All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Anyone wishing to study Islam should refer to its authentic and reliable original sources, such as the Noble Qur’an, the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ, and the explanations of recognized Islamic scholars, in order to understand the true teachings of Islam from their correct sources.
As for the fate of atheists and those who do not believe in Islam, the fundamental principle established by the Qur’an is that Allah Almighty created creation to worship Him, and sent all the messengers with the call to worship Allah alone and affirm His Oneness. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” [Adh-Dhariyat: 56]
Allah also says, quoting the messengers:
“Worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him.”
Allah Almighty sent Muhammad ﷺ as the final Prophet and made Islam the religion that He accepts from no one after his prophethood. Allah says:
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.” [Aal Imran: 85]
Therefore, merely believing that a Creator exists is not sufficient for salvation. Rather, one must have faith in Allah, worship Him, follow His messengers, and accept what has been revealed through divine revelation.
Whoever denies Allah, associates partners with Him, or rejects the message of Islam after the proof has been established against them, their fate in the Hereafter is Hell.
However, determining the fate of a specific individual who never received the message or received it in a distorted manner is a separate matter that requires further consideration. It is not correct to judge such a person merely based on their description or name without examining their circumstances and whether the proof was established against them.
Accordingly, Islam establishes that salvation is connected to faith in Allah and following His Messenger ﷺ, and that disbelief after the establishment of the proof warrants punishment. Allah Almighty knows best and is the most just toward His servants.
We ask Allah Almighty to guide us all to the truth and grant us the ability to follow it.
And Allah knows best.