Do Muslims believe animals can go to hell?

“When they see it, the criminal will wish he can ransom himself from the chastisement of that day by sacrificing his children.” (Qur’an 70:11)

“Allah does not wish injustice for any of His creatures.” (Qur’an 3:108)

“I am going to be thrown in hell? Wait! Noooooooo!”

“And the request of forgiveness of Ibrahim for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Ibrahim that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Ibrahim compassionate and patient.” (Qur’an 9:114)

In this short entry we will be discussing a very curious hadith found in ‘Sahih‘ Bukhari.

I like to call this the: TO BE CONTINUED….hadith.

I call the above hadith the: TO BE CONTINUED hadith

You know some times you get wrapped up in watching a series on Netflix and suddenly they cancel season three just when it was getting really interesting!

That’s the case with the following hadith:

“Ibrahim will meet his father on the Day of Resurrection, and Azar’s face will be dark and covered with dust. Ibrahim will say to him, “Did I not tell you not to disobey me?’ His father will say, ‘Today I will not disobey you.” Ibrahim will say, ‘O Lord! You promised me not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection; and what will be more disgraceful to me than cursing and dishonoring my father?” Then Allah will say, ‘I have forbidden Paradise to the disbelievers.’ Then he will be addressed, ‘O Ibrahim, what is beneath your feet?’ He will look and there will be a sacrificial animal (Dhahb) WHICH WILL BE CAUGHT BY THE LEGS AND THROWN INTO THE FIRE!”

“He will look and there will be a sacrificial animal (Dhahb) which will be caught by the legs and thrown into the fire!”

Personally when you look at this text it is sensible that it stops at this part: “Then Allah will say, ‘I have forbidden Paradise to the disbelievers.” This concludes the matter.

Now the messy part.

The following part Is all to to easily an accretion by a redactor:

“Then he will be addressed, ‘O Ibrahim, what is beneath your feet?’ He will look and there will be a sacrificial animal (Dhahb) which will be caught by the legs and thrown into the fire!”

So we saw that the hadith had a sensible conclusion. Yet theology won’t have it that way….we need it to continue…. “THEN….” From this part on the redactor just lets the imagination run wild…..

This becomes more interesting when you consider that in Islamic history both the Shi’a Muslims and the Ash’ari Sunni Muslims have had a real problem with the idea of the parents of the Prophet (saw) being in hellfire or even the father of Ibrahim being in the hellfire.

The Shi’a have made some very wild attempts to assert that Azar is not the father of Ibrahim but his uncle instead. Not to be outdone no other than Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti, threw his weight behind the idea as well.

(insh’Allah perhaps these are subjects for future articles) ..

So there are two things to be immediately said about the hadith above.

First point.

If Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) gets to ask privileges on behalf of his father than this means that all the Prophets will get to ask privileges for their wives, sons, daughters, uncles. Noah (a.s) gets to ask for his sons. Lut (a.s) gets to ask for his wife.

Second point.

This will indicate double standards. The Prophet’s get special treatment from Allah (swt) -astaghfirullah and the rest of us if we go to the Jannah can we ask the same for our family members” Will Allah (swt) be just and give this same treatment to everyone or only to the Prophets?

“And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein.” (Qur’an 19:70)

So what did the sacrificial animal do to be burned by the fire?

Was this (let’s say a goat) was he:

Among the Mujrimun-criminals?

Among the Fasiq-defiantly disobedient?

Among the Munafiq-hypocrites?

Among the Mushrik-those who associate partners with Allah (swt) ?

May Allah (swt) forgive us. May Allah (swt) deal justly with those who forge narrations and put words in the mouth of the Blessed Messenger (saw).

Our understanding in the Ibadi school is that the animals are the creations of Allah (swt) they are created according to their fitra and they do not rebel against Allah (swt). They are not subject to any punishment, certainly not hellfire.

To believe that the Blessed Messenger (saw) would not over burden camels or that he would cut his robe so as not to disturb a sleeping cat and than turn around and think that he narrated something like this is certainly wanting.

All praise be to Allah. Al hamdulillah.

“And the request of forgiveness of Ibrahim for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Ibrahim that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Ibrahim compassionate and patient.” (Qur’an 9:114)

You may also be interested in reading:

Attacks upon Sahih hadith by Sufi Leaning Ashari Theologians