Is Allah a tyrant?

Question

There are certain things in Islam that I don't fully agree with or find difficult to accept, simply because they defy logic and may appear at times too cruel and makes Allah a tyrant God.. for example:

People to whom the true message hasn't reached, will burn in hell.

Narrated by Ali ibn AbuTalib

Khadijah asked Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) about her children who had died in the days of ignorance. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: They are in Hell Fire, and when he saw the sign of disgust on her face, he said: If you were to see their station you would hate them. She said: Allah's Messenger, what about my child that was born of your loins? He said: It is in Paradise. Then Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Verily the believers and their children will be in Paradise and the polytheists and their children in the Hell Fire. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) then recited this verse: `And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith We unite with them their offspring and I shall deprive them of naught in their work.' Al-Tirmidhi 117

This is just one of the many hadiths that I personally find really troubling... There are other hadiths which suggests, the polytheists' daughters who were buried alive in the reign of ignorance will also burn in hell. To make my point more stronger let me quote another hadiths which suggests the same fate for people with same circumstances.

Narrated Anas:

A man asked : where is my father, Messenger of Allah? He replied! Your father is in Hell. When he turned his back, he said : My father and your father are in Hell.

Sunan Abi Dawud 4718

Even the prophet's father I-e Abdullah seems to burn in hell. I think its very cruel not to allow people to be given a chance to choose right from wrong and then condemn them to hell for being polytheists.

By these accords, people in hell will outnumber those in paradise by a huge proportion, simply because they were unlucky to be born to non believers and not able to grow old to change their faith.

Even though Mohammad pbuh himself was a polytheist at first and became a monotheist later exclusively because of the intervention made into his life by God. Has he been killed in his juvenile days or buried alive like the girls, he too would have been destined to go to hell as per these hadiths.

I personally find these hadiths very repulsive and cruel but may be I am wrong and the Quran might have a better more logical explanation to prove me wrong. If you know anything please explain.

Answer 1

You should never disillusion yourself with hadiths that contradict the holy Quran. There are hundreds and thousands of false hadiths out there. According to Islam, Quran has a high authority over hadiths and if something is mentioned differently in the Quran than the hadiths, those hadiths automatically become less credible because ultimately Quran is the protected script, hadith's aren't.

Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian.

Quran 15:9

The hadiths you've mentioned are clearly in contradiction with the following Quranic verse due to which they cannot be considered true.

Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.

Quran 17:15

Therefore, any juvenile girl who got buried alive before the prophet (pbuh) is innocent and so is the father of the prophet (pbuh). Because they all never got a chance to know and choose right from wrong. Allah does not punish for a sin that a soul has not committed.

Answer 2

No, Allah ﷻ is not a tyrant.

This is just one of the many hadiths that I personally find really troubling... There are other hadiths which suggest, the polytheists' daughters who were buried alive in the reign of ignorance will also burn in hell.

The hadith you quoted from At-Tirmidhi is inaccurate, to say the least. Jami' at-Tirmidhi 117 is about a completely different topic, and I am unable to find any reference to it in the words you quoted, or similar words, apart from two hadiths about the children of the polytheists who die young: Sahih Muslim 2660 and Sahih Muslim 2661, in which the Prophet ﷺ did not say they were in hellfire; rather, that only Allah ﷻ knows what they would have done:

حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ أَطْفَالِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ مَنْ يَمُوتُ مِنْهُمْ صَغِيرًا فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا كَانُوا عَامِلِينَ ‏"

Abu Huraira reported that Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) was asked about the children of the polytheists who die young. Thereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: It is Allah Who knows what they would be doing.

^{— Sahih Muslim 2660}

These hadiths were also documented in Sahih al-Bukhari 1383, Sahih al-Bukhari 6597, Sunan an-Nasa'i 1949, Sunan an-Nasa'i 1950, Sunan an-Nasa'i 1951, and Sunan Abi Dawud 4711.

The children of Muslims go to Jannah as was narrated in this hadith (abridged):

صِغَارُهُمْ دَعَامِيصُ الْجَنَّةِ يَتَلَقَّى أَحَدُهُمْ أَبَاهُ - أَوْ قَالَ أَبَوَيْهِ - فَيَأْخُذُ بِثَوْبِهِ - أَوْ قَالَ بِيَدِهِ - كَمَا آخُذُ أَنَا بِصَنِفَةِ ثَوْبِكَ هَذَا فَلاَ يَتَنَاهَى - أَوْ قَالَ فَلاَ يَنْتَهِي - حَتَّى يُدْخِلَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَبَاهُ الْجَنَّةَ

Abu Hassan reported: I said to Abu Huraira that my two children had died. Would you narrate to me anything from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) a hadith which would soothe our hearts in our bereavements? He said: Yes. Small children are the fowls of Paradise. If one of them meets his father (or he said his parents) he would take hold of his cloth, or he said with his hand as I take hold of the hem of your cloth (with my hand). And he (the child) would not take off (his hand) from it until Allah causes his father to enter Paradise. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Tamim with the same chain of transmitters. And he is reported to have said: Did you hear from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) anything which may soothe our heart in our bereavements? He said: Yes.

^{— Sahih Muslim 2635}

To address the other categories in your question, this hadith in Majma' al-Zawāid (Arabic: مجمع الزاوئد ومنبع الفوائد) that has an authentic chain through Al-Bazzār:

عن أنس بن مالك قال : قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم : " يؤتى بأربعة يوم القيامة : بالمولود ، وبالمعتوه ، وبمن مات في الفترة ، وبالشيخ الفاني ، كلهم يتكلم بحجته ، فيقول الرب - تبارك وتعالى - لعنق من النار : ابرز فيقول لهم : إني كنت أبعث إلى عبادي رسلا من أنفسهم ، وإني رسول نفسي إليكم ، ادخلوا هذه ، فيقول من كتب عليه الشقاء : يا رب أين ندخلها ومنها كنا نفر ؟ " قال : " ومن كتب عليه السعادة يمضي فيقتحم فيها مسرعا " قال : " فيقول الله - تبارك وتعالى : أنتم لرسلي أشد تكذيبا ومعصية ، فيدخل هؤلاء الجنة وهؤلاء النار " .

_{— NOTE: My own translation, so treat with care:}

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik that the Prophet ﷺ said: "On the Day of Resurrection, four will be called upon: the newly-born, the mentally-challenged, those who were born in a fatrah (in between messengers), and perished old men, each bringing forth their argument. Allah ﷻ orders a portion of hellfire to appear, then Allah ﷻ tells this group:

I sent My messengers to My servants from amongst themselves. I am now My messenger to you. Enter this [the portion of hellfire].

Those who are doomed will say: 'How can we enter into which we were avoiding?'

Those who are saved will obey and willingly rush into it [the portion of hellfire].

Allah ﷻ then says to the doomed:

You would have been in more denial and disobedience to My messengers.

The doomed then enter the hellfire, and the saved go to Jannah.

Ths hadith addresses those who were not made aware of their duty to worship Allah ﷻ in their lifetime. They are tested instead on Judgment Day, then pass or fail in a similar fashion.

You can refer to the Gloss of Ibn al-Qayyim on Sunnan Abi Dawūd for more information (Arabic only).

Even the prophet's father I-e Abdullah seems to burn in hell. I think its very cruel not to allow people to be given a chance to choose right from wrong and then condemn them to hell for being polytheists.

The hadith of Anas ibn Malik in Sahih Muslim 203 (and other books) about the fathers of the Prophet ﷺ and the other man being in hellfire is indeed authentic, but it does not provide the reasons or the means by which they will end up in hellfire. As both being people of fatrah, they would be tested as per the hadith of Al-Bazzār above.

By these accords, people in hell will outnumber those in paradise by a huge proportion, simply because they were unlucky to be born to non believers and not able to grow old to change their faith.

It is not clear how you concluded that people in hell will outnumber those in paradise based on your quotations. Having said that, those who were born non-believers and were not given the chance to pursue a faith of their own choice will be tested as per the hadith of Al-Bazzār above.

There are other hadiths which suggests, the polytheists' daughters who were buried alive in the reign of ignorance will also burn in hell.

You did not mention which hadith(s) you are referring to, but I presume you are referring to the hadith by Salama Ibn Qays al-Ashja'i, which is not authentic. The several authentic hadiths about the children of the polytheists (referenced above) show otherwise.

Even though Mohammad pbuh himself was a polytheist at first and became a monotheist later exclusively because of the intervention made into his life by God.

There is no account in any book that the Prophet ﷺ was a polytheist. Such an allegation requires proof. The only verse that refers to anything close to this subject is about the Prophet ﷺ being guided by Allah ﷻ after being lost, i.e., had n o guidance. This does not translate into being a polytheist.

Furthermore, guidance is given to all of us in the form of the message of Allah ﷻ to us through His books and the teachings of His messengers and prophets. This is the "intervention" that we all receive, but some choose to embrace and some choose otherwise. In any case, punishment is only when the message is delivered:

مَّنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا

Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.

^{— Surat Al-Isra 17:15}

Those who were not sent a messenger will be tested as per the hadith of Al-Bazzār above. In Tafsir Ibn Kathir of this verse, he mentioned that there is an agreement that the children of the Muslims go to paradise, quoting also Abu Ya'lā and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned the same in his gloss on Sunnan Abi Dawūd (referenced above), as did Al-Nawawi in Sahih Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, and many others.

I personally find these hadiths very repulsive and cruel but may be I am wrong and the Quran might have a better more logical explanation to prove me wrong.

Reverting to the Qur'an only and ruling out authenticated hadiths is denying what is known of Islam by necessity. Having said that, the Qur'an does address your question in many verses:

ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

That is for what your hands have put forth and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants."

^{— Surat Āl-'Imrān 3:182}

The same exact message is conveyed in Surat Al-Anfal 8:51, Surat Al-Haj 22:10, Surat Fussilat 41:46, Surat Qaf 50:29, among many others.

Answer 3

First of all, why would you, upon reading a single hadeeth or even a group of hadeeths, cancel out the entire meaning and message of the Quran and myriad other hadeeths which all point to Allah's mercy and justice? The ayat regarding Allah's mercy and justice, and extremely strong condemnation of oppression, should stand as sufficient evidence against the notion of Allah as tyrant. Even if you examine your own life or the world around you, you will find evidence of Allah's compassion. But this is the typical argument one finds in anti-Islamic rants among both Christians and atheists. It is always an argument about how Allah supposedly throws innocent people into hell fire. All children are Muslim: none will be in hell if they died as children.

The hadeeths you quoted are simply wrong as stated. One could say misquoted or mistranslated or whatever, but I see a need to continue the work of weeding out these weak hadeeths. Nonetheless, the vast majority of hadeeths and the entire Quran completely eliminate the impression you get from these. Does one bad apple spoil the whole bunch? The Quran is unimpeachable. Therefore we have a perfect reference point against which to verify what was compiled thereafter.

In fact, that Allah is just and is not a tyrant is one of the most frequently mentioned points in the Quran. That some people themselves are unjust and oppress themselves and others is part of what happens with free will. Some will choose to be good and act with compassion; many others will choose to commit crimes against others or to hurt people and themselves, some committing unspeakable evil. That there is punishment for the latter at all, i.e. Hell, seems to be a problem for some. But even in this life many who claim hell in itself is unjust want punishment for criminals. At some point one must trust that there is justice and good and everything is in Allah's hands.

Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom's weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward. 4:40

On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. 2:286

Every soul that has sinned, if it possessed all that is on earth, would give it in ransom: They would declare (their) repentance when they see the penalty: but the judgment between them will be with justice, and no wrong will be done unto them. 3:161

If any one does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. 4:110

Answer 4

All Praise to Allah The Lord of Mercy The Most Merciful and blessings of Him be on Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him His family and companions

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab: Some Sabi (Captives) were brought before the Prophet (ﷺ) and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son." (Bukhari)

Imagine you are in the courtyard of a Most Powerful King and you call him in front of him a tyrant and cruel condemn him and so on......

what would be the next scenario I guess one could understand easily the punishment he would receive right away for that but you have posted this question few days ago and all your thoughts including this question is not away from the sight of Allah Swt, now considering you in good state alhamdulillah eating drinking doing all of your chores neither your food your sustenance is stopped by the Most Powerful Lord neither your routine is paused by the Most Loving Lord and neither you are punished yet by the Most Merciful Lord Allah Swt so how one could imagine Him as non merciful as he is the provider and caretaker to the non believer as well.

You wrote People to whom the true message hasn't reached, will burn in hell. which is not correct indeed Allah Swt says in Quran

“...And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).” [al-Israa’ 17:15].

So these are the people called as Ahlul Fatrah a term used for those people when there was no revelation available from which they could be guided a period between two prophets as could see in a hadith here

"There are four will come to Allah on the Day of Resurrection: the deaf man who never heard anything, the insane man, the very old man, and the man who died during the fatrah (the time between Jesus and Mohamed). The deaf man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything.’ The insane man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but the children ran after me and threw stones at me.’ The very old man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I did not understand anything.’ The man who died during the fatrah will say, ‘O Lord, no Messenger from You came to me.’ He (Allah) will accept their promises of obedience, then word will be sent to them to enter the Fire. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Mohamed, if they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them."

No one would be accountable for the punishment by the Lord which one is not deserving and the for the hadith you referred about the Parents of Rasulullah peace be upon him so most of the Scholars are agreed on the fact that they are among the people of Paradise as they were from the deen of Hanif (Deen of Ibrahim peace be upon him) and Arabs call their Paternal uncles as father (abb in arabic) which in view of scholars he peace be upon him reffered it to Abu lahab to be in the hell please see this too.

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "I have been sent (as an Apostle) in the best of all the generations of Adam's offspring since their Creation."(Bukhari)

Also you quoted Rasulullah peace be upon him as a an early polytheist which is your wrong assumption many of the people during that time were on deen Hanif I would humbly suugest you to seek knowledge from proper ways to protect the Iman and to believe this

وَإِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَـٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ

And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Allah Swt decreed for himself 'Verily, My Mercy prevailed over My Wrath"(Bukhari Muslim)

One perception from your question and comments is your hesitation in perceiving the ahadith that would be different detailed topic then.

Allah Swt and His Messenger knows best.