picture. The great scholar al-Ghazali (died 1111) said some people heard about Nabi ﷺ only in a false, ugly way, for example that he was a liar. He said they are like those who never heard, and Allah's mercy is hoped for them. Only those who heard the true message, saw its signs, and still turned away are fully responsible. Many scholars agree with him.
• Enough to look into it. Other scholars say that once a person knows a prophet has come with a message from God, he is responsible to look into it honestly. If he does not care to look, that is on him.

Both agree: Allah knows exactly what reached each person, and how clearly. We do not.

Who decides who goes to Jannah or the Fire?

Only Allah. Not a preacher, not a scholar, not you. Allah will judge between the believers, the Jews, the Christians and all the others on the Day of Resurrection⁴⁰.

Nabi ﷺ told of a man who said: by Allah, Allah will not forgive so-and-so. Allah said: who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? I have forgiven him, and I have wiped out your deeds⁴¹.

No one knows how a life will end. Nabi ﷺ said: deeds are judged by how they end⁴². Umar ibn al-Khattab once fought Islam, then became one of its greatest men.

• We teach the general rule: belief in Allah and His messengers is the way to Jannah, and knowingly rejecting the truth after it is clear is a great wrong.
• We never say a named person is in the Fire unless Allah or His Messenger ﷺ told us, like Abu Lahab⁴³. Not a neighbor, not a celebrity, not a relative who died.
• We never call a Muslim a kafir (disbeliever).
• We remember Allah's mercy. Allah wrote: My mercy is greater than My anger⁴⁴.

What do we honestly not know?

• The end of any one person: what he believed in his last moments, and what truly reached him.
• Exactly how the test on that Day will happen. The details are with Allah.
• Where the line is between someone who "heard" the message and someone who did not.

What we do know is enough: Allah is never unjust⁴⁸, His mercy is greater than His anger⁴⁹, and He judges each person by what that person could have known and done. See also Free will, fate and fairness.

What should I do with this question?

• Be sure of your own path first. "What about them?" can hide a question about yourself: am I sure Islam is true?
• Leave the judging to Allah. Your job is to live well and pass on the message kindly.
• Pray for people, do not curse them. When the Daws tribe refused Islam, people asked Nabi ﷺ to pray against them. He prayed: O Allah, guide Daws⁵⁰.
• Be kind and fair to everyone⁵¹.
• If this question weighs on you because of someone you love, talk to an imam or a teacher you trust. You do not have to carry it alone.

Common questions

So are all non-Muslims going to Hell?

A person who clearly knew the truth and still rejected it is in great danger⁵². But many people never truly heard the message, or heard only a false picture of it, and Allah does not punish anyone until a messenger has come to them⁵³. About any named person, only Allah knows⁵⁴.

Can I wish my Christian coworker a happy Christmas?

Scholars agree a Muslim does not join in the worship of another religion. They differ about kind greetings on the day. Many allow general kind words. Others say avoid the greeting too. Follow a scholar you trust, and either way be warm to your coworker. See Music, pictures and entertainment.

My father died and he was not Muslim. Is he in the Fire?

We do not know, and we must not say so about any person. Only Allah knows what reached his heart⁵⁵. The Quran tells believers not to ask forgiveness for those who clearly died upon shirk (worshipping others with Allah)⁵⁶. So you do not ask forgiveness for him. But you may remember his kindness and be good to his family. Leave him with the One who is never unjust⁵⁷. If your grief is very heavy, talk to an imam, a counselor or a doctor.

Do Muslims believe in Jesus and Moses?

Yes. Isa and Musa are among the greatest prophets, and a Muslim must believe in both⁵⁸. See The prophets and messengers.

What about children of non-Muslims who die young?

Nabi ﷺ was asked and said: Allah knows best what they would have done⁵⁹. In a long dream, Nabi ﷺ saw children who had died around Ibrahim in Jannah. When asked, he said this included the children of the mushrikin (people who worshipped others with Allah)⁶⁰. Many scholars take this view. Others say they will be tested, or leave it to Allah.

I want to become Muslim, but my family is Christian. Do I lose them?

No. Islam tells you to stay kind to your parents, even if they are not Muslim⁶¹. Your good character may be the best picture of Islam they ever see. Our new Muslim page helps with your first steps.