The inquirer notes that the term 'ahl al-fatrah' is referenced in theological texts. He is interested in learning the meaning of this term.

The word ‘fatrah’ in the customary usage of the Arabs has many different meanings. It denotes weakness, interruption, and stillness. The scholar Ragheb al-Isfahani wrote in Al-Mufradat fi Gharib Al-Quran (1:622) regarding the root f-t-r, “Futur means stillness after intensity, gentleness after harshness, and weakness after strength.” Likewise, Ibn Faris wrote in Mu’jam Maqayis Al-Lughah (4:470), “The letters f-t-r form a sound root that denotes weakness in a thing.”

Based on these meanings, the term ‘ahl al-fatrah’ refers to the stillness and weakness during the interval of time that occurs between two messengers of Allah Almighty. Murtada al-Zabidi noted in Taj Al-‘Urus (13:294),”[The term] fatrah — with a short vowel ‘a’ — refers to the period between any two messengers of Allah Almighty. In Al-Sihah, it is the span of time between every two messengers of Allah Almighty during which the [divine] message was interrupted.”

Accordingly, ahl al-fatrah refers to those nations that existed in a period between two messengers of Allah. No messenger was sent to them during this period and they did not live to reach the time of the next messenger. Imam al-Qada’i referred to their nature in Tahrir Al-Maqal fi Muwazanat Al-A’mal wa Hukm Ghayr Al-Mukallafin fi Al-Uqba wa Al-Mal, with the words, “Ahl al-fatrah are the people who lived in the period between two messengers, like those who lived in the interval of time between Jesus and Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon them), for there was no messenger sent to the people living in the period between them.”

In this specific sense, ahl al-fatrah are no longer present and their era ended with the mission of Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him). However, the rulings associated with ahl al-fatrah remain applicable to every individual who has not received an invitation to the faith as there is no difference between those who did not receive the call to faith and ahl al-fatrah.

In light of this, learned scholars apply the term to refer to the individuals who have not received an invitation to the faith. It specifically refers to those who neither lived during the time of the messengers (peace and blessings be upon them) nor encountered their message. This includes people living in jungles, remote areas, or regions where Muslims have not set foot and where it was not possible for them to convey the message of Allah Almighty. It also includes those to whom the message may have reached in a manner that does not constitute proof against them, such as individuals who have received a distorted image of Islam, depicting it as a religion characterized by terrorism, killing, and the oppression of women and their rights. This perception is prevalent among many today, particularly in the West. Accordingly, the people classified as belonging to the fatrah are those who neither lived at the time of the messengers (peace and blessings be upon them) nor received their message.

And Allah Almighty knows best.