Title: Majority of Women in Hell Question: I want to know that since I have heard so, will the number of women in hell will be more than men? Although all claims of false prophethood, divinity etc. were made by men, yet women get the lion's share in hell. Why is that? Please advise me tips, deeds to escape hell. Saima Zeb Pakistan Answer: The idea that the majority of the people in Hell shall be women is reported in one of the narratives ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh). However, if one looks closely at that narrative, one realizes that the words, which imply the foregoing idea are, in fact, a part of the Prophet's admonition addressed specifically to women. It is reported that once on the day either of the Eid al-Adhaa or the Eid al-Fitr , after having admonished a group of men present on the occasion, the Prophet (pbuh) turned toward the group of women and started his admonition in the following words: O group of women, I see you as the majority of those in Hellfire... After this, the Prophet (pbuh) explained why he considered the case to be as stated and recommended a method of avoiding this dire situation. A person with a good sense of language and literature can easily ascertain that the sentence 'I see you as a majority of those in Hellfire...' is a statement of admonition and should not be taken in its literal implication. In other words, these words do not imply an unalterable destination for women, but are, in fact, intended for correcting an undesirable behavior. As an example, imagine a father of playful adolescents warning them with the words: "I see you all washing dishes...", or "I see you all in the deepest of troubles..." etc., it is obvious that these words are a part of the admonition that is to follow and it would not be correct to interpret them as the father's attempt to foretell an unalterable future event. Thus, in my opinion, the referred sentence of the Prophet (pbuh) does not imply the literal majority of women in Hellfire, but is, in fact, to imply a large number of women only. The same sentence, with the same implication could have been spoken by the Prophet (pbuh), while admonishing a group of men. As far as what can a woman do to avoid such a dire situation is concerned, the referred narrative continues to answer this question as well. According to the narrative, the Prophet (pbuh) is ascribed to have advised the women on two things: They should try to provide a serene and a tranquil household for their husbands and avoid, unduly, objecting to all their decisions and making a feud out of every difference of opinion; and They should try to excel in giving charity. It is obvious, once again, that these two aspects have only been highlighted as things specific to women. The first point is to admonish women and to encourage them to improve their specific role in the betterment of their domestic lives, while the second point is to admonish them against an overwhelming desire of accumulating ornaments of gold and silver. Thus, if seen in the foregoing perspective, a woman, besides trying her best to live a life of compliance with the general directives of the Shari`ah , should take special care of improving her behavior in all such matters, where her role can entail grave consequences and where she is prone to some weaknesses. I hope this helps. Regards, August 27, 2001