The People of Hell and Their Evil Deeds (1/2)

1. The People Who Will Abide Therein Forever

The people of Hell, who will abide therein forever, never leaving it and never dying, are the disbelievers and polytheists. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:

"But those who reject Allah, for them will be the Fire of Hell. No term shall be determined for them, so they should die, nor shall its penalty be lightened for them". (Surah Al-Fatir, 35:36)

"But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be companions [or dwellers] of the Fire; they shall abide therein". (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:39)

"Verily those who reject faith and die rejecting - on them is Allah's Curse and the Curse of the Angels and of all mankind. They will abide therein: their penalty will not be lightened, nor will respite be their lot." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:161-162)

"Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger is the Fire of Hell - wherein they shall dwell? That is the supreme disgrace". (Surah At-Taubah, 9:63)

"It is not for such as join gods with Allah to visit or maintain the Mosques of Allah while they witness against their own souls to infidelity [or disbelief]. The works of such bear no fruit: In Fire shall they dwell." (Surah At-Taubah, 9:17)

Because they will abide therein forever, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) described the torment of Hell as a lasting torment, one that will never end, and one that is eternal:

"Their wish will be to get out of the Fire, but never will they get out therefrom: their Penalty will be one that endures". (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5:37)

"At length it will be said to the wrongdoers: "Taste you the enduring punishment! You get but the recompense of what you earned!" (Surah Yunus, 10:52)

Death will be slaughtered, as is stated in the hadith narration from Ibn 'Umar by al-Bukhari and in Muslim from Abu Sa'eed who said:

"The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: "Death will be brought like a horned ram, and will be made to stand between Paradise and Hell". It will be said, "O people of Paradise, do you know what this is?" They will raise their heads and look, and will say, "Yes, this is death". It will be said, "O people of Hell, do you know what this is?" They will raise their heads and look, and will say, "Yes, this is death". Then the command will be given for death to be slaughtered. Then it will be said, "O people of Paradise, it is eternal, there is no death. O people of Hell, it is eternal, there is no death".

Then the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) recited:

"And warn them of the Day of Grief and regrets when the case has been decided, while [now] they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not". (Surah Maryam, 19:39)

And in the narration of at-Tirmidhi, Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree added: "If any were to die of joy it would be the people of Paradise and if any were to die of despair, it would be the people of Hell". (at-Tirmidhi, said "This is a sahih hasan hadith").

2. Hell will be the Dwelling Place of the Kuffar and Mushrikeen

Because the disbelievers and polytheists will remain in Hell forever, it is considered to be their abode or dwelling place, just as Paradise is the abode of the believers:

"Their abode will be the Fire; and evil is the home of the wrongdoers" (Surah Al-‘Imran, 3:151)

"Their abode is the Fire, because of the [evil] they earned". (Surah Yunus, 10:8)

"Is there not a home in Hell for those who reject Faith?" (Surah Al-Ankabut, 29:68)

Hell is abode that they deserve: "Your abode is the Fire: that is the proper place to claim you..." (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:15)

Hell is the worst abode and destination: "But for the wrongdoers will be an evil place of [final] Return! - they will burn therein - an evil bed [indeed to lie on]!" (Surah Saad, 38:55-56)

3. Those Who Call Others to Hell

Those who follow misguided beliefs and ideologies that contradict the laws of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and those who believe in their false causes, these are the ones who call others to Hell:

"Those [unbelievers] do [but] beckon you to the Fire…" (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:221)

"And We made them [but] leaders inviting to the Fire; and on the Day of Judgement no help shall they find". (Surah Al-Qasas, 28:41)

One of them is Shaytaan: "…[would they do so] even if it is Shaytaan beckoning them to the Penalty of the [Blazing] Fire?" (Surah Luqman, 31:21)

"He [Shaytaan} only invites his adherents that they may become Companions of the blazing Fire" (Surah Al-Fatir, 35:6)

Those who call others to the Fire in this world will lead their people and their followers to the Fire in the Hereafter. An example is Pharaoh:

"He will go before his people on the Day of Judgement, and lead them into the Fire." (Surah Hud, 11:98)

All evil leaders who call people to their belief systems that go against Islam are in fact calling people to the Fire of Hell, because the only way to escape the Fire of Hell and enter Paradise is to follow the path of Faith:

"And O my people! [strange] it is for me to call you to salvation while you call me to the Fire!" (Surah Ghafir, 40:41)

This man's people were calling him to the kufr and shirk of Pharaoh while he was calling them to Tawheed and faith in Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). Because the kuffaar invite people to the Fire, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) forbade believing men to marry mushrik women, just as He forbade believing women to marry mushrik men:

"And do not marry unbelieving (literally, polytheist) women until they believe. A slave woman who believes is better than a [free] unbelieving woman, even though she allures you. Nor marry [your girls] to unbelievers until they believer; a male slave who believes is better than a [free] unbeliever, even though he allures you. Those [unbelievers] do [but] beckon you to the Fire, but Allah invites by His Grace to the Garden [of Bliss] and forgiveness, and makes His Signs clear to mankind that they may receive admonition" (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:221)