Narrated by Abu Huraira, he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about the children of polytheists, and he said: “Allah knows best what they would have done.” [Agreed upon].
From the same source, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about the (non-adult) children of polytheists. He (ﷺ) replied: “Allah knows best what deeds they would have done.” [Agreed upon].[Al-Bukhari: 1384, and Muslim: 2659/26]
From 'Ubadah bin As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the pen. He said to it: 'Write.' The pen asked: 'What should I write?' Allah said: 'Write fate.' So, the pen wrote everything that has happened and everything that will happen till eternity.” [Reported by Al-Tirmidhi (2155) who said: This hadith is Gharib (uncommon) in terms of its chain of narration.]
However, 'Abdul Wahid is not the only one narrating this text; similar narrations can be found in Musnad Ahmad (5/317 Hadith 22705), Kitab As-Sunnah by Ibn Abi 'Asim (102-104, 106-108), Rawdat Al-'Uqala by Ibn Hibban (p. 157), Sunan Abi Dawood (4700), and Musnad Abi Ya'la (2329). The best supporting narration is from Abi Ya'la Al-Mawsili, narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the pen, and He commanded it to write everything.” [Musnad Abi Ya'la, vol. 4, p. 217, Hadith 2329, its chain is authentic]. With these supporting narrations, the above narration from Al-Tirmidhi is also Hasan (fair) or Sahih (authentic). All praise is due to Allah.
From the same source, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was asked about the (non-adult) children of polytheists. He (ﷺ) replied: “Allah knows best what deeds they would have done.” [Agreed upon].[Al-Bukhari: 1384, and Muslim: 2659/26]
Fiqh of Hadith:
- Whether the children of polytheists will go to Paradise or Hell is a matter of divine decree, known only to Allah who knows what deeds they would have performed.
- The funeral prayer will not be offered for the children of polytheists.
- It is better to remain silent regarding the fate of the children of polytheists.
- See also: “Adwa al-Masabih,” p. 84, Monthly Al-Hadith Hazro: 33, p. 6
Second Section
Narrated by 'Ubadah bin As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The first thing Allah created was the pen. He said to it: 'Write.' It said: 'What should I write?' He said: 'Write the fate.' So, it wrote what has happened and what will happen till eternity.” [Reported by Al-Tirmidhi, who said: This is a Gharib (uncommon) hadith regarding its chain of narration.]From 'Ubadah bin As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the pen. He said to it: 'Write.' The pen asked: 'What should I write?' Allah said: 'Write fate.' So, the pen wrote everything that has happened and everything that will happen till eternity.” [Reported by Al-Tirmidhi (2155) who said: This hadith is Gharib (uncommon) in terms of its chain of narration.]
Verification of Hadith:
The narration in Sunan Al-Tirmidhi is weak due to 'Abdul Wahid bin Sulaym Al-Maliki Al-Basri. Regarding 'Abdul Wahid, Hafiz Ibn Hajar writes: "Weak" [Taqreeb At-Tahdheeb: 4241].However, 'Abdul Wahid is not the only one narrating this text; similar narrations can be found in Musnad Ahmad (5/317 Hadith 22705), Kitab As-Sunnah by Ibn Abi 'Asim (102-104, 106-108), Rawdat Al-'Uqala by Ibn Hibban (p. 157), Sunan Abi Dawood (4700), and Musnad Abi Ya'la (2329). The best supporting narration is from Abi Ya'la Al-Mawsili, narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the pen, and He commanded it to write everything.” [Musnad Abi Ya'la, vol. 4, p. 217, Hadith 2329, its chain is authentic]. With these supporting narrations, the above narration from Al-Tirmidhi is also Hasan (fair) or Sahih (authentic). All praise is due to Allah.
Fiqh of Hadith:
- Allah created the pen first among all creations.
- Those who claim that Allah created the Prophet (ﷺ) or his light first have no evidence and their belief contradicts this authentic hadith.Sheikh Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) states: "This hadith is among the clear evidences of the falsehood of the widely circulated hadith among the ignorant: 'O Jabir! The first thing Allah created was the light of your Prophet.' I have made great efforts to find its chain of narration but was unsuccessful.” [Commentary on Al-Mishkat, vol. 1, p. 34, under Hadith 94]. This baseless and fabricated narration is found in the Shiite book "Usul Al-Kafi" (vol. 1, p. 442, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Islamiyah, Tehran, Iran) with a fabricated chain.