Is it true that not all disbelievers of this era will be in the Hellfire, because their minds are incapable of comprehending Islam, unlike the disbelievers of the Prophet’s era (peace be upon him)? And can the hadith: "Whoever says ‘There is no god but Allah’ will enter Paradise" be used to argue against the condition of saying "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" for entering Paradise?
What the author mentioned, that Allah has given some disbelievers of this era small minds with which they cannot comprehend Islam and its greatness, and thus are excused from entering Hellfire, is false and rejected. The religion of Islam is a religion of natural disposition (fitra) and ease; both the scholar and the unlettered can understand it. So, whoever knows Islam but does not accept it is a disbeliever and among the people of Hellfire, as stated in the Hadith of Abu Hurairah: "By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one from this nation, whether a Jew or a Christian, hears of me, then dies without believing in that with which I was sent, except that he will be among the people of the Hellfire." It is improbable that the message of Islam has not reached most people today. As for using the Hadith: "Whoever says 'there is no god but Allah' will enter Paradise" as an argument for those who have not believed in the message of Muhammad (peace be upon him), it is refuted by other Hadiths that stipulate belief in the message for salvation from Hellfire.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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