The contents of this article have been taken from Wasf al Jannah wa al Nar min Sahih al Sunnah wa al Athar (Description of Paradise and Hell from Authentic Sunnah and Reports) by Wahid ibn Abd al Salam Bali.
Most of the narrations from it are sahih and very few are da’if (weak) which I have made mention of in the hadiths’ footnotes, and who graded them as da’if (weak).
I have summarised the contents of each heading so it’s easier to get a good picture of what Jahannam will be like, based on the Qur’an verses and authentic ahadith.
اللهم إنا نسألك موجبات رحمتك وعزائم مغفرتك والسلامة من كل إثم والغنيمة من كل بر والفوز بالجنة والنجاة من النار
O Allah, we ask You for what brings Your mercy, and for firm forgiveness, and for safety from every sin, and the gain of every good, and success with (entering) Paradise, and save (us) from the Fire.
Navigation Menu For The Summary
Warnings about Jahannam and Seeking Refuge from It
The Creation, Heat and Colour of Jahannam
The Breath of Jahannam and Its Effect in This Life
The Gates, Depth and Vastness of Jahannam
The Chains, Shackles and Restraints of Jahannam
The Food and Drink of the People of Jahannam
The Bodies, Size and Appearance of the People of Jahannam
The Least Punished and the Diversity of Punishment in Jahannam
The Weeping, Screaming and Despair of the People of Jahannam
The Argument of Jahannam, Its Speech and Its Filling
The Bridge over Jahannam and Those Who Fall Into It
People Taken Out of Jahannam by Intercession
The Eternity of the Fire for Its People
Some Deeds and Traits that Lead to Jahannam
Navigation Menu For Full Article
Seeking Refuge from the Fire
The Warning about the Fire
The Gates of Jahannam
The Intense Heat of Jahannam
The Colour of Jahannam
The Valleys of Jahannam
The Depth of Jahannam
The Chains of Jahannam
The Drink of the People of Jahannam
The Food of the People of Jahannam
Description of the Fire: The Thickness of the Bodies of the People of Jahannam and the Ugliness of Their Appearance
The Least Punished of the People of the Fire
The Differing Levels of Punishment
One Immersion in the Fire Makes the Joy of This World Forgotten
The Crying and Screaming of the People of the Fire
The Departure of People from the Fire by Intercession
The Delegation for the Fire
The Argument between Paradise and the Fire
The Eternity of the Fire
The Description of the Bridge
Some Attributes of the People of the Fire
The People Named al Jahannamiyyun
The Punishment of the One whose Actions Contradict his Words
The Intense Heat of the Sun from the Breath of Jahannam
The Speech of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection
The Bridge between Paradise and the Fire
The Description of the Gathering
The Description of the Reckoning
Scenes from the Torment on the Day of Resurrection
The Reckoning of the Believers
What Most Often Causes People to Enter the Fire
Summary
Warnings about Jahannam and Seeking Refuge from It
The Prophet ﷺ constantly warned us about the Fire and taught his Ummah to flee from it with sincere deeds and supplication. He ﷺ used to teach the supplication seeking refuge from the punishment of Jahannam, from the punishment of the grave, from the trial of al Masih ad Dajjal and from the trials of life and death, just as a surah from the Qur’an is taught. (Sahih Muslim 590)
He ﷺ most frequently said in his supplication: “Our Lord, give us good in this universe and good in the Hereafter and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Sahih al Bukhari 6389). He informed that no servant seeks protection from the Fire seven times except that Jahannam says: “My Lord, Your servant so and so has sought protection from me, so protect him,” and that whoever asks for Jannah seven times, Jannah says: “My Lord, Your servant so and so has asked for me, so admit him to Jannah.” (Ishaq ibn Rahawayh al Musnad 213; Abu Yaʿla 6192; al Bayhaqi al Duʿa al Kabir 321)
He ﷺ commanded: “Protect yourselves from the Fire, even if only with half a date, and if one finds not, then with a good word,” (Sahih al Bukhari 6540; Sahih Muslim 1016a) and he likened himself to a man who lights a fire while moths and insects rush into it; he keeps pushing them away, holding people back from Jahannam by their waistbands while they slip from his hand. (Sahih al Bukhari; Sahih Muslim 2285)
The Creation, Heat and Colour of Jahannam
The Fire of Jahannam is far more intense than any fire known in this life. The Prophet ﷺ said that the fire used by the children of Adam is one part from seventy parts of the Fire of Jahannam, and that the Fire of the Hereafter has been increased over it by sixty nine parts, each part equal to it in heat. (Sahih al Bukhari 3265; Sahih Muslim 2843)
He informed that when Allah created Jannah and the Fire, Jibril عليه السلام was sent to look at each of them and what had been prepared for their people. When Jibril عليه السلام first saw Jannah, he said that no one who heard of it would fail to enter it, then when it was surrounded by disliked things he feared that no one would enter it.
When he first saw the Fire and what was prepared for its people, he said that no one who heard of it would enter it, then when it was surrounded with desires he said that he feared no one would be saved from it. (Sahih al Bukhari; Sahih Muslim; Abu Dawud; an Nasai; at Tirmidhi 2560)
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that Jahannam was kindled until it turned red, then kindled until it turned white, then kindled until it turned black, so it is now black, darker than the darkest night (Jami at Tirmidhi 2591).
He also said that it is blacker than tar, and that the wailing woman who does not repent will come on the Day of Resurrection wearing a garment of tar and a coat of flame from the Fire. (Malik 3648; al Baghawi Sharh al Sunnah 4400; Sahih Muslim 934).
Thus Jahannam is a creation of intense, layered heat and darkness, whose flames, colour and clothing are all part of its punishment.
The Breath of Jahannam and Its Effect in This Life
The Fire complained to its Lord that parts of it were consuming other parts, so Allah allowed it two breaths, one in the heat of summer and one in the cold of winter. The Prophet ﷺ clarified that the most severe heat people feel is from the heat of Jahannam and the most severe cold they feel is from its severe cold (Sahih al Bukhari 536; Sahih Muslim 617).
He ﷺ commanded that the prayer be delayed when the heat becomes intense, since the severe heat is from the breath of Jahannam (Sahih al Bukhari 3260; Sahih Muslim 617). He ﷺ also informed that intense fever is from the heat of Jahannam and commanded that it be cooled with water (Sahih al Bukhari 5723; Sahih Muslim 2210)
The Gates, Depth and Vastness of Jahannam
The Qur’an mentions that Jahannam has seven gates and that every gate has its allotted portion of the people. (Surah al Hijr 44) Authentic narrations add that Jannah has eight gates while the Fire has seven. (Musnad Ahmad 17657; Ibn Hibban 4663; al Tabarani al Muʿjam al Kabir 17/125)
The Prophet ﷺ informed us that on the Day of Resurrection the Fire will be brought with seventy thousand reins, each rein held by seventy thousand angels dragging it, showing its vastness and terrifying might. (Sahih Muslim 2842)
The depth of Jahannam is tremendous. In authentic narrations, a stone is thrown from its edge and falls for seventy years before reaching its bottom. The companions related that a great rock will be cast into Jahannam and continue to fall for seventy years without reaching the bottom, and by Allah it will be filled (Sahih Muslim 2844a; Jami at Tirmidhi 2575).
The Prophet ﷺ told his companions, after they heard a loud noise, that it was a stone which had been sent into Jahannam seventy years earlier and had just reached its bottom. (Sahih Muslim 2844). The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of this Fire, beneath other levels. (Surah an Nisa 145)
The Chains, Shackles and Restraints of Jahannam
The Qur’an describes chains, shackles and a blazing Fire prepared for the disbelievers. (Surah al Insan 4; Surah Ghafir 69–72) Authentic narrations confirm that on the Day of Resurrection it will be ordered regarding the stubborn sinner: “Seize him and shackle him, then throw him into the blazing Fire, then in a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him.” (Surah al Haqqah 25–32).
The people of the Fire will be bound with chains around their necks and driven in them into scalding water and then into the Fire to be burned. (Surah Ghafir 71–72) The sinful arrogant ones, the oppressors and those who turned away from the signs of Allah will be dragged by these restraints into Jahannam.
The Food and Drink of the People of Jahannam
The Qur’an describes the food and drink prepared for the people of Jahannam as part of their torment. Their drink is boiling water and festering fluid which they will try to swallow yet hardly be able to, and death will come to them from every direction yet they will not die. (Surah Ibrahim 15–17; Surah Yunus 4)
Scalding water will be poured over their heads, melting what is in their bellies and their skins. (Surah al Hajj 19–21) They will be relieved with water like molten metal that scalds faces, which is a terrible drink and an evil resting place. (Surah al Kahf 29)
They will have no food but the tree of Zaqqum, whose fruits are like the heads of devils, boiling in their bellies like boiling water, (Surah ad Dukhan 43–46; Surah as Saffat 62–68) or from Ghislin, the filth and discharge (from their burning bodies) of the people of the Fire, (Surah al Haqqah 35–36) or from Dari, a thorny, bitter shrub which neither nourishes nor satisfies hunger. (Surah al Ghashiyah 6–7) Allah mentions food that chokes, along with shackles and a blazing Fire. (Surah al Muzzammil 12–13)
The Prophet ﷺ said that the scalding water of Jahannam will be poured over their heads, tear out what is in their stomachs and flow out from their feet, then they will be returned as they were to be punished again (Jami at Tirmidhi 2582).
He also explained that Tinatul Khabaal, which some sinners will be made to drink, is the discharge of the people of the Fire. (Musnad Ahmad 27603; Ibn Abi al Dunya Dhamm al Muskir 25; al Tabarani 24/168)
The Bodies, Size and Appearance of the People of Jahannam
The authentic narrations describe the bodies of the people of Jahannam as being made huge to match the enormity of their punishment. The Prophet ﷺ informed that the molar tooth of the disbeliever will be like Mount Uhud and the thickness of his skin will be the distance of three days’ travel (Sahih Muslim 2851).
In another narration he ﷺ said that the thickness of the skin of the disbeliever is forty two cubits, his molar tooth is like Mount Uhud and his seat in Jahannam is like the distance between Makkah and Madinah (Jami at Tirmidhi 2577). He also said that the distance between the shoulders of the disbeliever in the Fire is that of a three day journey for a fast rider (Sahih al Bukhari; Sahih Muslim 2852)
Some narrations describe that their bodies will be stretched to sixty cubits in height, like the stature of Adam عليه السلام, but clothing them will be garments of tar and crowns of Fire. (Surah Ibrahim 49–50; al Hakim al Mustadrak 2996; Jami at Tirmidhi 3136; Ibn Hibban 7349)
The Qur’an mentions that their faces will be contorted and twisted in the Fire and covered by it. (Surah al Muminoon 104; Surah Ibrahim 50) The companions described that between the ear and the shoulder of one of the inhabitants of Jahannam is a distance of seventy years, in which valleys of pus and blood flow. (Jami at Tirmidhi 3241; Musnad Ahmad 24856).
These images all show the ugliness and horror of their appearance and the extent to which their bodies are made fit for the Fire.
The Least Punished and the Diversity of Punishment in Jahannam
Among the people of Jahannam, punishment differs according to their disbelief and sins. The Prophet ﷺ informed that the least punished person in the Fire will be one under whose arches of the feet a coal is placed and from it his brain will boil. (Sahih al Bukhari 6561; Sahih Muslim 3/85).
In other authentic narrations, he ﷺ mentioned a man who will wear two sandals and two straps of Fire, because of which his brain will boil like a cooking pot, and he will think that no one is more severely punished than him while he is the least of them in punishment. (Sahih Muslim 211, 213b) He clarified that this is the punishment of Abu Talib, who will be wearing two sandals of Fire from which his brain will boil. (Sahih Muslim 212)
In another authentic narration, Samurah ibn Jundub, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that among the people of the Fire are those whom the Fire reaches up to their ankles, others up to their knees, others up to their waist and others up to their collar bone. (Sahih Muslim 2845b) Thus punishment differs in degree while all of it is severe and painful.
The Weeping, Screaming and Despair of the People of Jahannam
The Qur’an describes the people of Jahannam as crying out, screaming and begging to be taken out so that they may do righteous deeds, only to be told that they had been given a life in which a person who wanted to take heed could have taken heed and that a warner had come to them.
They will be told to taste the punishment and that there is no helper for the wrongdoers. (Surah Fatir 36–37) They will call for destruction upon themselves, but it will be said to them that they should not call for one destruction but for many destructions. When they are thrown into a narrow place in the Fire, chained together, they will call there for death and annihilation, yet it will not be granted. (Surah al Furqan 11–14)
Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him described that the people of the Fire will call upon Malik, the keeper of Jahannam, and he will not answer them for a long period, then he will say: “Indeed you will remain.” (al Hakim al Mustadrak 8995; Ibn Abi Shaybah 35259; Ibn al Mubarak al Zuhd wa al Raqaʾiq).
Afterwards, they will call upon their Lord saying that if He takes them out and they return to their previous state then they are wrongdoers.
They will not be answered for a period equal to the life of this universe, then it will be said to them: “Remain despised in it and do not speak to Me,” (Surah al Mu’minun 107–108) and at that they will lose all hope, and what remains for them is only sighing and groaning.
The Prophet ﷺ informed that the people of the Fire will weep until, if ships were to sail in their tears, they would float, then they will weep blood instead of tears. (al Hakim 9017; al Silsilah al Sahihah 1679). Their cries will resemble the braying of donkeys, beginning with a loud exhalation and ending with an inhalation, and they will not be given relief by death, for the punishment will not be lightened for them and they will not be allowed to die (al Hakim al Mustadrak 8995)
The Argument of Jahannam, Its Speech and Its Filling
Jahannam said that it has been given the arrogant and tyrants, while Paradise said that it was entered only by the weak and humble people. Allah said to Paradise that it is His mercy, through which He will show mercy to whom He wills, and to the Fire that it is His punishment, through which He will punish whom He wills, and that each of them will be filled.
The Fire will not be filled until Allah puts His foot upon it, whereupon it will contract, some of its parts drawing into others, and it will say: “Enough, enough.” (Sahih al Bukhari 4850; Sahih Muslim, Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/182). Allah will not wrong any of His creation, and for Paradise He will create a new creation to fill it.
The Qur’an mentions that on the Day when Allah will say to Jahannam, “Have you been filled?” it will say: “Are there any more?” (Surah Qaaf 30) In an authentic narration the Prophet ﷺ said that a neck will come out of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, with eyes, ears and a tongue.
It will say: “I have been put in charge of three: every rebellious tyrant, everyone who called upon a god besides Allah, and the makers of images.” (Jami at Tirmidhi 2574; Musnad Ahmad 8430; Sahih al Targhib 3061)
The Bridge over Jahannam and Those Who Fall Into It
On the Day of Resurrection, the bridge will be placed across the middle of Jahannam. Authentic narrations describe it as a slippery place where feet will slip, finer than the edge of a sharpened sword, with hooks and clamps that snatch people according to the command they are given. (al Hakim al Mustadrak 3424; al Bayhaqi al Baʿth wa al Nushur 399; Ruʾyat Allah li al Daruqutni 162).
The believers will pass over it according to their deeds: some in the blink of an eye, like lightning, like the wind, like fast horses and camels, then like a man running, then like a man walking, and the last of them will be a man who crawls and is dragged upon it.
Some will pass safely, some will be scratched then released, and others will fall, thrown into the Fire beneath. The Prophet ﷺ will stand upon the bridge saying: “My Lord, grant safety, grant safety,” (Sahih al Bukhari 3340) while trust and ties of kinship stand on both sides of the bridge. The depth of Jahannam beneath is seventy years of falling (Sahih al Bukhari 3340; Sahih Muslim 2864)
People Taken Out of Jahannam by Intercession
Despite the eternity of the Fire for the people of disbelief, authentic narrations show that a group from those who had faith will enter the Fire because of their sins and then be brought out by the mercy of Allah and the intercession He permits.
After the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the people of the Fire enter the Fire, Allah will command that whoever has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of faith be brought out of Jahannam. They will be taken out blackened and burned, then thrown into a river called the River of Life and they will grow just as a seed grows beside a flowing stream, until they are restored and admitted into Paradise (Sahih al Bukhari 6572; Sahih Muslim 185a).
Other narrations mention that some people will be afflicted by the Fire until they become like burnt charcoal, then permission will be given for intercession, they will be spread along the rivers of Paradise, and the people of Paradise will pour water upon them until they grow like seeds in the silt carried by a stream. (Sahih Muslim 185a; Ibn Khuzaymah al Tawhid 2/677; Musnad Ahmad 11441). In another report, some will be brought out after nothing remains of them except their faces, then Allah will admit them into Paradise. (Abu Nuʿaym Hilyat al Awliya 7/313; Sahih al Jamiʿ 8050)
The Prophet ﷺ described repeated intercessions: first for those with a grain of barley of faith, then those with a mustard seed of faith, and finally that Allah Himself will take a handful from the Fire and bring out people who have been completely burnt, casting them into the Water of Life until they grow like seeds in the silt. The people of Paradise will first call them “the Jahannamiyyun,” (Sahih al Bukhari 6566; Sahih Ibn Majah 3501) but Allah will say: “Rather these are the ones freed by the Most Merciful,” (al Darimi 53; Ibn Khuzaymah al Tawhid 2/710) and it will be written between their eyes that they are those whom Allah has freed.
He ﷺ also informed that Allah will say: “Bring out from the Fire whoever remembered Me for one day or feared Me in one situation,” (Jami at Tirmidhi 2594; Ibn Abi ʿAsim al Sunnah 833; al Hakim 235) and that four people will come out of the Fire and be presented before Allah, and one of them will say: “My Lord, I used to hope that if You brought me out of it, You would not return me to it,” so Allah will save him from it. (Sahih Muslim 192; Musnad Ahmad; ad Daarimi 1/72).
The people who are taken out in this way and enter Paradise by intercession will be known there by the name al Jahannamiyyun. (al Tayalisi 420; Ibn Abi ʿAsim al Sunnah 835; Ibn Khuzaymah al Tawhid 2/664)
The Eternity of the Fire for Its People
The Qur’an repeatedly affirms that those who oppose Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and die upon disbelief have the Fire of Jahannam, in which they will remain forever. (Surah at Tawbah 63; Surah an Nahl 29; Surah Ta Ha 74) They will neither die therein nor live a good life.
When the people of Paradise have entered Paradise and the people of the Fire have entered the Fire, death will be brought between Paradise and the Fire in the form of a ram and slaughtered. Then a caller will call: “O people of Paradise, no more death; O people of the Fire, no more death.” (Sahih al Bukhari 6548; Sahih Muslim 2849).
The people of Paradise will increase in joy upon their joy, while the people of the Fire will increase in sorrow upon their sorrow, knowing that the punishment will never end.
Some Deeds and Traits that Lead to Jahannam
Some of the actions and traits that cause a person to deserve Jahannam if Allah does not forgive. Among them is hypocrisy between speech and action, as in the man brought on the Day of Resurrection whose intestines spill out in the Fire while he goes around them as a donkey goes around a millstone, because he used to command good but did not do it and forbid evil yet committed it (Sahih al Bukhari 3267; Sahih Muslim)
Among them is suicide, for whoever throws himself from a mountain, drinks poison or kills himself with an iron weapon will repeat that act in the Fire forever (Sahih al Bukhari 5778; Sahih Muslim 109). The makers of images will be punished in Jahannam, with a being fashioned for every image to punish them (Sahih Muslim 2109)
Those who hoard gold, silver and livestock and do not pay their due zakah will have their wealth turned into snakes or heated plates of Fire to brand their sides, backs and foreheads on a day whose length is fifty thousand years, before their path is made clear to Paradise or to the Fire. (Sahih al Bukhari 1403, 1407; Sahih Muslim 987a)
The Prophet ﷺ described two groups from the people of the Fire: people with whips like the tails of cattle who strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, deviating and causing others to deviate, with heads like the humps of tilted camels. They will neither enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance (Sahih Muslim 2128).
He ﷺ also said that the people of the Fire are every harsh, greedy, arrogant person, (Sahih al Bukhari 6657; Sahih Muslim 2853) and that what most often causes people to enter the Fire is the misuse of the mouth and the private part. (Jami at Tirmidhi 2004; Musnad Ahmad 9694)
For this reason he commanded guarding the tongue, guarding chastity, fulfilling trusts, paying zakah, avoiding oppression and remaining humble, fearing Allah and asking Him constantly for protection from Jahannam.
Seeking Refuge from the Fire
Allah the Exalted says
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
“O you who believe, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are angels, stern and severe, who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and who do whatever they are commanded.” (Surah at Tahrim 6)
He also says describing the servants of the Most Merciful
وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا
“And those who say, ‘Our Lord, turn away from us the punishment of Jahannam, indeed its punishment is lasting. Indeed it is an evil place to settle and an evil place to remain.’” (Surah al Furqan 65–66)
He also says
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّهِمْ غَيْرُ مَأْمُونٍ
“And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord. Indeed the punishment of their Lord is not something from which one can feel safe.” (Surah al Ma’arij 27–28)
And He also says
قُلْ إِنَّ الْخَاسِرِينَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَلَا ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ لَهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ مِّنَ النَّارِ وَمِن تَحْتِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ ذَٰلِكَ يُخَوِّفُ اللَّهُ بِهِ عِبَادَهُ يَا عِبَادِ فَاتَّقُونِ
“Say, ‘Indeed the losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. That is truly the clear loss. They will have canopies of fire above them and canopies beneath them. That is how Allah makes His servants afraid. O My servants, so be mindful of Me.’” (Surah az Zumar 15–16)
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
The Warning about the Fire
Allah the Exalted says
يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَالَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا
“The Day when their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, ‘If only we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger.’” (Surah al Ahzab 66)
He also says
يَوْمَ يُسْحَبُونَ فِي النَّارِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ ذُوقُوا مَسَّ سَقَرَ
“The Day when they will be dragged into the Fire on their faces. It will be said, ‘Taste the touch of Saqar.’” (Surah al Qamar 48)
وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ
‘And warn your nearest relatives’
The Gates of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
لَهَا سَبْعَةُ أَبْوَابٍ لِكُلِّ مِّنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَّقْسُومٌ
“It has seven gates, for every gate among them there is an allotted portion.” (Surah al Hijr 44)
The Intense Heat of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَنْ تَفْعَلُوا فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ
“But if you do not do it, and you will never be able to do it, then protect yourselves from the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.” (Surah al Baqarah 24)
He also says
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَاشِعَةٌ عَامِلَةٌ نَاصِبَةٌ تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَامِيَةً
“Faces on that Day will be humbled, working and toiling, they will enter a blazing Fire.” (Surah al Ghashiyah 2–4)
He also says
فَأَنْذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّى لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى
“So I have warned you of a blazing Fire, none will enter it except the most wretched.” (Surah al Layl 14–15)
And He says
إِنَّهَا تَرْمِي بِشَرَرٍ كَالْقَصْرِ
“Indeed it will throw out sparks like great castles.” (Surah al Mursalat 32) (Imam Ahmad narrated a hadith related to this verse, and al Albani graded it authentic by all of its routes in as Sahihah 1812)
He also says
سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
“He will burn in a Fire of blazing flame.” (Surah al Masad 3)
They said, “By Allah, if it were only it, it would be enough.”
So it was surrounded with disliked things, and He said, ‘Return to it.’
He returned and looked at it, then said, ‘By Your might, I fear that no one will enter it.’
And He said, ‘Go to the Fire and look at it and at what I have prepared for its people in it.’
The Colour of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
وَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ سَرَابِيلُهُم مِّن قَطِرَانٍ وَتَغْشَىٰ وُجُوهَهُمُ النَّارُ
“And you will see the criminals on that Day bound together in chains. Their garments will be of tar and the Fire will cover their faces.” (Surah Ibrahim 49–50)
The Valleys of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا
“But there came after them successors who neglected the prayer and followed desires, so they will soon meet Ghayy.” (Surah Maryam 59)
It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is Jab al Huzn, or Wadi al Huzn?”
The Depth of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ
“Indeed the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire.” (Surah an Nisa 145)
We said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’
The Chains of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
إِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ سَلَاسِلَ وَأَغْلَالًا وَسَعِيرًا
“Indeed We have prepared for the disbelievers chains and shackles and a blazing Fire.” (Surah al Insan 4)
He also says
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ أَنَّىٰ يُصْرَفُونَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِالْكِتَابِ وَبِمَا أَرْسَلْنَا بِهِ رُسُلَنَا فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ إِذِ الْأَغْلَالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَالسَّلَاسِلُ يُسْحَبُونَ فِي الْحَمِيمِ ثُمَّ فِي النَّارِ يُسْجَرُونَ
“Have you not seen those who dispute concerning the signs of Allah, how they are turned away. Those who denied the Book and what We sent with Our messengers, they will soon know. When the shackles are around their necks and the chains, they will be dragged in scalding water, then in the Fire they will be burned.” (Surah Ghafir 69–72)
And He says
وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِشِمَالِهِ فَيَقُولُ يَالَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيَهْ وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ يَالَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ ثُمَّ الْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ ثُمَّ فِي سِلْسِلَةٍ ذَرْعُهَا سَبْعُونَ ذِرَاعًا فَاسْلُكُوهُ
“But as for the one who is given his book in his left hand, he will say, ‘If only I had not been given my book, and had not known my account. If only it had been the end. My wealth has not helped me. My authority has departed from me.’
‘Seize him and shackle him, then throw him into the blazing Fire, then in a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him.’” (Surah al Haqqah 25–32)
The Drink of the People of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
وَاسْتَفْتَحُوا وَخَابَ كُلُّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ جَهَنَّمُ وَيُسْقَىٰ مِنْ مَاءٍ صَدِيدٍ يَتَجَرَّعُهُ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُ وَيَأْتِيهِ الْمَوْتُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ وَمِنْ وَرَائِهِ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ
“They sought judgement, and every stubborn tyrant was disappointed. Ahead of him is Jahannam, and he will be given to drink of festering fluid. He will gulp it but hardly be able to swallow it, and death will come to him from every side yet he will not die, and beyond that there is a severe punishment.” (Surah Ibrahim 15–17)
He also says
إِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا ۚ وَإِن يَسْتَغِيثُوا يُغَاثُوا بِمَاءٍ كَالْمُهْلِ يَشْوِي الْوُجُوهَ ۚ بِئْسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَاءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا
“Indeed We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose enclosure will surround them. If they ask for relief, they will be relieved with water like molten metal that scalds faces. Terrible is the drink, and evil is the resting place.” (Surah al Kahf 29)
And He says
يُصَبُّ مِنْ فَوْقِ رُءُوسِهِمُ الْحَمِيمُ يُصْهَرُ بِهِ مَا فِي بُطُونِهِمْ وَالْجُلُودُ وَلَهُم مَّقَامِعُ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ
“Scalding water will be poured over their heads, by which what is in their bellies will be melted and their skins as well. And for them are maces of iron.” (Surah al Hajj 19–21)
He also says
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ
“And those who disbelieve will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve.” (Surah Yunus 4)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed the scalding water will be poured over their heads. It will go down until it reaches their insides and tears out what is in their stomachs, until it flows out from their feet. That is the melting. Then they will be returned as they were.” (Jami at Tirmidhi 2582 who said it is hasan sahih gharib)
- Asma bint Yazid, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that she heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Whoever drinks wine, Allah will not be pleased with him for forty nights. If he dies, he dies as a disbeliever. If he returns to it, then it is a right upon Allah to make him drink from Tinatu l Khabaal.”
It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is Tinatu l Khabaal?”
The Food of the People of Jahannam
Allah the Exalted says
إِنَّ شَجَرَةَ الزَّقُّومِ طَعَامُ الْأَثِيمِ كَالْمُهْلِ يَغْلِي فِي الْبُطُونِ كَغَلْيِ الْحَمِيمِ
“Indeed the tree of Zaqqum will be the food of the sinner, like molten metal, boiling in the bellies, like the boiling of scalding water.” (Surah ad Dukhan 43–46)
He also says
فَلَيْسَ لَهُ الْيَوْمَ هَاهُنَا حَمِيمٌ وَلَا طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِنْ غِسْلِينٍ
“So he will have no close friend here today, nor any food except from Ghislin.” (Surah al Haqqah 35–36)
And He says
لَيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍ
“They will have no food except from Dari’. ” (Surah al Ghashiyah 6)
And He also says
إِنَّ لَدَيْنَا أَنكَالًا وَجَحِيمًا وَطَعَامًا ذَا غُصَّةٍ وَعَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
“Indeed with Us there are shackles and a blazing Fire, and food that chokes and a painful punishment.” (Surah al Muzzammil 12–13)
Description of the Fire: The Thickness of the Bodies of the People of Jahannam and the Ugliness of Their Appearance
يَوْمَ نَدْعُوا كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ
“The Day when We will call every people with their imam”
He will come to them and they will say, ‘O Allah, disgrace him.’
“And they will be therein with their faces contorted”
- Al Harith ibn Aqish, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Among my Ummah there is one whose intercession will admit to Jannah more people than the tribe of Mudar. And among my Ummah there is one who will be made so huge in the Fire that he will become one of its corners.” (al Albani graded it weak. It is recorded in Daʿif Ibn Majah, hadith number 4996. It was narrated by Ibn Majah, hadith number 4323, with his wording, by Ibn Abi Shaybah, hadith number 35287, with the same wording, and by Ahmad, hadith number 17859, with a slight difference in wording.)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The distance between the shoulders of the disbeliever in the Fire is the distance of three days’ travel for a fast rider.” (Sahih al Bukhari, Fath al Bari 11/415; Sahih Muslim 2852, Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/186)
The Least Punished of the People of the Fire
- Al Numaan ibn Basheer, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The person who will receive the lightest punishment from the people of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection is a man under whose arches of the feet a coal will be placed, from which his brain will boil.” (Sahih Al Bukhari 6561, Fath al Bari 417/11, Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/85)
- Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The one who will have the least punishment among the people of the Fire will wear two sandals of Fire. His brain will boil because of the heat of his sandals.” (Sahih Muslim 211, Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/85)
- Al Numaan ibn Basheer, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The person with the least punishment among the people of the Fire is the one who will have two sandals and two straps from Fire, because of which his brain will boil like a cooking pot boils. He will think that no one is being punished more severely than him, while he is in fact the least of them in punishment.” (Sahih Muslim 213b, Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/86)
- Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The one receiving the lightest punishment of the people of the Fire is Abu Taalib. He will be wearing two sandals from which his brain will boil.” (Sahih Muslim 212, Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/85)
The Differing Levels of Punishment
Allah the Most High says:
قَالُوا رَبُّنَا مَنْ قَدَّمَ لَنَا هَذَا فَزِدْهُ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا فِي النَّارِ
“They will say: ‘Our Lord, whoever brought this upon us, give him a double punishment in the Fire.’” (Saad 61)
One Immersion in the Fire Makes the Joy of This World Forgotten
Allah the Exalted says:
وَلَئِنْ مَسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ يَا وَيْلَنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ
“And if a single breath of the punishment of your Lord were to touch them, they would surely say: ‘Woe to us, indeed we were wrongdoers.’” (Al Anbiyaa 46)
The Crying and Screaming of the People of the Fire
Allah the Most High says:
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي كُلَّ كَفُورٍوَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ
“As for those who disbelieved, they will have the Fire of Jahannam. It will not be concluded for them so that they die, nor will its punishment be lightened for them.
Thus do We repay every stubborn disbeliever. And they will be screaming in it: ‘Our Lord, take us out so that we may do righteous deeds, different from what we used to do.’ Did We not grant you a life long enough for whoever would take heed to take heed in it, and the warner came to you? So taste, for the wrongdoers will have no helper.” (Faatir 36–37)
He also says:
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ شَقُوا فَفِي النَّارِ لَهُمْ فِيهَا زَفِيرٌ وَشَهِيقٌ
“As for those who are wretched, they will be in the Fire; for them therein is sighing and groaning.” (Hud 106)
And He says:
وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِمَن كَذَّبَ بِالسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًاإِذَا رَأَتْهُم مِّن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ سَمِعُوا لَهَا تَغَيُّظًا وَزَفِيرًاوَإِذَا أُلْقُوا مِنْهَا مَكَانًا ضَيِّقًا مُّقَرَّنِينَ دَعَوْا هُنَالِكَ ثُبُورًالَا تَدْعُوا الْيَوْمَ ثُبُورًا وَاحِدًا وَادْعُوا ثُبُورًا كَثِيرًا
“And We have prepared for those who deny the Hour a blazing Fire. When it sees them from a far place, they will hear its fury and roaring. And when they are thrown into a narrow place therein, chained together, they will call there for destruction. ‘Do not call today for one destruction, but call for many destructions.’” (Al Furqaan 11–14)
رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْهَا فَإِنْ عُدْنَا فَإِنَّا ظَالِمُونَ
“‘Our Lord, bring us out of it, and if we return, then indeed we are wrongdoers.’” (Al Mu’minun 107)
اخْسَئُوا فِيهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ
“‘Remain despised in it and do not speak to Me.’” (Al Mu’minun 108)
The Departure of People from the Fire by Intercession
Allah the Most High says:
يَوْمَئِذٍ لَا تَنفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ إِلَّا مَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَرَضِيَ لَهُ قَوْلًا
“On that Day, no intercession will benefit except for the one to whom the Most Merciful has given permission and whose word He is pleased with.” (Ta Ha 109)
He says:
قُل لِّلَّهِ الشَّفَاعَةُ جَمِيعًا لَّهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
“Say: To Allah belongs all intercession. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, then to Him you will be returned.” (Az Zumar 44)
And He says:
وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَن شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
“Those whom they call upon besides Him do not possess any power of intercession, except those who bear witness to the truth while they know.” (Az Zukhruf 86)
- Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The people of Paradise will enter Paradise and the people of the Fire will enter the Fire. Then Allah the Most High will say: ‘Bring out from the Fire whoever has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of faith.’ They will be brought out from it, and they will have turned black. Then they will be thrown into the River of Life, and they will grow just as a seed grows on the side of a flowing stream. Have you not seen how it comes out yellow and twisted?” (Sahih Al Bukhari 6572, Fath al Bari 72/1, Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 3/35)
- Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “As for the people of the Fire who are its inhabitants, they will neither die therein nor live. But some people will be afflicted by the Fire because of their sins, and it will cause them to die a death. When they have become like burnt coal, permission will be granted for intercession. They will be brought in groups and spread along the rivers of Paradise. Then it will be said: ‘O people of Paradise, pour water upon them.’ They will grow just as a seed grows in the silt carried by a stream.” (Sahih Muslim 185a, Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/37)
- Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “People will come out of the Fire after they have been burned in it and have become like black charcoal. Then the people of Paradise will continue to sprinkle water upon them until they grow like cucumbers grow along a stream.” (Ibn Khuzaymah indicated in the introduction of his work that it is authentic and firmly established with a sound, reliable isnad. It is recorded in al Tawhid by Ibn Khuzaymah, 2/677. It was narrated by Ahmad, hadith number 11441, and by Ibn Mandah in al Iman, hadith number 836, both with the same wording. It was also narrated by al Bukhari, hadith number 22, and by Muslim, hadith number 184, both with similar wording in a longer form.)
- Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah the Mighty and Majestic will bring out people from the Fire after nothing remains of them in it except their faces. Then Allah will admit them into Paradise.” (al Albani graded it authentic. It is recorded in Sahih al Jamiʿ, hadith number 8050. It was narrated by Abu Nuʿaym in Hilyat al Awliyaʾ, 7/313.)
- Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said: We said: O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? He said: “Do you have difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?” We said: No. He said: “You will not have difficulty in seeing your Lord on that Day just as you do not have difficulty in seeing them. Then a caller will call out: ‘Let every people go to what they used to worship.’ So the people of the cross will go with their cross, and the people of idols will go with their idols, and the people of every false god will go with their gods. There will remain those who used to worship Allah, whether righteous or sinful, and some remnants from the People of the Book. Then Jahannam will be brought and displayed like a mirage. It will be said to the Jews, ‘What did you use to worship?’ They will say, ‘We used to worship Uzair the son of Allah.’ It will be said: ‘You have lied. Allah never took a companion or a son. What do you want now?’ They will say, ‘We want You to give us drink.’ It will be said: ‘Drink,’ and they will fall into Jahannam. Then it will be said to the Christians: ‘What did you use to worship?’ They will say, ‘We used to worship the Messiah the son of Allah.’ It will be said: ‘You have lied. Allah never took a companion or a son. What do you want now?’ They will say, ‘We want You to give us drink.’ It will be said: ‘Drink,’ and they will fall into Jahannam.
Abu Saeed said: “If you do not believe me, then recite:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍوَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَاعِفْهَا
‘Indeed Allah does not wrong even the weight of an atom, and if there is a good deed, He multiplies it.’ (An Nisaa 40)”
- Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “Allah the Most High will say: ‘Bring out from the Fire whoever remembered Me for one day, or feared Me in one situation.’” (Ibn Hajar al ʿAsqalani graded it hasan, as he clarified in the introduction of his work. It is recorded in Hidayat al Ruwat, 5/72. It was narrated by al Tirmidhi, hadith number 2594, with his wording, and by Ibn Abi ʿAsim in al Sunnah, hadith number 833, and by al Hakim, hadith number 235, with a slight difference in wording.)
- Abu Musa al Ashari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When the people of the Fire are gathered in the Fire, along with those from the people of the qiblah whom Allah wills, the disbelievers will say to them: ‘Were you not Muslims?’ They will say: ‘Yes, indeed.’ They will say: ‘Then of what benefit was your Islam to you when you are with us in the Fire?’ They will say: ‘We had sins, so we were seized because of them.’ Then what they say will be heard, and it will be commanded that those who were from the people of the qiblah be taken out. When the disbelievers see that, they will say: ‘If only we had been Muslims, so that we would be taken out just as they were taken out.’”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then recited:
الٓرتِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَقُرْآنٍ مُّبِينٍرُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ
“Alif Laam Raa. These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur’an. Many a time the disbelievers will wish that they had been Muslims.” (Al Hijr 1–2) (Al Haythami said: In its chain is Khalid ibn Nafiʿ al Ashʿari. Abu Dawud said he is abandoned, while al Dhahabi said he does not deserve to be declared abandoned. The rest of the narrators are trustworthy. It is recorded in Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid, 7/48. It was narrated by al Hakim, hadith number 2954, and by al Bayhaqi in al Baʿth wa al Nushur, hadith number 79.)
The Delegation for the Fire
The Argument between Paradise and the Fire
The Eternity of the Fire
Allah the Most High says:
أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَن يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَاذَٰلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ
“Do they not know that whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger, for him is the Fire of Jahannam, remaining in it forever. That is the great disgrace.” (At Tawbah 63)
He says:
فَادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَافَلَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ
“So enter the gates of Jahannam, remaining therein forever. How evil is the dwelling place of the arrogant.” (An Nahl 29)
And He says:
إِنَّهُ مَن يَأْتِ رَبَّهُ مُجْرِمًا فَإِنَّ لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَى
“Whoever comes to his Lord as a criminal, for him is Jahannam, in which he will neither die nor live.” (Ta Ha 74)
The Description of the Bridge
Allah the Most High says:
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَطَمَسْنَا عَلَىٰ أَعْيُنِهِمْ فَاسْتَبَقُوا الصِّرَاطَ فَأَنَّىٰ يُبْصِرُونَ
“And if We willed, We would have obliterated their eyes, and they would race to the path, but how would they see?” (Ya Seen 66)
Some Attributes of the People of the Fire
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Two groups of the people of the Fire I have not yet seen. People who will have whips like the tails of cattle with which they will strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, deviating and causing others to deviate, with heads like the humps of tilted camels. They will not enter Paradise and they will not even smell its fragrance, even though its fragrance can be found from such and such a distance.” (Sahih Muslim 2128)
- Haarithah ibn Wahb, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Shall I not tell you about the people of Paradise?” They said: Yes. He said: “Every weak person who is regarded as weak, if he were to swear by Allah, He would fulfil it for him. Shall I not tell you about the people of the Fire?” They said: Yes. He said: “Every harsh, greedy, prideful person.” (Sahih Al Bukhari 6657, Fath al Bari 662/8, Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/186)
The People Named al Jahannamiyyun
- Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah will certainly bring out from the Fire a people whose stench is offensive, whom the Fire has burned, and they will enter Paradise by the intercession of those who intercede. They will be called in Paradise ‘the Jahannamiyyun’.” (al Albani authenticated it. It is recorded in Takhrij Kitab al Sunnah, hadith number 835. It was narrated by al Tayalisi, hadith number 420, by Ibn Abi ʿAsim in al Sunnah, hadith number 835, and by Ibn Khuzaymah in al Tawhid, 2/664, with a slight difference in wording.)
- Imraan ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “Then people will come out of the Fire by the intercession of Muhammad ﷺ and enter Paradise, and they will be called ‘the Jahannamiyyun’.” (al Albani graded it authentic. It is recorded in Sahih Ibn Majah, hadith number 3501. It was narrated by al Bukhari, hadith number 6566, by Abu Dawud, hadith number 4740, by al Tirmidhi, hadith number 2600, and by Ibn Majah, hadith number 4315, and this is his wording. It was also narrated by Ahmad, hadith number 19897.)
- Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “I am the first for whom the earth will split open on the Day of Resurrection, and that is no boast. I will be given the Banner of Praise, and that is no boast. I am the leader of the people on the Day of Resurrection, and that is no boast. I will be the first to enter Paradise on the Day of Resurrection, and that is no boast. I will come to the gate of Paradise and take hold of its ring. It will be said: ‘Who is this?’ I will say: ‘Muhammad.’ Then they will open it for me and I will enter. I will find the Compeller facing me and I will fall in prostration to Him. He will say: ‘Raise your head, O Muhammad. Speak and you will be heard, ask and you will be given, intercede and your intercession will be accepted.’
إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ
“‘Indeed whoever You cause to enter the Fire, You have surely disgraced him.’ (Aal Imraan 192)
كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا أُعِيدُوا فِيهَا
“‘Whenever they want to get out of it, they will be returned into it.’ (As Sajdah 20).
“So what is this that you say?”
The Punishment of the One whose Actions Contradict his Words
Allah the Exalted says:
أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَأَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
“Do you enjoin righteousness upon the people and forget yourselves, while you recite the Book? Will you not then reason?” (Al Baqarah 44)
He also says:
قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُم بِالْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًاالَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا
“Say: Shall we inform you of those who are the greatest losers in respect of their deeds? Those whose efforts have been wasted in the life of this world while they think that they are doing good in work.” (Al Kahf 103–104)
The Intense Heat of the Sun from the Breath of Jahannam
Allah the Most High says:
وَقَالُوا لَا تَنفِرُوا فِي الْحَرِّقُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّالَّوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ
“They said: ‘Do not go forth in the heat.’ Say: ‘The Fire of Jahannam is more intense in heat, if only they understood.’” (At Tawbah 81)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Delay the prayer in the intense heat, for indeed the severity of heat is from the breath of Jahannam.” (Ibn Hibban recorded it in his Sahih, hadith number 7466. It was narrated by al Bukhari, hadith number 3260, by Muslim, hadith number 617, by Ibn Majah, hadith number 4319, and by al Bazzar, hadith number 7691, and the wording is theirs.)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The Fire complained to its Lord and said: ‘My Lord, some parts of me have consumed others.’ So He allowed it two breaths, one in winter and one in summer. The most severe heat that you find is from its heat, and the most severe cold that you find is from its severe cold.” (Sahih Al Bukhari 536, Fath al Bari 330/6, Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 5/119)
- Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed intense fever is from the breath of Jahannam, so cool it down with water.” (Sahih Al Bukhari 5723, Fath al Bari 330/6, Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 14/195)
The Speech of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection
Allah the Exalted says:
يَوْمَ نَقُولُ لِجَهَنَّمَ هَلِ امْتَلَأْتِوَتَقُولُ هَلْ مِن مَّزِيدٍ
“On the Day We will say to Jahannam: ‘Have you been filled?’ and it will say: ‘Are there any more?’” (Qaaf 30)
The Bridge between Paradise and the Fire
The Description of the Gathering
Allah the Most High says:
يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَٰنِ وَفْدًاوَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًا
“The Day We will gather the righteous to the Most Merciful as a delegation, and We will drive the criminals to Jahannam, thirsty.” (Maryam 85–86)
Ibn al Mubaarak mentioned in Az Zuhd with his chain from Mujaahid regarding His saying:
وَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًا
“We will drive the criminals to Jahannam, thirsty.”
He said: “Their necks will be cut off by thirst.” (Az Zuhd by Ibn al Mubaarak 83)
He also says:
وَتَرَى الْأَرْضَ بَارِزَةًوَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا
“You will see the earth laid bare, and We will gather them and We will not leave out any one of them.” (Al Kahf 47)
He says:
يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِوَنَحْشُرُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ زُرْقًا
“The Day when the Trumpet will be blown and We will gather the criminals on that Day, blue eyed.” (Ta Ha 102)
And He says:
فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَحْشُرَنَّهُمْ وَالشَّيَاطِينَثُمَّ لَنُحْضِرَنَّهُمْ حَوْلَ جَهَنَّمَ جِثِيًّا
“So by your Lord, We will surely gather them and the devils, then We will bring them around Jahannam on their knees.” (Maryam 68)
He says:
وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ
“We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” (Ta Ha 124)
He also says:
وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا
“We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf.” (Al Israa 97)
He says:
احْشُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَأَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ
“Gather those who did wrong, together with their kinds and what they used to worship.” (As Saaffaat 22)
And He says:
وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ إِلَى النَّارِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ
“The Day when the enemies of Allah will be gathered to the Fire, and they will be driven in ranks.” (Fussilat 19)
He says:
الَّذِينَ يُحْشَرُونَ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَأُولَٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
“Those who will be gathered on their faces to Jahannam, those are the worst in position and the farthest astray from the way.” (Al Furqaan 34)
كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُّعِيدُهُوَعْدًا عَلَيْنَاإِنَّا كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ
‘Just as We began the first creation, We will repeat it, a promise binding upon Us; We will surely do it.’ (Al Anbiyaa 104).
وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْفَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْوَأَنتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌإِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَوَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
‘And I was a witness over them while I remained among them, but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are Witness over all things. If You punish them, they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, You are the Mighty, the Wise.’ (Al Maaidah 117–118).
“It will be said to me: ‘They did not cease turning back on their heels after you left them.’”
(Sahih Muslim 2860b)
Aaishah said: “Men and women together, looking at one another?”
He said: “People will be too preoccupied.”
She said: “With what will they be preoccupied?”
- Sahl ibn Saad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection upon a white land, pure and smooth, like a round loaf of fine white bread, on which there are no landmarks for anyone.” (Sahih Al Bukhari 6521, and Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/134)
- Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: A man said: “O Messenger of Allah, Allah says:
الَّذِينَ يُحْشَرُونَ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَأُولَٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
‘Those who will be gathered on their faces to Jahannam, those are the worst in position and the farthest astray from the way.’ (Al Furqaan 34).
Will the disbeliever be gathered on his face on the Day of Resurrection?”
It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, how will they walk on their faces?”
- Bahz ibn Hakeem, from his father, from his grandfather, reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “You will be gathered on foot, riding and dragged upon your faces.” (At Tirmidhi 3134)
- Amr ibn Shuayb, from his father, from his grandfather, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The arrogant will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection like tiny ants in the forms of men. Humiliation will envelop them from every direction. They will be driven to a prison in Jahannam called Bulus. The Fire of Fires will reach them from above, and they will be given to drink from the discharge of the people of the Fire, the scum of the people of the Fire.” (Ibn Hajar al ʿAsqalani said: Its isnad is good. It is recorded in Fath al Bari by Ibn Hajar, 11/431. It was narrated by al Tirmidhi, hadith number 2492, and this is his wording, by Ahmad, hadith number 6677, and by al Bukhari in al Adab al Mufrad, hadith number 557, with a slight difference in wording.)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection on three paths. Some will be walking, desiring and fearing. Two will be on a camel, three on a camel, four on a camel, and ten on a camel. The rest of them will be gathered and driven by the Fire. It will stay with them wherever they stop to rest in the midday, spend the night with them wherever they spend the night, come with them in the morning wherever they wake, and come with them in the evening wherever they are in the evening.” (Reported by al Bukhari, Fath al Bari 11/377 and Sahih Muslim 2861, Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/194).
- And from him also, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “On the Day of Resurrection the people will be recognised by their sweat, until their sweat goes into the earth a depth of seventy cubits, and it will choke them until it reaches their ears.” (Sahih al Bukhari 6532)
- Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported from the Prophet ﷺ regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted:
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“On the day when people will stand before the Lord of the worlds.” (al Mutaffifin: 6)
- Al Miqdad, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The sun will draw near to creation on the Day of Resurrection until it is as close to them as the distance of one mile.” Sulaym ibn Amir said: By Allah, I do not know whether he meant the mile of the land or the stick used for applying kohl to the eye. Then the people will be according to their deeds in the sweat. Among them is one whose sweat will be up to his ankles, among them is one whose sweat will be up to his knees, among them is one whose sweat will be up to his waist, and among them is one who will be bridled by the sweat, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pointed with his hand to his mouth. (It is recorded in Sahih Muslim, 2864. It was narrated by Muslim, hadith number 2864, by al Tabarani in al Muʿjam al Kabir, 20/255, hadith number 602, and by al Bayhaqi in Shuʿab al Iman, all with the same wording. It was also narrated by al Tirmidhi, hadith number 2421, and by Ahmad, hadith number 23813, with similar wording.)
- Abdullah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The whole earth will be Fire on the Day of Resurrection, and Paradise will be beyond it with its maidens and its cups. By the One in whose hand is the being of Abdullah, a man will pour forth sweat until it flows in the earth to the height of his stature, then rises until it reaches his nose, while he has not even begun to be taken to account.” They said: From what will that be, O Abu Abd al Rahman? He said: “From what the people will see and what they will face.” (Reported by al Tabarani as a statement of Ibn Masud with a good chain, as al Mundhiri said in al Targhib 6/181. It has the ruling of a marfu report because this is not said from personal opinion.)
- And from him also, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Indeed a man will be bridled by sweat on the Day of Resurrection. He will say: My Lord, relieve me, even if it is to the Fire.” (Reported by al Tabarani in al Kabir with a good chain, as al Mundhiri said in al Targhib 6/182).
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “On the day when people will stand before the Lord of the worlds, it will be a period equal to half of a day of fifty thousand years; yet it will be made light upon the believer, just as the time between the declining of the sun and its setting is made light.” (Reported by Abu Yaʿla with a sound chain, as al Mundhiri said in al Targhib 6/182).
The Description of the Reckoning
Allah the Exalted says:
أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ
“Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest in taking account.” (al Anam: 62)
And He the Exalted says:
فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَسَوْفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابًا يَسِيرًا وَيَنْقَلِبُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ مَسْرُورًا وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاءَ ظَهْرِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا وَيَصْلَى سَعِيرًا
“Then as for the one who is given his record in his right hand, he will soon receive an easy reckoning. And he will return to his people joyful. But as for the one who is given his record behind his back, he will soon cry out for destruction, and he will enter a blazing fire.” (al Inshiqaq: 7–12)
And He also says:
يَوْمَئِذٍ تُعْرَضُونَ لَا تَخْفَى مِنْكُمْ خَافِيَةٌ فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَيَقُولُ هَاؤُمُ اقْرَءُوا كِتَابِيَهْ إِنِّي ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَاضِيَةٍ فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِشِمَالِهِ فَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيَهْ وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ يَا لَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ مَا أَغْنَى عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ
“On that day you will be brought forth, and no hidden thing of yours will remain hidden. Then as for the one who is given his record in his right hand, he will say: Here, read my record. I was sure that I would meet my account. So he will be in a pleasant life, in a lofty garden, its clusters of fruit close at hand.
Eat and drink with enjoyment for what you sent on ahead in days gone by. But as for the one who is given his record in his left hand, he will say: Oh, would that I had not been given my record, and had not known what my account was. Oh, would that it had been the final end. My wealth has not benefited me. My authority has vanished from me.” (al Haqqah: 18–29)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The feet of a servant will not move on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked about four things: about his life and how he spent it; about his knowledge and what he did with it; about his wealth, how he earned it and how he spent it; and about his body and in what he wore it out.” (al Albani graded it authentic. It is recorded in Sahih al Tirmidhi, hadith number 2417. It was narrated by al Tirmidhi, hadith number 2417, and by al Darimi, hadith number 537, with a slight difference in wording. It was also narrated by al Bayhaqi in al Madkhal ila al Sunan al Kubra, hadith number 494, and this is his wording.).
- Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever is called to account in detail will be punished.” I said: Is it not that Allah says:
- And from her also, may Allah be pleased with her, that she used to say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Keep to uprightness and come close, and receive glad tidings, for no one will enter Paradise because of his deeds.” They said: Not even you, O Messenger of Allah? He said: “Not even I, unless Allah envelops me in His mercy.” (It is recorded in Sahih al Bukhari, 6467. It was also narrated by Muslim, 2818.).
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Rights will certainly be given to those entitled to them on the Day of Resurrection, until retribution is taken for the hornless sheep from the horned sheep.” (Reported by Muslim 2582 and by al Tirmidhi).
- And from him also, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “All things will argue and dispute on the Day of Resurrection, even two sheep that butted one another.” (Reported by Ahmad with a good chain, as al Mundhiri said in al Targhib 6/191).
- Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in my house, and in his hand was a tooth stick. He called a young female servant of his or of hers, until anger became clear in his face. Umm Salamah went out to the rooms and found the girl playing with a small sheep. She said: “Do I see you playing with this little sheep while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is calling you?” She said: “No, by the One who sent you with the truth, I did not hear you.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “If it were not for retribution, I would have struck you with this tooth stick.” (Al Haythami said: Its isnad is hasan. It is recorded in Majmaʿ al Zawaʾid, 10/356. It was narrated by Abu Yaʿla, hadith number 6944, with a slight difference in wording, by al Tabarani, 23/376, hadith number 889, and by Abu Nuʿaym in Hilyat al Awliyaʾ, 8/378, in a shortened form with a slight difference in wording.)
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever strikes a slave unjustly with a whip, retribution will be taken from him on the Day of Resurrection.” (al Albani graded it authentic. It is recorded in Sahih al Targhib, hadith number 3607. It was narrated by al Bazzar, hadith number 9446, by al Tabarani in al Muʿjam al Awsat, hadith number 1445, and by Ibn ʿAdi in al Kamil fi al Duʿafaʾ, 4/168, with a slight difference in wording.).
- Abdullah ibn Anis, may Allah be pleased with him, said that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “Allah will gather the servants on the Day of Resurrection, or he said: the people, naked, uncircumcised and without possessions.” He said: We said: What is meant by without possessions? He said: “They will have nothing with them. Then He will call them with a voice that will be heard by those far away just as it will be heard by those near: I am the Judge, I am the King. It is not fitting that any person of the people of the Fire should enter the Fire when he has a right over any person of the people of Paradise, until I give him his due from him. And it is not fitting that any person of the people of Paradise should enter Paradise while there is a right for any person of the people of the Fire over him, until I give him his due from him, even if it is a slap.” He said: We said: How will that be, when we will come naked, uncircumcised and without possessions? He said: “With good deeds and bad deeds.” (al Albani verified it in Takhrij Kitab al Sunnah, hadith number 514. It was quoted by al Bukhari in a muʿallaq form using the wording of uncertainty, in a shortened form, before hadith number 7481. It was also narrated with a connected chain by Ahmad, hadith number 16042, in a longer form with a slight difference in wording.).
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do you know who the bankrupt person is?” They said: The bankrupt among us is the one who has no coins and no goods. He said: “The bankrupt one of my Ummah is the one who will come on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, fasting and zakah, but he will come having insulted this person, slandered this person, consumed the wealth of this person, shed the blood of this person and struck this person. So this one will be given from his good deeds, and this one will be given from his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before what he owes is repaid, some of their sins will be taken and laid upon him, then he will be thrown into the Fire.” (Reported by Muslim 2581, and by al Tirmidhi).
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, also said: They said: O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection? He said: “Do you suffer any harm in seeing the sun at midday when there is no cloud?” They said: No. He said: “Do you suffer any harm in seeing the moon on the night when it is full and there is no cloud?” They said: No. He said: “By the One in whose hand is my being, you will not suffer any harm in seeing your Lord just as you do not suffer any harm in seeing one of them. A servant will meet his Lord and He will say: O so and so, did I not honour you, make you a leader, give you a spouse, make the horses and camels subservient to you, and allow you to lead and prosper?” He will say: Yes, my Lord. He will say: “Did you think that you would meet Me?” He will say: No. He will say: “Then today I will forget you as you forgot Me.” Then He will meet another and say: “O so and so, did I not honour you, make you a leader, give you a spouse, make the horses and camels subservient to you, and allow you to lead and prosper?” He will say: Yes, my Lord. He will say: “Did you think that you would meet Me?” He will say: No. He will say: “Then today I will forget you as you forgot Me.” Then He will meet a third and say: “O so and so, did I not honour you, make you a leader, give you a spouse, make the horses and camels subservient to you, and allow you to lead and prosper?” He will say: Yes, my Lord. He will say: “Did you think that you would meet Me?” He will say: Yes, my Lord. I believed in You, in Your Book and in Your Messengers. I prayed, fasted and gave charity,” and he will praise himself with as much good as he can. He will be told: “Now then. We will bring a witness against you from yourself.” Then his mouth will be sealed, and it will be said to his thigh: “Speak.” So his thigh, his flesh and his bones will speak of what he used to do. That is so that he will not have any excuse against himself. And that one is the hypocrite, and he is the one upon whom Allah will be angry.” (Reported by Muslim 2968).
- Umm Mubashshir al Ansariyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that she heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say in the house of Hafsah: “No one from among the people of the tree who pledged allegiance beneath it will enter the Fire, if Allah wills.” She said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He rebuked her, so Hafsah said:
وَإِنْ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا
“And there is none of you but that he will come to it.” (Maryam: 71)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “But Allah has also said:
ثُمَّ نُنَجِّي الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَنَذَرُ الظَّالِمِينَ فِيهَا جِثِيًّا
“Then We shall save those who had taqwa and leave the wrongdoers therein on their knees.” (Maryam: 72)” (Reported by Muslim and by al Tirmidhi 3860).
Scenes from the Torment on the Day of Resurrection
- Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There is no owner of gold or silver who does not pay from it its due right, except that plates of fire will be made ready for him on the Day of Resurrection. They will be heated in the Fire of Jahannam and his side, his forehead and his back will be branded with them. Whenever they cool they will be heated again for him on a day whose length is fifty thousand years, until judgement is passed among the servants and he sees his path, either to Paradise or to the Fire.”
It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what about camels? He said: “And no owner of camels who does not pay from them their due right, and from their due right is that they are milked on the day they are brought to water, except that on the Day of Resurrection he will be thrown down for them on a wide flat land in the best state they were ever in, not missing even one young camel. They will trample him with their hooves and bite him with their mouths. Every time the first of them passes over him, the last of them will be returned to him on a day whose length is fifty thousand years, until judgement is passed among the servants and he sees his path, either to Paradise or to the Fire.”
It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what about cows and sheep? He said: “And no owner of cows or sheep who does not pay from them their due right, except that on the Day of Resurrection he will be thrown down for them on a wide flat land, not missing any one of them. There will be no hornless, no one horned and no broken horned among them. They will butt him with their horns and trample him with their hooves. Every time the first of them passes over him, the last of them will be returned to him, on a day whose length is fifty thousand years, until judgement is passed among the servants and he sees his path, either to Paradise or to the Fire.” (Reported by Muslim 987a, Sharh Sahih Muslim 17/67). - Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever throws himself from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Fire of Jahannam falling in it forever and ever. Whoever drinks poison and kills himself, his poison will be in his hand and he will sip it in the Fire of Jahannam forever and ever. Whoever kills himself with an iron weapon, that iron will be in his hand and he will stab his stomach with it in the Fire of Jahannam, forever and ever.” (Reported by al Bukhari 5778, Fath al Bari 10/247 and by Muslim Sharh Sahih Muslim 2/118).
- Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Every image maker will be in the Fire. A being will be made for every image he made, and it will punish him in Jahannam.” (Reported by Muslim, Sharh Sahih Muslim 14/93).
- Al Ahnaf ibn Qays said: I sat with a group from Quraysh, then a man with rough hair, clothes and appearance came, until he stood over them, greeted them with salam and said: “Give glad tidings to the hoarders of wealth of heated stones that will be heated in the Fire of Jahannam, then placed on the nipple of the breast of one of them until it comes out from his shoulder blade, and placed on his shoulder blade until it comes out from his nipple. It will shake and move.” Then he turned away and sat by a pillar. I followed him and sat next to him, not knowing who he was. I said to him: I do not see that the people disliked what you said. He said: “They do not understand anything. My close friend said to me.” I said: Who is your close friend? He said: “The Prophet ﷺ said: O Abu Dharr, do you see the mountain of Uhud?” He said: “So I looked towards the sun to see how much of the day remained, while I would see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sending me on some need of his.” I said: Yes. He said: “I do not love that I should have the like of Uhud in gold and spend all of it except three dinars. These people do not understand. They only gather the dunya. By Allah, I will not ask them about anything from their dunya, and I will not seek a ruling from them in their religion until I meet Allah.” (Reported by al Bukhari 1407, Fath al Bari 3/271 and by Muslim, Sharh Sahih Muslim 7/77).
