Heaven And Hell (1/4)

The Fire

In his book Ihya' Ulum'ud-Deen, Al-Ghazali, may Allah have mercy on him, says, "O you who are negligent towards yourself, distracted by what you have of the life of this world, which is destined not to last — stop being preoccupied with the life of this world and consider your final destination — for you have been warned that the Fire of Hell will be experienced by everyone.”

Allah says: “There is not one of you who will not come to it. That is the final decision of your Lord. Then We will rescue those who had Taqwa and We will leave the wrongdoers in it on their knees.” (Surah Maryam, 19: 71-72)

"So you will certainly be one of those who pass over the Fire of Hell, but you cannot be certain whether or not you will reach the Garden — or fall into the Fire. So you must fear that terrifying time and prepare yourself for it."

The Depth and Heat of the Fire

Abu Hurairah related: "Once we were in the company of the Messenger of Allah when we heard a terrible sound, at which the Messenger of Allah said, 'Do you know what that was?' We said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' Then he said, 'That was a stone which was thrown into the Fire seventy years ago — it was falling all that time and only then did it hit the bottom.'"[1]

'Utbah gave a talk in which he first praised Allah and glorified Him and then said, "To continue, truly knowledge of the end of this world cannot be acquired too soon. Nothing will be left of it — not even as much water as remains in a cup after it has been drained by its owner. You are moving towards an abode which knows no end, so you should send good ahead of you — for we have been told that a stone will be thrown in from the edge of the Fire and it will keep falling for seventy years without reaching the bottom of it.”[2]

Hell has seven gates. Allah says:

 “Hell is the promised meeting-place for all of them. It has seven gates and each gate has its allotted share.” (Surah Al-Hijr, 15: 43-44)

Abdullah Ibn Mas'oud commented on Allah's words,

 “...fear the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, made ready for the kafirun.”  (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 24)

As follows: "The stones are made of sulphur which were created by Allah when He created the heavens and earth and which He has prepared for the kafirun."

Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet said, "As people are being thrown into the Fire it will keep saying, 'Are there any more?' until Allah puts His Foot over it and it says, 'Enough! Enough!'"[3]

Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet said, "The fire which the children of Adam kindle is only a seventieth of the Fire of Hell." They said, "Messenger of Allah, the fire here is certainly hot enough." He said, "The Fire there is sixty-nine times hotter."[4]

The Food of the People of the Fire

Allah says: “They have no food but a bitter thorny bush which neither nourishes nor satisfies.”  (Surah Al-Ghaashiyah, 88: 6-7)

And: “With Us there are shackles and a Blazing Fire and food that chokes and a painful torment,” (Surah Al-Muzzammil, 73: 12-13)

And: “Then you, you misguided, you deniers will eat from the tree of Zaqqum filling your stomachs with it and drink scalding water on top of it slurping like thirst-crazed camels. This will be their hospitality on the Day of Judgment!”  (Surah Al-Waqi'ah, 56: 51-56)

Allah describes the tree of Zaqqum as follows:

“It is a tree that emerges in the depths of the Blazing Fire. Its fruits are just like the heads of shaytans. They will eat from it and fill their bellies with it. Then they will have a boiling brew to drink on top of it. Then their destination will be the Blazing Fire.”  (Surah As-Saffaat, 37: 64-68)

Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet recited the verse:

“You who have Iman! Have Taqwa of Allah with the Taqwa due to Him and do not die except as Muslims.” (Surah Al-‘Imran, 3: 102)

And said: "If a drop from the tree of Zaqqum were to fall on this world it would contaminate all the sustenance of the people of this world — so imagine what it will be like when it is the only food of the people of the Fire."[5]

The Drink of the People of the Fire

Allah says: “And beyond him is Hell where he will be given pus to drink. He gulps at it but can hardly swallow it down. Death comes at him from every side but he does not die. And beyond him is relentless punishment.”  (Surah Ibrahim, 14: 16-17)

And: “... those who will be in the Fire timelessly, forever, with boiling water to drink which lacerates their bowels ...” (Surah Muhammad, 47: 15)

And: “Those who are kafir will have garments of fire cut out for them, and boiling water poured over their heads, which will melt the contents of their bellies as well as their skin, and they will be beaten with cudgels made of iron. Every time they want to come out of it, because of their suffering, they will be driven back into it: 'Taste the punishment of the Burning!'”(Surah Al-Hajj, 22: 19-22)

And: “If they call for help, they will be helped with water like seething molten brass, frying their faces. What a noxious drink! What an evil repose!”  (Surah Al-Kahf, 18: 29)

The Clothing and Shelter of the People of the Fire

Allah says: “... that Day you will see the evildoers yoked together in chains, wearing shirts of tar, their faces enveloped in the Fire.”  (Surah Ibrahim, 14: 49-50)

Abu Malik al-Ash'ari related that the Prophet said, "If a woman who wails excessively (at someone's death) does not ask forgiveness before she dies, she will be made to stand on the Day of Rising wearing clothes of tar with an itchy undergarment."[6]

Allah says: “Those who are kafir will have garments of fire cut out for them, and boiling water poured over their heads ...” (Surah Al-Hajj, 22: 19-20)

Samurah Ibn Jundub related that the Prophet said, "There will be some who are in the Fire up to their ankles, some who are in the Fire up to their knees, some who are in the Fire up to their waist, and some who are in the Fire up to their collar-bone."[7]

Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet said, "Of the dwellers in the Fire, Abu Talib will have the least suffering — and he will be wearing two sandals (of fire) which make his brain boil."[8]

Allah says: “They will have Hell as a resting-place and covering layers on top of them.” (Surah Al-A’raf, 7: 41)

And: “They will have awnings of Fire above them and awnings below them.” (Surah Az-Zumar, 39: 16)