In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
It is sometimes claimed that women are the majority of people in Hellfire because Islam views them as less pious, less worthy, or of lesser value than men. This is incorrect.
The Prophet ﷺ did indeed say that he saw women as the majority in Hellfire, but scholars have explained this in several ways. For example, it is suggested that women are the majority of humankind overall, or that this vision occurred before other events on the Day of Resurrection, such as the Greater Intercession. It is not because of any inherent defect in their created nature.
The following are often cited without appropriate context or scholarly commentary:
Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
اطَّلَعْتُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ فَرَأَيْتُ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِهَا الْفُقَرَاءَ وَاطَّلَعْتُ فِي النَّارِ فَرَأَيْتُ أَكْثَرَ أَهْلِهَا النِّسَاءَ
I looked into Paradise and saw a majority of its people were poor. I looked into Hellfire and saw a majority of its people were women.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2737, Grade: Sahih
In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ أَقَلَّ سَاكِنِي الْجَنَّةِ النِّسَاءُ
Verily, a minority of the residents of Paradise are women.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2738, Grade: Sahih
The realities of the Hereafter were not revealed to the Prophet ﷺ all at once. His vision of fewer women in Paradise does not mean this is their eternal share, for many believers will enter Paradise later through the Greater Intercession, when sinners are taken out of Hellfire.
Imam al-Munawi commented:
إن أقل ساكني الجنة النساء أي في أول الأمر قبل خروج عصاتهن من النار فلا دلالة فيه على أن نساء الدنيا أقل من الرجال في الجنة
‘Women are a minority in Paradise,’ meaning at the beginning of the matter, before the sinful among them are removed from Hellfire. There is no indication in this Hadith that the women of the earth are fewer than men in Paradise.
Source: Fayḍ al-Qadīr 2/428
Scholars have also suggested that the sub-narrator of the hadith about “women as a minority in Paradise” may have transmitted it according to his own understanding rather than the Prophet’s ﷺ exact wording.
Imam Ibn Hajar commented:
وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الرَّاوِي رَوَاهُ بِالْمَعْنَى الَّذِي فَهِمَهُ مِنْ أَنَّ كَوْنَهُنَّ أَكْثَرُ سَاكِنِي النَّارِ يَلْزَمُ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَكُنَّ أَقَلَّ سَاكِنِي الْجَنَّةِ وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِلَازِمٍ لِمَا قَدَّمْتُهُ
It is possible that the narrator reported it by the meaning he understood: that since women are the majority of the inhabitants of Hellfire, they must therefore be the minority of the inhabitants of Paradise. But that does not necessarily follow, as I explained earlier.
Source: Fatḥ al-Bārī 6/325
Another tradition clarifies that there are more women than men overall, and it forbids men and women from arrogantly boasting over each other, as if one gender were inherently better.
People were boasting to each other about whether men or women would be the majority in Paradise, so Abu Huraira informed tham that he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say:
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ زُمْرَةٍ تَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ وَالَّتِي تَلِيهَا عَلَى أَضْوَإِ كَوْكَبٍ دُرِّيٍّ فِي السَّمَاءِ لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ زَوْجَتَانِ اثْنَتَانِ يُرَى مُخُّ سُوقِهِمَا مِنْ وَرَاءِ اللَّحْمِ وَمَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَعْزَبُ
Verily, the first group to enter Paradise will have faces as bright as the full moon at night. The next group will have faces as bright as shining stars in the sky. Every man will have two wives and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer beneath their skin and there will be no one in Paradise without a wife.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2834, Grade: Sahih
The people of Paradise are not distinguished by gender, nor do they display arrogance toward one another, for arrogance itself is forbidden from entering Paradise.
As for the Hadith stating that every man will have “two wives” in Paradise, scholars explained that these wives will not experience the jealousy of worldly life. Some commentators interpreted this as an indication that women comprise the majority of humankind.
Al-Qadi ‘Iyad commented:
ظَاهِرُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ النِّسَاءَ أَكْثَرُ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ أَنَّهُنَّ أَكْثَرُ أَهْلِ النَّارِ قَالَ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَجْمُوعِ هَذَا أَنَّ النِّسَاءَ أَكْثَرُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ
This Hadith shows that women are the majority of the people of Paradise, while another Hadith shows that they are the majority of the people of Hellfire. Taken together, these reports demonstrate that women are the majority of the children of Adam.
Source: Sharḥ al-Nawawī ‘alá Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2834
Imam Ibn Hajar commented:
وَاسْتَدَلَّ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ عَلَى أَنَّ النِّسَاءَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَكْثَرُ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ كَمَا أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ مِنْ طَرِيقِ بن سِيرِينَ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ وَاضِحٌ
Abu Huraira used this Hadith as evidence for there being more women in Paradise than men, as narrated from Muslim by way of Ibn Sirin—and this is clear.
Source: Fatḥ al-Bārī 6/325
That women are more numerous overall is also supported by other Hadith describing future times when they will vastly outnumber men. The Prophet ﷺ even counted this imbalance as one of the signs of the approaching Day of Judgment.
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
وَتَكْثُرَ النِّسَاءُ وَيَقِلَّ الرِّجَالُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِخَمْسِينَ امْرَأَةً الْقَيِّمُ الْوَاحِدُ
There will be an abundance of women and scarcity of men such that fifty women will be maintained by a single man
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 81, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi
In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said:
وَيُرَى الرَّجُلُ الْوَاحِدُ يَتْبَعُهُ أَرْبَعُونَ امْرَأَةً يَلُذْنَ بِهِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الرِّجَالِ وَكَثْرَةِ النِّسَاءِ
A man will be seen followed by forty women seeking refuge with him due to the scarcity of men and abundance of women.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1348, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi
Hence, Islam permits a man to marry up to four wives, as this can become a necessity in contexts where women greatly outnumber men.
At the same time, many scholars advised that under normal circumstances, it is better for a man to be satisfied with one wife to ensure fairness and harmony.
Imam al-Shafi’i, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وأحب له أن يقتصر على واحدة وإن أبيح له أكثر لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى فَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَلا تَعْدِلُوا فَوَاحِدَةً
I prefer for a man to limit himself to one wife, even though it is permissible to have more, due to the saying of the Almighty, ‘But if you are afraid you will fail to maintain justice, then content yourselves with one,’ (4:3).
Source: al-Bayān fi madhhab al-Imām al-Shāfiʻī 11/189
In summary, the Hadith regarding women being the majority in Hellfire has often been misinterpreted. Scholars clarified that this vision was not due to any defect in women’s religion or worth, but rather reflects demographic reality, since women are the majority of humankind. Other narrations indicate that women will also be more numerous in Paradise, and classical commentators explain that these reports must be read in conjunction with one another.
What emerges is that women are more numerous among the children of Adam, in this world and the next. Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ warned against boasting between men and women, for salvation is measured only by faith and righteousness, outwardly and inwardly. Even reports about women outnumbering men in the end times confirm this demographic fact, while the balance of reward and punishment remains tied to sincerity in good deeds, not gender or any other superficial characteristic.
Success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.
