Women | Majority in Hell - Deficiency in Intelligence and Religion

TF-RA | July 4, 2019

Once Allāh's Messenger ﷺ went out to the Musallā (to offer the prayer) of `EId-ul-Adhā or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women).” They asked, ‘Why is it so, O Allāh's Messenger ﷺ?’ He replied, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.” The women asked, ‘O Allāh's Messenger ﷺ! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?’ He said, “Is not the witness of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.” (1)

There are plenty of profound lessons that can be drawn from this hadith. Nonetheless, the following two apparent subjects of the hadith are what this short article is going to be concerned with, inShāAllāh:

◾ Women comprise the majority of the inhabitants of the Hell.

◾ Women are deficient in intelligence and religion.

A Female Majority in Hellfire

 

No Accountability over Uncontrollable Things

Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. (Qur'ān, 2:286)

In Islām there is no accountability over uncontrollable things like gender; rather, accountability is associated with things that are within one's capacity, for we read in Qur'ān:

And your Lord does injustice to no one. (Qur'ān, 18:49)

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, as a warner and sincere adviser, informs women of some of their habitual behaviors that cause them to enter Hellfire. Hence, they will be admitted to Hellfire for what they often do, not for being women. This evident point is further propped up by another hadith in which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is narrated as saying:

“I looked at Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants; and I looked at Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women.” (2)

The fact that the needy outnumber the rich in Paradise shows that being in the majority or minority in either Paradise or Hellfire has nothing to do with gender, race, skin color, language etc, because anyone — regardless of gender, race, skin color, language etc — can be stricken with poverty. Nor does it have anything to do with social class, otherwise, the rich would be those forming the majority in Paradise. Yet, the opposite is true. 

The rich form minority in Paradise, because they are far more likely to develop base qualities and they bear a much heavier responsibility, compared to the needy. Women, on the other hand, form majority in Hellfire, because they are far more likely to develop bad behaviors such as cursing frequently and being ungrateful to their husbands and being ungrateful for the favors and the good done to them (3).

Moreover, courtesy dictates that a sincere advice must be appreciated, not decried, as many tend to do. If you are informed by your friend that you were in a disgusting state last night due to excessive drinking, you must thank your friend, not frown at him.

A Limited or All-Inclusive Reality?

We should ask if this reality (i.e. women forming the majority in the Hell) applies to all women, at all times? 

According to other authentic ahādith (plural of hadith) (4), Prophet Muhammad ﷺ saw this reality when he was shown the Hellfire and Paradise in his salāt-ul kusūf (solar eclipse prayer). Hence, some scholars have concluded that this reality is limited to the time when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ actually saw it and we cannot say that it is extended to all women, at all times. They have further mentioned that since women were new to Islām at that time, they hadn’t thoroughly been rid of the traits of jāhiliyyah (like cursing and being ungrateful to their husbands) but after they were disciplined by Islām, they successfully rid themselves of those traits so they no longer have to be majority in Hellfire (5).

Unless one argues that what the Prophet ﷺ saw refers to an upcoming reality pertaining to the women who had lived until then, what seems more compelling is that this reality is not restricted to a specific point in history (as mentioned by some other scholars— Discussed below), because when we say that the Prophet ﷺ saw a female majority in Hellfire, we basically refer to a future time which is yet to come, because none has been thrown into the Hellfire yet. 

A Female Majority in Paradise

In another authentic hadith it has been narrated that some people asked in a rhetorical or haughty manner, ‘Whether there would be more men in Paradise or more women?’ It was upon this that Abu Huraira mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ said:

‘The (members) of the first group to get into Paradise would have their faces as bright as full moon during the night, and the next to this group would have their faces as bright as the shining stars in the sky, and every person would have two wives and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath the flesh and there would be none without a wife in Paradise.’ (6)

 As Hāfidh ibn Hajar (ra) says, it's obvious that Abu Hurairah (ra) cited this hadith to prove that women will outnumber men in Paradise (7). 

However, it should be asked if this hadith talks about the women of this world or the Houris of the Paradise?

Ibn Katheer (ra) says that these two wives are from the daughters of Adam (peace be on him) and with these two wives there is going to be as many Houris as Allāh wills (8).  

It is notable to mention that this conclusion does not contradict what our primary hadith discusses, because being in the majority in Paradise doesn’t necessarily mean they are in the minority in Hellfire. Hence, it could be stated that women form majority in both Paradise and Hellfire, therefore, they comprise the majority of human population on earth. In fact, in an authentic hadith (9) we read that during the end times the women will outnumber the men so even if equal proportions of men and women are to go to Hell and Paradise, we will still have a female majority in both the Hell and Paradise. 

However, the hadith of Abu Hurairah (ra) seems to go against another authentic hadith in which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has been reported as saying:

Amongst the inmates of Paradise the women would form a minority. (10)

Yet, scholars like ibn Hajar (ra) mention that this hadith along with our primary hadith do not contradict the hadith of Abu Hurairah (ra), because (i) it is possible that the narrator has narrated his understanding of what Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described, that is, women comprising the majority in Hellfire necessitates them comprising the minority in Paradise, which is not bound to be true, and (ii) it is also possible that these ahādith refer to different stages. The ahādith indicating women being in the majority in Hellfire refer to the initial stages where the wrong-doers among the believing women are yet to be taken out of the Hellfire (11). And, the hadith of Abu Hurairah (ra) refers to the final stages where women will eventually comprise the majority in Paradise as more and more of them are fished out of the Hellfire and admitted to Paradise.

Therefore, as discussed by this group of scholars, women of this world form the majority in Paradise — either initially or eventually.

However, this conclusion is thrown into question by another hadith in which 'Amrw bin 'Ās is reported as saying, “While we were in a valley with the Messenger of Allāh, he said, ‘Look! If you see something.’ We said, ‘We see crows, among which there is a crow with white wings, red beak and feet.’ Thereupon, the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

‘None amongst the womenfolk shall enter the Paradise except for those who resemble this crow among the crows.’” (6)

Meaning that only a few number of women shall enter the Paradise.

And, as scholars like ibn Qayyim (ra) say, those two wives (in the hadith of Abu Hurairah (ra)) are from the Houris, because in another hadith Abu Huraira (ra) has narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

The first batch (of people) who will enter Paradise will be (glittering) like the full moon, and the batch next to them will be (glittering) like the most brilliant star in the sky. Their hearts will be as if the heart of a single man, for they will have neither enmity nor jealousy amongst themselves; everyone will have two wives from the houris, (who will be so beautiful, pure and transparent that) the marrow of the bones of their legs will be seen through the bones and the flesh. (13)

Therefore, as discussed by this group of scholars, although women in general (i.e. women of this world together with the Houris of the Paradise) form majority in Paradise, the women of this world form minority in Paradise and majority in Hellfire. 

Ultimately, whether or not women form majority in Paradise or Hellfire is a matter of disagreement among (classical) Muslim scholars and one cannot disregard any of their views. However, what can be stated for certain is that a probable female majority in Hellfire has nothing to do with gender; rather, it is resulted from an unhealthy attitude.

Deficiency in Intelligence and Religion

Deficient in Intelligence

Reflecting upon the text of our primary hadith, we realize that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has made use of a figure of speech called majāz mursal (synecdoche) by which the whole is put for a part. Intelligence for testimony; and Religion for salāt and fasting. So, what is intended here is the deficiency in the degree to which women’s testimony is legally valid, not deficiency in women’s intelligence. So, given this figure of speech, there should remain no misconception.

However, the hadith has been reported with different wordings. The versions containing this figure of speech use the phrase ‘فَهذا نُقْصانُ العَقْلِ’ or ‘فذاك نُقصانُ عقلِها’ which means ‘this is the deficiency in (her) intelligence’.

In other wordings of this hadith a different phrase has been used, in which it's been reported that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said ‘فَهَذا مِن نقصانِ العَقلِ’ or ‘فَذَلِكِ مِن نُقْصانِ عَقْلِها’ which means ‘this is part of the deficiency in (her) intelligence’, where no figurative meaning is intended.

Apparently only one of these wordings has been used by the Prophet ﷺ and this variation is a fault on the part of the narrators; however, interpreting the latter (wording) in the light of the former leaves no room for criticism, for the former restricts the meaning of the latter and as we know the restricted meaning takes precedence over the unrestricted meaning. But, let us give the reader the benefit of the doubt. Let us assume the hadith does talk about the ‘the deficiency in (women's) intelligence’: 

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ obviously talks about women’s intelligence in relation to men’s intelligence. He also talks about some degrees of deficiency in women’s intelligence without specifying the extent to which their intelligence is deficient, so it can be both very law or very high degrees of deficiency. And he links the deficiency in women’s intelligence to their testimony mentioned in verse 2:282 of Qur'ān which is exclusively pertinent to business transactions. Moreover, despite having mentioned women’s deficient intelligence, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ points out women’s great ability in manipulating men!

According to scientific studies, there is a significant positive association between overall brain volume and intelligence. The overall brain volume accounts for between 9 and 16 per cent of the variance in IQ. Men, on average, have bigger brains than women so one can conclude that men are, in aggregate, more intelligent than women. Considering the structure of men and women’s body, this point is easily accepted. So, even scientific findings allude to the same things mentioned by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Compared to men, women are deficient in intelligence.

Moreover, men’s IQ has greater variability than women’s IQ,  and, on average, women are more people‐oriented and less thing‐oriented than men – which can be the reason why women are less interested in fields like mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer sciences.

As we clearly see, the deficiency in women’s intelligence is inclined towards mathematics, computing etc. which is well-spread in business transactions so it is clear why women’s testimony (regarding business transactions) is equal to half that of men. As Qur'ān beautifully describes:

And get two witnesses out of your own men. And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women, such as you agree for witnesses, so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her. (Qur'ān, 2:282)

We should note that in some cases women’s testimony is equal to that of men (like what is mentioned in Qur'ān 24:6-9) and sometimes women’s testimony is even more valid than that of men. 

Moreover, according to aforementioned scientific findings, women’s main sphere of interest and influence is people, a point which is clearly highlighted in the hadith indicating women’s great ability in manipulating men which happens not except through better communication skills.

Note that we do not try to interpret the Islamic texts so as to fit into scientific findings. We believe in Islamic texts not because they are scientifically consistent, but rather because they are from Allāh. And, undoubtedly, whatever comes from Allāh is in total consistency with established reality.

Moreover, what we discussed doesn’t mean women are inferior to men. Yes, it would mean women are inferior to men, if women were to succumb to the feministic worldview which teaches that superiority is to be found in masculine qualities and in order for a woman to be superior, she has to look down on her feminine qualities, imitate man, and become like him.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says:

Women are the twin halves of men. (14)

Hence, in Islam, men and women are equal, but not the same. So, they are given different roles in accordance with their natural qualities and that’s a manifestation of justice and equity in Islamic laws.

Deficient in Religion

Nuqsān (deficiency) in the hadith is the opposite of kamāl (perfection). So, deficiency in religion refers to a state where one’s religion lacks perfection. In his commentary on this hadith, imam an-Nawawi (ra) expounds on the meaning of deficiency in religion, saying: ‘Deen, imān and Islam share a common meaning … and acts of worship are also referred to as deen and imān. If that is the case, we can conclude that whenever one’s worship increases, his imān and deen increase and whenever one’s worship decreases, his deen decreases. Moreover, the deficiency in religion can be in a form that renders the person sinful like when a person abandons the salāt, the fasting, or other obligatory acts of worship without any valid excuse. It can also be in a form that doesn’t involve any sin like when a person abandons the Friday salāt, fighting in the cause of Allāh, or other acts of worship that he isn’t obligated to do for a valid excuse. It can, furthermore, be in a form the person is obligated to maintain like when a menstruating woman abandons the salāt and the fasting.’ (15)

Therefore, this shouldn't cause any misunderstanding at all.  

In an authentic hadith, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has been reported as saying: 

Many amongst men attained perfection but amongst women none attained the perfection except Mariam bint Imrān and Āsiya, the wife of Pharaoh. (16)

It seems as if no woman has ever attained perfection except for Mariam and Āsiya but if you consider the text with care, you will realize that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ refers to the women of past nations, so he basically says that only these two women from amongst the women of the previous nations attained perfection. This interpretation is further confirmed by another authentic hadith (17) in which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ includes Khadijah bint Khuwailid and Fātimah bint Muhammad ﷺ as well. Another hadith in sahih al-Bukhāri (18) also confirms this interpretation. In another hadith reported by imām Ahmad (ra) in his Musnad (19), Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mentions that the best women of Paradise are Khadijah bint Khuwailid, Fātimah bint Muhammad, Āsiya bint Muzāhim, and Mariam bint Imrān. 

The point is, what Fātimah lacked in religion she made up for in determination and resolution so much so that she became the chief of all the ladies of Paradise or the chief of the believing women (20). That's actually what the Prophet ﷺ encouraged women to do; to give alms (as one of the most virtuous deeds) in order to make up for what they lack in religion and intelligence (figuratively). 

Footnotes:

Primary Sources:

(1) Sahih al-Bukhāri 304
(2) Sahih al-Bukhāri 3241
(3) Sahih al-Bukhāri 29
(4) Sahih al-Bukhāri 1052
(5) Anwar Shāh Al-Kashmiri, Faydh-ul Bāri, Beirut, Dār-ul Kutub, volume 1, page 192.
(6) Sahih Muslim 2834
(7) Ibn Hajar, Fath-ul Bāri, Beirut, Dār-ul Ma'rifah, volume 6, page 325.
(8) Ibn Katheer, al-Bidāya wan-Nihāyah, Dār Hijr, volume 20, page 341.
(9) Sahih al-Bukhāri 5231
(10) Sahih Muslim 2738
(11) Ibn Hajar, Fath-ul Bāri, Beirut, Dār-ul Ma'rifah, volume 6, page 325.
(12) Musnad imām Ahmad, Hadith 17770. Its isnād is classed as sahih by Al-Albāni and Al-Arnaout (ra).
(13) Sahih al-Bukhāri 3254
(14) Sahih ul-Jāmi’, 1983
(15) An-Nawawi, Al-Minhāj fi Sharh Sahih Muslim, Beirut, Dār Ihyā', volume 2, page 68.
(16) Sahih al-Bukhāri 3769
(17) Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3878. Classed as sahih by Tirmidhi (ra).
(18) Sahih al-Bukhāri 3432
(19) Musnad imām Ahmad, Hadith 2668. Its isnad is classed as authentic by al-Arnaout (ra)
(20) Sahih al-Bukhāri 3623

Secondary Sources

(i) Do women form majority in the Hell?
(ii) Does Hadith say women are deficient in intelligence?