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Those to whom Paradise is forbidden

Question

To whom is Paradise forbidden?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Paradise is forbidden for whoever died as a polytheist (one who associates partners with Allah in worship) or a Kaafir (disbeliever), who disbelieved in Allah and His Messengers, may Allah exalt their mention.

Allah says (what means): {Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.} [Quran 5:72]

Allah also says (what means): {Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein...} [Quran 98:6]

Besides, Abu Hurayrah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated:

We participated in the Battle of Hunayn along with the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ). He (the Prophet) said about a man who claimed to be a Muslim that he was one of the denizens of Hellfire. When we were in the thick of the battle, that man fought desperately and was wounded. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said, ‘To the Fire.’ Some men were on the verge of doubt (about his fate) when it was said that he was not dead but, rather, fatally wounded. When the night came, he could no longer stand the (pain of his) wound and killed himself. The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) was informed of that. Thereupon, he said, ‘Allah is Great, I bear witness that I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger.’ He then commanded Bilaal to announce to the people that none but a Muslim would enter Paradise, and that, verily, Allah supports this religion even with a dissolute person.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Abu Hurayrah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him also narrated that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said:

On the Day of Resurrection, Ibraaheem (Abraham) will meet his father Aazar, whose face will be dark and covered with dust. Ibraaheem will say to him, ‘Did I not tell you not to disobey me?’ His father will reply, ‘Today I will not disobey you.’ Ibraaheem will say, ‘O Lord! You promised me not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection; and what is more disgraceful to me than cursing and dishonoring my father?’ Then Allah will say (to him), ‘I have forbidden Paradise for the disbelievers…’” [[Al-Bukhaari]

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated:

We were in a tent with the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) who said to us, ‘Would you be pleased to be a quarter of the people of Paradise?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Would you be pleased to be a third of the people of Paradise?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Would you be pleased to be one half of the people of Paradise?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ Thereupon, he said, ‘I hope that you would be one half of the people of Paradise, for none will enter Paradise but a Muslim soul, and you people, in comparison to the people who associate others in worship with Allah, are like a white hair on the skin of a black ox, or a black hair on the skin of a red ox.’” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

An-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim, “The saying of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ): ‘None will enter Paradise but a Muslim soul’ is an explicit text indicating that whoever dies upon disbelief, he does not enter Paradise at all. This text is general according to the consensus of the Muslims.

As-Saffaareeni said in Ad-Durrah al-Mudhiyyah fi ‘aqd al-Firqah al-Mardhiyyah, in a poem:

The Garden of Bliss is for the pious. It is preserved from all the disbelievers.

Ibn Al-Qaasim said in a commentary on it, “It means that the Garden of Bliss is preserved from all unbelievers; it is only a believing soul who enters Paradise according to the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of Ahlus-Sunnah.

Allah knows best.

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