What Happens to Children Who Die Young: An Islamic Perspective
What happens to the children who die when small
Firstly: The fate of the children of the Muslims.
Secondly: The fate of the children of the disbelievers.
Muslim children that die under the age of puberty will be in paradise: Narrated by Samurah Bin Junduba: Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ reported,
“…..the tall man … is Ibrāhīm and the children around him are those children who die with Al-Fitrah (the Islāmic Faith).” The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet, “O Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ! What about the children of pagans?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “And also the children of pagans.”
Sahīh Al-Bukhārī (no. 7047).
Imām Ahmad said: There is no dispute concerning the fact that they will be among the people of Paradise. See Tafsir al-Qur’ān al-‘Azīm (3/33)
With regard to the second part, the fate of the children of the disbelievers. The scholars differed concerning this matter, and there are several views:
1st view: The children of the disbelievers will be in Jannah:
The evidence used is the narration of Samurah in Bukhārī (mentioned above).
2nd view: The children of the disbelievers will be in the Hell fire:
- Salamah ibn Qays al-Ashja’i said: my brother and I came to the Prophet ﷺ and said that our mother had died during the Jāhilīyyah, and that she had honoured her guests and upheld the ties of kinship, but that she had buried alive a sister of ours during the Jāhilīyyah who had not reached the age of puberty. He said: the one who was buried and the one who buried her are in Hell, unless Islam reached the one who buried the child alive and she became Muslim.
The narration was classed as Hasan by Ibn Kathīr in al-Tafsīr (3/33) and before him by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Tamhīd (18/120).
This is also the position of Imām Ibn Hazm and some of the Hanbalis.
3rd view: The children of the disbelievers will be in Al-A‘rāf. The place between Jannah and Jahannam:
- They will be in al-A’rāf [a place between Paradise and Hell]. And the reason why it was said that they will be in Paradise is because this is the ultimate destiny of the people of al-A’raaf.
No clear evidence for this view.
4th view: The children of the disbelievers are the servants to the people of Jannah:
- Some have used a narration they believe as authentic. Anas relates: The Messenger ﷺ was asked about the children of the Mushrikīn. He said: “They have no sins to be punished for and thus become from the people of the Hellfire, nor do they have any good deeds to be rewarded for and become from the people of Jannah, they are the servants of the people of Jannah.”
- Classed as Hasan li-ghayrihī according to Al-Albānī in Silsilatul-Ahādith As-Sahīhah (no. 1468).
Other have mentioned this has no basis. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymīyyah said: “There is no basis for this view.” See Majmoū’ al-Fatāwa (4/279).
5th view: Not giving any opinion on this matter:
- Ibn Abbās, Hammād ibn Zayd, Hammād ibn Salamah, Ibn al-Mubārak, Shāfi’ī, Bayhaqī, Ibn Abdil-Barr and others believed that we have to say “Allāh knows best” and not talk about this issue, based on the statement of the Prophet ﷺ when he was asked about the children of the Mushrikīn:
“Allāh knows best what they would have done.”
Sahīh al-Bukhārī (no. 1383) and Sahīh Muslim (no. 2660).
6th view: The children of the disbelievers will be tested on the Day of Resurrection:
- That they will be tested in the Hereafter, and whoever obeys Allāh will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys Him will enter Hell. This is the position of Abul-Hasan Al-Ash’arī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn Taymīyyah, Ibn Qayyim, Al-Albānī, and Ibn Bāz, and others.
See At-Tafsir Ibn Kathīr (3/31), Majmoū’ Al-Fatāwa of Ibn Taymīyyah (24/373),
Evidence for this view: Anas said: the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“Four (kinds of people) will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection: the infant, the insane, the one who died during the Fatrah (the period between two prophets) and the very old man. All of them will speak in their own defence, then the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, will say to a neck of Hell, ‘Come forth!’ and He will say to them, ‘I used to send Messengers to My slaves from amongst themselves. Now I am the Messenger of Myself to you. Enter this (i.e., the Fire).’ Those who are decreed to be among the doomed will say, ‘O Lord, how could we enter it when we are trying to escape it?’ And those who are decreed to be among the blessed will rush to enter it. And Allāh will say: ‘You would have been more disobedient towards My Messengers.’ So those will enter Paradise and those will enter Hell.”
Narrated by Abū Ya’la (4224). There are corroborating reports mentioned by Ibn Kathīr in At-Tafsīr (3/29-31). This hadith has numerous routes and they are gathered and mentioned in Silsilatul-Ahādīth As-Sahīhah (no. 2468).
Hāfidh Ibn Kathīr said: This view reconciles all the reports, and all the ahādīth quoted above support one another.
Imām Ibn al-Qayyim said: This is the most reasonable of the opinions, which reconciles all the reports and brings all the ahādīth into harmony. On this basis, some of them will be in Paradise, as in the hadith of Samurah, and some of them will be in Hell, as in the narration of ‘Aishah.
See Hāshiyāt Ibn al-Qayyim ‘ala Sunan Abī Dawūd (7/87).
Compiled by Abū Ismā’īl