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How will the disbeliever who has not been reached by Islam be tested on the Day of Judgment after seeing death, and which group of angels will come to him when his soul is seized, given the narration about black-faced angels descending to him?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

One who has not received the message of Islam will not be punished on the Day of Judgment, as Allah Almighty says: "And We would not punish until We had sent a messenger" (Quran 17:15). The correct view is that such a person will be tested; whoever obeys will be saved, and whoever disobeys will perish. In this world, anyone who has not embraced Islam is judged as a disbeliever based on their outward state. However, it is not possible to definitively state the matter of their punishment at death or in the barzakh (interim period between death and resurrection), as it appears they are safe from punishment before the test. As for the questioning in the grave, there is a difference of opinion among scholars as to whether it includes those not held accountable, such as the Ahl al-Fatra (people of the interim period), or not. The more preponderant view is that the questioning is general, and their answer will be according to what Allah knows about them.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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