Fathwa - More Women than Men in Hell?

Question:
I recently received the following from someone who is earnestly
attempting to follow the deen, but did not know how to reply in this
regard. Your help would be greatly appreciated. May Allah shower you
all with his infinite graces for all your service to the ummah:
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"I came accross this Hadith and was very disheartened:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: 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 ungratefulto
Allah?) He replied,"They are ungrateful to their husbands and
areungrateful for the favors and the good (charitable deeds) done to
them. If you have always been good (benevolent) to one of them and
then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, 'I
have never received any good from you." Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book
2, Number 28
Women tolerates injustices from their husbands during the entire
period of their lifetime. 99% of the wives are treated like servants.
However, Islam does not give women the right to complain, or to react
against the injustice oftheir husbands, or to show the same bad
attitude to the husband as he shows. If a woman does any ofthis, hell
fire is her destiny!!
Please comment."
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Dear Questioner,
I pray this message finds you in good health and iman.
Hadith literature is a rich and fascinating glimpse into the life of
the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. One of the most
amazing aspects of this literature is the fact that many women shared
in the transmission and preservation of the Prophet's legacy.
After all, if it weren't for the Prophet's wives, may Allah be well
pleased with them, countless facets of the Prophet's life might have
been lost to future generations. For those who claim that women had no
stake in Islamic history, all I can say is look to the hadith and the
phenomenal contributions of women like Aisha, Hafsa, and Umm Salama,
may Allah be pleased with them.
You may wonder why I'msaying this. I'm saying this because you have to
approach the hadith with some understanding of its context. There is
an entire field of studies called Hadith Studies. Scholars, past and
present, have devoted their entire lives to memorizing, understanding,
classifying, authenticating, tracing, and commenting on the thousands
of traditions associated with the Prophet, Allah bless him and give
him peace.
Ordinary students like us have no business taking one hadith and
running to the races with it. If we're confused about a hadith, then
we should go to an expert and ask him or her what it means. We owe the
Messenger, who is the Beloved of Allah, something calledhusn al-dhann,
or the benefit of the doubt. If we see a hadith that looks strangeto
us, we put the best construction on the matter.
First, we should recognize that we may not have sufficient knowledge
of the Arabic language to come to any conclusion on the hadith.
Second, we need to understand that this is one hadith in
thousands.Look how many hadith there are thatspeak positively of
women, andremindmen to honor women. Foremost of these hadith are the
ones that deal with motherhood. For example:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is
more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The
Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said."Who is next?" The Prophet
said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet
said,"Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?"
The Prophet said, "Your father. "
[Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 2]
Third, there are other hadith that indicate a plentitude of women in
Paradise. For example:
Muhammad reported that some (persons) stated with a sense of pride and
some discussed whether there would be more men in Paradise or more
women. It was upon thisthat Abu Huraira reported that Abu'l Qasim (the
Holy Prophet)(may peace be upon him) 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.
[Muslim, Book 040, Number 6793]
It looks like this was a topic of debate even in the early days of
Islam. It's important to also keep in mind that the Qur'an frequently
mentions the presence ofhoor al-ain, or beautiful virgins, in
Paradise. The Qur'an says, "But those who attain to faith and do
righteous deeds We shallbring into gardens through which running
waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time; there shall
they have spouses pure: and [thus] We shall bring them unto happiness
abounding." [Al-Nisa, 4:57]
This verse is a very clear statement on the spiritual parity between
men and women. Both believing men and women are promised a peaceful
abode in Paradise with loving spouses.
Once again, there is no indication that women are excluded from
Paradise and its rewards.
Fourth, even if we take the hadith at its literal meaning, is it
really an issue? Since we're all supposed to be striving for Paradise
anyway, weshould welcome the hadith as advice on how not to act.
In other words, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace,
mayhave seen certain behavior from the women of his community. Out of
love and concern, he warned them that these behaviors would lead to
Hell rather than Paradise. This hadith is telling us how serious
ingratitude is. And it's a warning to both sexes.
The scholars frequently explain that hadiths like these can apply to
both sexes. Of course, there are ungrateful husbands. That goes
without saying. And of course many women have suffered at their
husbands' hands.
However, this hadith is addressing situations where women are in
thewrong. We have to be honest. A lot of women do take their husbands
for granted. We should be grateful that the Prophet, Allah bless him
and give him peace, warned us of the consequences of such unbecoming
behavior.
Last but not least, this hadith is not saying that any woman who
complains is going to Hell. This hadith addresses a very specific
behavior. Women certainly have the right to voice their grievances.
Isn't there an entire chapter of the Qur'an called al-Mujadilah? This
surah is the 58th chapterin the Qur'an and it is devoted to the story
of awoman who came to theProphet, Allah bless him and give him peace,
and complained about her husband.
The Prophet did not tell this woman that she wasgoing to Hell.
Instead, helistened to her, and AllahMost High revealed verses
directly addressing this woman'ssituation and condemning the husband
for his unacceptable behavior.
I pray that Allah Most High helps your friend tofind peace in this
beautiful way of life thathas enriched and inspired the lives of
countless women.
And Allah knows best.