Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

Sayyiduna Aswad bin Sari’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, four people will present their arguments: the deaf, the insane, the extremely elderly, and «فتره» (the one who died during the interval between prophets). The deaf will say: O my Lord, Islam did reach me, but I could not hear (so I could not do anything). The insane will say: Islam did reach me, but children would throw dung at me (meaning I was mad and could not understand Islam). The extremely elderly person will say: Islam did reach me, (but due to old age) I could not understand. The one who died in «فتره» will say: O my Lord! Your Messenger never came to me. Allah Almighty will take a covenant from all of them that they will certainly obey Him. Then Allah Almighty will send a messenger to them (to test them) who will say: Enter the fire.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul! If they enter it, it will be coolness and safety for them.”