From the outset we need to remember that it is an issue which does not take somebody out of the faith. Many great scholars hold opposing opinions on both sides including Imam Nawawi.
The Contested Hadith
The contention is the Hadith in Muslim, ‘My father and your father are in the fire,‘ which the Prophet ﷺ said to a person who came to him and asked about the final abode of his father.
The Question
So the question arises that are the Prophets parents in the fire?
Some say that the hadith is simple and clear in its outward, literal wording and therefore the answer is a simple yes. This is the approach when ruling from the outward and literal unless we have something which causes us to look beyond that.
However this is problematic as this is a solitary Hadith and basing such an important issue on one Hadith (which is less than mass-transmitted) does not give us complete certainty but rather makes it probable information. The reason being that one must look at all the evidence holistically before making a judgement.
The alternative answer is no – the parents of the Prophet ﷺ are not in the fire and the responses and initial arguments for this are three.
The Resurrection
Firstly that the Prophet’s ﷺ parents were resurrected – they believed in Allah and were taken back. This is the opinion of Imam Suyuti.
Tabarani mentioned in a Hadith, ‘I asked Allah to revive my mother. She accepted me and believed in me and then Allah took her back.’ This Hadith was narrated towards the end of the Prophet’s ﷺ mission and after the Hadith in contention mentioned in Muslim earlier.
A poet also states, ‘Allah resurrected his mother and father and the faith of this is what one should have even if the Hadith be weak’
The Religion of Ibrahim
Secondly, the Prophet’s ﷺ parents are saved because they were on the religion of Ibrahim. They were considered Hunafa. And there is no evidence from the seerah which indicates otherwise. Rather there are many incidents which support this monotheism such as Abu Talib’s khutbah at the wedding of the Prophet. This is further supported by the Quran (2:127-129).
And remember when Abraham raised the foundation of the House with Ishmael, both praying, ‘Our Lord! Accept this from us. You are indeed the All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Our Lord! Make us both fully submit to You and from our descendants a nation that will submit to you. Show us our rituals, and turn to us in grace. You are truly the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful. Our Lord! Raise from among them a messenger who will recite to them Your revelations, teach them the Book and wisdom, and purify them. Indeed, You alone are the Almighty, All-Wise.’ (Quran 2:127-129)
People Upon The Fitra
Thirdly, that the Prophet’s ﷺ parents are saved because they were considered among the Ahl ul Fitra. This is the opinion that is the most encompassing and strongest within the schools and further Hadith clarify it further.
‘I have been sent as an apostle in the best of all generations as Adam’s offspring since the creation.’ (Bukhari)
This means that the best spouses were chosen from each generation since Adam was created and until Prophet ﷺ born and so the world was never free from people who worshipped Allah without associating partners with Him.
‘I am a Prophet, no lie. I am the son of Abdul Muttalib.’
The Prophet ﷺ would not mention Abdul Muttalib and associate himself as his son, with such pride as he did in these words before the battles of Uhud and Khandaq if he had not been a believer. This also shows us that the previous Hadith in Muslim related about his parents being on the fire could have a metaphorical meaning.
‘If there were not 7 people on this earth except that they worshipped Allah, then Allah would have destroyed the earth.’
Those seven people that existed, if that was the case, would have been those who worshipped Allah and the best of people. So we make a logical argument.
The Logical Argument
The Prophets family is the best of lineage and Allah would have destroyed the earth had there not been 7 people on it who worshipped Him. The earth was not destroyed so there were people worshipping Allah on it. These are the best of people and therefore the Prophet’s ﷺ family were the worshippers of Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ was of the best, pure lineage. The best lineage worships Allah. Therefore the Prophet’s ﷺ parents were Muslim.
However this is still not the strongest evidence and the Sahih Hadith in Muslim requires an explanation. We recognise that Sahih Bukhari and Muslim are the most authentic books in terms of their compilation, nevertheless we must bear in mind that this is not necessarily so in meanings.
The Punishment
The parents of the Prophet ﷺ are of the Ahl ul Fitra, therefore they are saved. Because Allah says he will not punish a people until he sends a Messenger and they were in a time between Prophets, when the message was completely distorted.
Some argue that the word punishment refers to punishment on the earth and not in the Akhirah. However this would contradict the Quran as it is also stated that Allah will not destroy a people until he has sent a Messenger so this would apply to the next world.
The Narrator
To delve further, the Hadith in question has a Sanad (transmission) from Hammad ibn Salamah to Thabit to Anas and this is the only chain that mentions ‘my father’ in the wording. The other narrations only mention ‘your father’ so this particular transmission is problematic. There are also issues with the narrator as he narrated from a book and did not memorise the Hadith well and whilst narrating his book had been destroyed, meaning that technically his Hadith would not be accepted. He was known to narrate from his understanding and add additional words, proven by the other narrations of this particular Hadith which did not include this wording. Also Bukhari did not quote Hadith from him.
In fact Bukhari and all the other four major Hadith collections cite the variant of this Hadith which states the reply to where is your father as being ‘When you pass by the graves of the kufar, give them the glad tidings of the fire.’
The Conclusion
So in conclusion, the Hadith in question can not be used as evidence for the Prophet’s ﷺ parents being in the fire. Holistically, looking at the Hadith and Quran it is clear that the Prophet’s ﷺ parents are from the Ahl ul Fitra.
Reflections on Concerning the Parents of the Prophet ﷺ with Shaykh Mohammed Zaqir, Darul Arqam Educational Trust.
Rabbee Zidnee Ilma 