Is saying a specific person, for example hitler will go to hell incorrect?

Question

There are multiple answers on this site informing that person X fate is with Allah, we shouldnt tell he's going to hell if he's a disbeliever.

Is saying a specific person, for example adolf hitler will go to hell incorrect?

Provided theres a hadith to give dead disbelievers glad tidings of hell.

https://abdurrahman.org/category/islam/dealings-with-non-muslims/

Answer 1

A person who dies on disbelief will enter hell-fire, and will not be forgiven.

إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به

Indeed, Allah does not forgive shirk with Him

^{— Quran 4:48}

إن الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله ثم ماتوا وهم كفار فلن يغفر الله لهم

Indeed, those who disbelieved and averted [people] from the path of Allah and then died while they were disbelievers - never will Allah forgive them

^{— Quran 47:34}

إن تستغفر لهم سبعين مرة فلن يغفر الله لهم ذلك بأنهم كفروا بالله ورسوله

If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times - never will Allah forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger.

^{— Quran 9:80}

وعد الله ... الكفار نار جهنم

Allah has promised ... the disbelievers the fire of Hell

^{—Quran 9:68}

The issue is that you can not know for certain whether a specific individual actually died on disbelief.

Maybe the person was a believer in secret and was forced to hide his religion:

إلا من أكره وقلبه مطمئن بالإيمان

except for one who is forced while his heart is secure in faith

^{—Quran 16:106}

Maybe he repented and accepted Islam shortly before death and you don't know about it, but Allah knows about it.

إني أعلم ما لا تعلمون

Indeed, I know that which you do not know.

^{—Quran 2:30}

فإنه يعلم السر وأخفى

He knows the secret and what is [even] more hidden

^{—Quran 20:7}

Maybe he didn't receive Islam's message and so his judgement is currently suspended:

وما كنا معذبين حتى نبعث رسولا

And never would We punish until We sent a messenger

^{—Quran 17:15; see What is the fate of someone who died never having heard of Islam?}

If it was any of these cases and the person was a believer and you went ahead and declared that he is a dweller of hell, then that would be wrong.

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_{For legal purposes like funeral, inheritance etc. the person will be treated according to his apparent condition.}

Answer 2

IslamWeb quotes multiple scholars who say declaring a specific individual will certainly go to hell is forbidden, except if this individual is mentioned in the Qur'an or hadith.

One example is: Qur'an 111:1-3 says Abu Lahab will go to hell. So we can say he will go to hell.

Who goes to hell is ultimately up to Allah, and He may make exceptions:

And [mention, O Muhammad], the Day when He will gather them together [and say], "O company of jinn, you have [misled] many of mankind." And their allies among mankind will say, "Our Lord, some of us made use of others, and we have [now] reached our term, which you appointed for us." He will say, "The Fire is your residence, wherein you will abide eternally, except for what Allah wills. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing."
_{Qur'an 6:128}

We know that Allah forgives all sins (Qur'an 39:53), and we don't have Allah's infallible judgment and unlimited knowledge: we don't know who He does and doesn't forgive. We could be wrong.