Do Sunni 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)

“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom’s weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.” (Qur’an 4:40)

﷽ 

“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 Bukhari.

We like to call this: The TO BE CONTINUED….hadith.

Source: (https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3350)

You can see how some Sunni scholars tried to deal with this hadith.

Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī in Fatḥ al-Bārī says Āzar was transformed from human form into an animal form for two reasons:

The first reason: As a mercy to Abraham — because if Āzar entered the Fire in the form that Abraham knew, Abraham would be pained every time he looked toward the Fire and saw his father. So Allah wished to show mercy to Abraham by transforming his father’s form.

The second reason: Āzar had seen the signs indicating Allah’s oneness, the proof had been established against him, yet he refused anything but polytheism. Therefore, the punishment is of the same kind as the deed. He was transformed into a stupid hyena because he was characterized by stupidity and rejected the call to monotheism, so he was transformed into this form.

Source: (https://shamela.ws/book/37774/737)

The Lord will answer him with the decisive word, that He has forbidden Paradise to the disbelievers. Then it will be said to Abraham: Look at what is under your feet. So Abraham, peace be upon him, will look and see a hyena covered in filth. The hyena is the male hyena with much hair. He will find it covered in excrement or blood. Then it will be seized by its limbs—that is, its hands and feet—and thrown into the Fire. It is said that it appeared to him in this repulsive form because So that he might disown him. The wisdom behind his transformation into a hyena, rather than any other animal, lies in the fact that the hyena is the most foolish of animals. Part of its foolishness is its heedlessness of what requires vigilance. When Azar rejected the advice of the most compassionate person towards him and instead accepted the deception of Satan, he resembled the hyena, known for its foolishness.
This hadith also illustrates God’s honoring of His friend Abraham.
Furthermore, it provides evidence that a child’s conversion to Islam will not benefit the parent on the Day of Judgment if the parent was not a Muslim

Source: (https://dorar.net/hadith/sharh/9790)

Prima Qur’an comments:

“This hadith also illustrates God’s honoring of His friend Abraham.” What?! This wild explanation does nothing to tell us how Abraham (as) was not disgraced on that day. What is the resolution? What did Abraham learn about Āzar?

If Ibrāhīm knows the animal is his father, he still sees his father punished. The transformation doesn’t remove the shame—it merely changes the visual. This explanation solves nothing theologically. It also introduces a special privilege for Ibrāhīm that no other believer gets, which contradicts Qur’ānic justice (Qur’an 4:40).

If the animal were a ransom, Āzar would be saved. But the ḥadīth explicitly says Paradise is forbidden to disbelievers. So the animal is not a ransom—it’s just an animal being punished. That’s the plain reading.

Also, if this whole elaborate and fanciful interpretation is needed so that Abraham is not disgraced and dishonored, what good is that those reading this very article know that indeed his father was disgraced?!

So now we will need another elaborate and fanciful interpretation (let us see if we can beat the Sufis to it). That someone would suggest that we all have our memories wiped concerning the fate of Azar on the day of judgment!

We call the above hadith: The TO BE CONTINUED hadith.

You know, sometimes you get wrapped up in watching a series on television, 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!”

In ya go ya little booger!

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

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 too 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 this particular 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’i 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’i have made some very wild attempts to assert that Azar is not the father of Ibrahim but his uncle instead. Not to be outdone by none 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 (as) gets to ask for privileges on behalf of his father, then this means that all the Prophets will get to ask privileges for their wives, sons, daughters, uncles. Noah (as) gets to ask for his sons. Lut (as) gets to ask for his wife.

Second point.

This will indicate double standards. The Prophets 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 overburden camels or that he would cut his robe so as not to disturb a sleeping cat and then 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)

The idea of not accepting that the father of Prophet Ibrahim (as) goes to hell is the same train of thought that leads some Sunni Muslims to launch attacks upon the very Sahih hadith themselves!

You may read about that here:

Attacks upon Sahih hadith by Sufi Leaning Ashari Theologians

Are The Prophets Parents In Hell? – Dr Shaykh Abdullah al-Mu’ammari.

You may also be interested in reading the following:

The Ibadi school is attacked for saying it’s haram to eat Goat Penis.

May Allah (swt) Forgive the Ummah.

May Allah (swt) Guide the Ummah.