Who are the people of the Fatrah (period of pause in prophethood)? And are the Arabs before the advent of the Prophet (peace be upon him) among them? What is the meaning of Allah’s saying: (That you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned, so they are heedless)? And what is the implication of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement to the questioner: "My father and your father are in the Fire"?

Scholars have differed regarding the ruling on the People of the Fatrah (those who lived in periods between prophets). It has been said that they are obligated to believe in the Oneness of Allah and to abandon idol worship, and whoever dies having fallen short in this regard is among the people of Hellfire. This is supported by the Prophet’s statement to the questioner: "My father and your father are in the Fire." And regarding the verse: {That you may warn a people whose fathers were not warned}, there are two interpretations: The first is that "ma" (مَا) is negative, meaning that the Quraysh were warned by the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), but their forefathers before them were not. The second is that "ma" (مَا) is a relative pronoun, meaning that you may warn a people just as their fathers were warned. The intention behind "their fathers" (آبَاؤُهُمْ) is their immediate fathers, for the distant ancestors were warned by Ishmael (peace be upon him) with the law of Abraham, and the call to Allah was not cut off from any nation.