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Muhammad's Vision of Hell

According to multiple authentic hadith, Muhammad declared that women form the majority of Hell's inhabitants. This teaching has profound implications for how Islam views women, their spiritual status, and their ultimate eternal fate.

"The Prophet said: 'I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.' It was asked: 'Do they disbelieve in Allah?' (or are they ungrateful to Allah?) He replied: 'They are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors and the good (charitable deeds) done to them.'" — Sahih Bukhari 1:2:28

The Complete Statement

The full context includes Muhammad's reasons for this claim:

"O women! Give charity, for I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women). They asked: Why is it so, O Allah's Apostle? 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." — Sahih Bukhari 1:6:301

The Stated Reasons

Why Women Dominate Hell

According to these hadith, women comprise Hell's majority because they:

Are ungrateful to their husbands: The primary reason given
Curse frequently: General complaint behavior
Are ungrateful for favors: Don't appreciate good deeds done for them
Are deficient in intelligence and religion: As discussed in the related hadith
Can mislead sensible men: Seen as spiritually dangerous

The Emphasis on Husbands

Note that the first and primary reason is ingratitude to husbands. This reveals:

Women's eternal fate tied to pleasing their husbands
Marital obedience elevated to soteriological importance
Women's independent relationship with Allah is secondary to their husband relationship

Additional Hadith

The Vision Details

"I stood at the gate of Hell and saw that the majority of those who entered it were women." — Sahih Bukhari 7:62:124

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'I looked into Paradise and I saw that the majority of its people were the poor. And I looked into the Fire and I saw that the majority of its people were women.'" — Sahih Muslim 36:6596

The Consequence for Men

Interestingly, another hadith states that men form the majority of Paradise, leaving women scarce there:

"The first group to enter Paradise will be glittering like a full moon... there will be a very large number of women." (Context: discussing Paradise) But in Sahih Muslim 36:6600: "Women will be in minority in Paradise."

The Implications

Women's Spiritual Status

This teaching suggests:

Women are inherently more prone to sin (specifically the sins listed)
Women's primary religious duty is obedience to husbands
Women's deficiencies (in intelligence and religion) lead to damnation
The female sex itself is spiritually disadvantaged

The Power Dynamic

By declaring that ingratitude to husbands leads most women to Hell:

Husbands gain immense religious authority over wives
Women are pressured to accept mistreatment rather than risk Hell
Marital abuse can be tolerated under threat of eternal punishment
Women's agency and dignity are sacrificed to husband-pleasing

Other Related Hadith

The "Angels Curse Her" Hadith

This teaching is reinforced by:

"If a man invites his wife to sleep with him and she refuses to come to him, then the angels send their curses on her till morning." — Sahih Bukhari 4:54:460

This adds another layer: refusing a husband's sexual demands results in angelic curses, contributing to the overall picture of how women end up in Hell.

The "Cannot Fast Without Permission" Hadith

"It is not permissible for a woman to fast when her husband is present except with his permission." — Sahih Bukhari 7:62:121

Even voluntary worship requires husband's permission, showing how thoroughly women's religious life is subordinated to marital obedience.

Apologetic Responses

"It's About Gratitude, Not Gender"

Some argue this is just about being grateful, applicable to anyone. However:

Muhammad specifically says "women" form the majority
The traits are described as characteristic of women
It's explicitly linked to women's deficiency in intelligence and religion
The gratitude demanded is specifically to husbands

"It's to Encourage Women to Be Better"

Some claim this is motivational, not literal. Problems:

Muhammad says "I have seen"—he's reporting what he witnessed
There's no indication it's hyperbolic or motivational
Classical scholars took it literally
Fear of Hell as motivation is psychological manipulation

"The Hadith is Weak"

Some modern Muslims try to reject these hadith. This fails because:

They're in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim—the gold standard
Multiple chains of narration
Accepted by all classical scholars
Rejecting these undermines the entire hadith corpus

The Broader Pattern

Women's Lesser Value

This teaching fits a pattern throughout Islamic sources:

Testimony: two women = one man
Inheritance: daughters receive half of sons
Religious value: majority end up in Hell
Intelligence: described as deficient
Religious practice: described as deficient

Biblical Contrast

The Bible never teaches that one sex is more likely to go to Hell than another. Jesus offered salvation equally:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:16

"Whoever"—no gender distinction. Paul declared:

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." — Galatians 3:28

Salvation is offered equally to all, regardless of gender. The early church included many faithful women whom Paul commended:

"I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church... that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints... for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well." — Romans 16:1-2

Women were valued leaders and servants in the early church, their eternal destiny no different from men's.

Questions to Consider

If women form Hell's majority due to their nature, what does this say about Allah's creation of women?
How can women have equal spiritual dignity if they're destined for Hell at higher rates?
What does it say about Islam that a wife's eternal fate depends primarily on her husband's satisfaction?
Can women have genuine agency if threat of Hell is used to ensure marital obedience?
If these hadith are rejected, what does that say about trusting any hadith?
How can this teaching be reconciled with claims that Islam honors women?

Conclusion

Muhammad's teaching that women form the majority of Hell's inhabitants is found in multiple authentic hadith and was accepted by classical Islamic scholarship. The reasons given—ingratitude to husbands, cursing, and deficiency in intelligence and religion—paint a picture of women as spiritually disadvantaged and their eternal fate tied to pleasing their husbands.

This stands in stark contrast to Christianity's offer of salvation equally to all who believe, regardless of gender, and Jesus's elevation of women to equal spiritual status with men.

Majority of Hell's Inhabitants are Women