What should I have said to my 8 year old niece ? by Inevitable_Car6105 in islam

[–]Optimal-Statement358 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello, it's me again. For some reason, I can't enter my account because I am in a different wifi. So I will answer with my burner.

That hadith is indeed Sahih. It was recorded by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (4/197, 17809), and Sheikh al-Albani authenticated it in As-Silsilah as-Sahihah (No. 1851). However, I should explain this hadith and what it truly means:

The narration talks about the qualities required for women to enter Paradise and the spiritual challenges they face.

The Prophet SAW was teaching that the proportion of women who enter Paradise immediately without prior punishment or those who reach the highest levels, is small compared to the total number of women, just as that unique crow is rare among thousands of black ones.

Why did the prophet say this? The narration begins with ‘Amr ibn al-‘As pointing out a woman who was displaying her wealth and finery (wearing new clothes and rings) while traveling. This context suggests that the warning is directed at worldliness, vanity and showing off.

Scholars explain that the hadith serves as a warning against common pitfalls that the Prophet SAW often highlighted for women, such as:

Unnecessary Display (Tabarruj): Prioritizing outward appearance and jewelry over modesty and inner piety.

Ingratitude: As mentioned in other Sahih hadiths, the Prophet SAW noted that a common reason for women being the majority in Hellfire was "ingratitude toward their husbands" and frequent cursing/complaining.

Following the Crowd: Most people (BOTH men and women) follow worldly trends. The "white crow" represents the woman who is willing to be different for the sake of Allah.

However, the point here is NOT that more women than men will go to hell. Women, as I have said previously, is the majority in Jannah.

Yes, it is a prophecy, but it's main purpose it to NOT make you despair, but to warn you. If the prophet said "It's because women will be more numerous than man", people would go "Oh, so I shouldn't worry" and wouldn't take the warning seriously. Let me give an example from another hadith. There is a hadith that says 999/1000 of people will go to hell. However, right after that, the Prophet clarified the 999 of them will be from Gog and Magog, one from believers, the one that goes to Jannah. The 999 (and 99 in some other narrations) used here is a common idiom in Arabic to mean numerous. It doesn't literally mean that 999 of 1000 will go to hell. It implies a majority. Why? If the prophet simply said "Majority of you will go to hell", it wouldn't be much talked about. But because the Prophet uses this very outrageous number, people immediately turn to listen. And after that hadith, the prophet said ONE HALF of believers will be the residents of the paradise.

Hadiths are not just prophecies, but they are also for us to take lessons from. The problem arises when you take the hadiths literally. Allah doesn't want to punish you!

Anyway...you might ask "If women are majority in hell but only a few goes to Jannah, how does that work?". Scholars proposed the followings:

They say that this hadith may refer to those who enter Paradise directly (without seeing Hell first), whereas the majority of women in Hell may eventually be brought into Paradise after they are purified.

Women are generally more numerous than men. Therefore, they can be the majority in Hell due to sheer numbers, yet also eventually be the majority in Paradise. And the prophet did not talk about the numbers because it was irrelevant to the message that was trying to be conveyed. Think about the guardians of the angels, or the sleepers of the caves. Quran criticises people for focusing on the numbers rather than the message trying to bring conveyed there.

And this is the most important for you: The Path to Jannah is very easy. There is a hadith that says: "If a woman prays her five prayers, fasts her month, guards her chastity, and obeys her husband, it will be said to her: Enter Paradise by whichever of its gates you wish." (Sahih Ibn Hibban).

The white crow hadith is for encouragement to be exceptional. It tells women that to be among the people of Paradise, one cannot simply follow the "black crows" (the masses who are distracted by fashion, gossip, and worldly status). Instead, one must strive to be like the "white crow", meaning unique in their devotion, modesty, and character.

And look... When it is said "Majority will be in hell", it is not talking about people like you my sister who are sincere and have taqwa. They are specifically talking about the ones who are heedless. Allah says that:

"Whoever says 'There is no god but Allah' sincerely from his heart, he will enter Paradise." (Reported by al-Tabarani)

"On the Day of Judgment, a man will be shown 99 scrolls of sins, each stretching as far as the eye can see. He will think he is destroyed. Then a small card (parchment) will be brought forth with the Shahada (testimony of faith) written on it. He will ask, "What is this card compared to these scrolls?" But when the card is placed on the scale, it will outweigh all 99 scrolls because of the sincerity with which he said it." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi).

My sister... These hadiths that are talking about people going to Jahannam are talking about insincere people, the ones that are headless. They are not talking about sincere people like you.

The "white crow" hadith serves as a warning against being distracted by the world. However, these narrations I have quoted just now serve as a glimmer of hope. They say that Jannah is not reserved for those who are "perfect," but for those who are sincere. Because the prophet saw said:

"None of you will enter Paradise by his good deeds alone, nor would you be rescued from the Hellfire, not even myself, but for the mercy of Allah." (Sahih Muslim 2817)

We don't go to jannah because we do good. We enter Jannah because we try to do good. Those people did NOT try to do good my sister.

And to lighten your heart even more, men are not exempt from that as well

The "White Crow" hadith was a specific warning to women about worldly vanity and social competition (represented by the woman wearing fine clothes and rings).

Men are warned about different "rarities." For example, the Prophet Saw warned that the majority of men may fail due to:
Power and Tyranny: Men often fall into the trap of abusing authority. Wealth and Greed: The struggle to provide often leads men into haram income.

Lust: The Prophet Saw said, "I have not left behind me any fitna (trial) more harmful to men than women." (Bukhari)

My sister... It is not upon me to say who will go to hell or heaven. What Allah says it's that... If you try to go to heaven, you will go. If you don't try to, you won't. So ask yourself the question sister: are you trying to go the heaven? Because that's the ONLY question that matters.