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Will the majority of the world's non-Muslim population enter Hellfire, and what is the wisdom behind Allah's sending down Judaism and Christianity before Islam, given that Islam is the true religion?

2 min readAlso available in العربية

The destiny of anyone who dies without believing in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after his message has reached them is eternal damnation in Hellfire, as stated in the verse: "Indeed, those who disbelieve from the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein" (Al-Bayyinah: 6). And in the Hadith: "By Him in whose hand is my soul, no one from this nation, neither a Jew nor a Christian, hears of me and then dies without believing in that with which I have been sent, except that he will be among the people of the Hellfire."

Islam has two meanings: 1. The general meaning: Submission to Allah through monotheism, obedience, and abstaining from polytheism. This is required of every nation, and it was the path of the followers of Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). 2. The specific meaning: The Islam brought by Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is the final message. Allah took a covenant from the prophets and their followers to believe in him and support him, as stated in the verse: "And [mention, O Muhammad], when Allah took a covenant from the prophets, [saying], 'Whatever I have given you of a Scripture and wisdom, and then there comes to you a messenger confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and support him.' [Allah] said, 'Have you acknowledged and taken upon that My commitment?' They said, 'We have acknowledged.' He said, 'Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses'" (Al-Imran: 81).

Based on this, a Jew or Christian who dies upon their religion without believing in the message of Muhammad (peace be upon him) is in error, and their destiny is loss and eternal damnation in Hellfire. Muslims must invite them to the truth.

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

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