Back to search
The question

Will a person be held accountable on the Day of Judgment for refusing to help a 12-year-old child embrace Islam, due to fear of their parents, the absence of someone to guide them afterward, and a lack of conviction regarding their seriousness?

Share this answer

Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Disbelief (Kufr) is one of the greatest evils that must be removed immediately. Jurists have emphasized the obligation to promptly instruct a disbeliever in the Two Testimonies (Shahadatayn) if he requests it.

Delaying a disbeliever's conversion to Islam under the pretext of ritual bathing (ghusl) is a grave sin; indeed, it is an abomination and a reprehensible act. How can it be permissible to remain in disbelief to achieve a ghusl that is not considered an act of worship due to the performer's lack of eligibility?

The conversion of a child to Islam is valid according to the majority of scholars once he comprehends Islam. If a child is discerning and intelligent, it is obligatory to promptly instruct him in Islam whenever he requests it, even if he has not reached puberty, because it is a pure act of worship that is recorded for him, not against him.

If the child is 12 years old, he may have reached puberty and can comprehend Islam, as comprehension of Islam is a prerequisite for a child's conversion to Islam.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy