Descriptions of the hellfire

Shuaibwebb.com

by Raiiq Ridwan

Glimpses into the World of the Unseen: I | II | III | IV | V | VI

My fingers tremble and my mind is uneasy as I begin writing. However, it is a reality that the Hellfire exists and it is indeed the logical consequence for those who have sinned against Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (Glorified is He) and disobeyed His commands.

While those who will die as disbelievers will be in Hell for eternity, even some Muslims will enter Hell for a period of time to be purified of their sins and then entered into paradise. Often times we hear brothers and sisters say “Even if we do enter hell, we will eventually go to Paradise insha’Allah (God willingly).” Pondering over this article to follow, I doubt that anyone would want even a millisecond in such a dreadful place!

Hellfire has 7 gates1, and it has been prepared for the wrongdoers. In a hadith (saying of the Prophet) the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said that the heat of the Hellfire is multiplied 70 times compared to the fire of this world2. Try dipping a finger into the kitchen stove just once and feel the pain it brings, and then imagine a fire 70 times hotter burning your whole body. Indeed as the Prophet of Allah ﷺ said that after a few moments in Hellfire, all the pleasures of this world we had will be utterly forgotten.3

On the Day of Judgment, Hellfire will be brought by 4.9 billion angels4 and it is as if it is a living being; it howls, coughs, roars up and it breathes, boiling and surging up as it is trying to tear itself from the angels to attack the people to burn them for their sins.

How will our day be? How will it be when we see the Hellfire for ourselves? How much will we repent and regret that day, on a day where repentance and regret will be of no use; the Hell we laughed off when people reminded us of fearing it, the Hell we were destined to go to with all the sins we committed, and the Hellfire we deserved for being heedless of the warnings of Allah (swt). Let us make it in ourselves to regret and repent today while there is still time. Know that as Muslims we ourselves may fall into hypocrisy and know that the hypocrite will be in the lowest depths of the hellfire.5 The lowest of the fire is so deep that a stone was thrown into the fire and it took 70 years to reach the bottom.6

Hellfire will come that Day determined to take revenge on those whom Allah created and they worshipped others besides Him. Revenge will be taken on those whom Allah provided and yet they were sinful, and upon those whom Allah bestowed His favor and Mercy and they forgot Him, the Most High.

Hellfire will be fueled by people and stones, by the false-gods worshipped and by the disbelievers among the jinn.7

On that fateful Day, Allah will tell our father Adam alayhi salam (peace be on him), “Send forth those who are destined for Hell”, and our father Adam will ask “Who are those?” And Allah (swt) will give a reply that is sure to tear at the hearts of every believer, “Out of every thousand, 999 go to Hell and 1 to paradise.8” Fear Allah! Fear Allah for these numbers!

The food of the people of Hell will be from the tree of Zaqqum, which will boil the intestines like scalding water.9 The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned that if a drop of Zaqqum would have fallen on this Earth, it would ruin every provision on earth. Now, how about those who will have to eat from it?10 The drink of the inhabitants of hell will be boiling water, and a disgusting boiling fluid made of pus and blood.11

Brothers and sisters, by Allah I do not have words to describe this Hell and how horrible its torment can be. How can I describe something which seeks refuge in Allah from itself? How can I describe Hell which has a valley called Gubb Al-Hazan which is so terrible that Hellfire itself seeks refuge from it 100 times a day?12 How can I describe a Hell whose inmates are burned continuously day and night? The least of punishment given to any of its inmates is the wearing of a pair of shoes of fire, which boil the brain13!

The following are some of the categories of people who will enter Hellfire, although there are more:

1. Disbelievers

2. Hypocrites

3. Arrogant Rejecters of truth

4. Sinners and Criminals

5. The Unjust

6. The ones who transgress the limits set by Allah
7. Tyrants

8. Murderers

9. Those who persecute the believers

10. Those who prefer the world and neglect the hereafter

11. Those who commit suicide

12. Everyone who is cruel, proud and arrogant

13. The one who is treacherous

14. The traitor

15. One who has a habit of abusing people and using obscene language

16. The one who doesn’t pray, and also the one who doesn’t pray on time

Hellfire is indeed a horrible destination, and it has an insatiable appetite. As Allah (swt) mentions,

“On the Day We will say to Hellfire, ‘have you been filled?’ it will say, ‘Are there some more?’” (Qur’an, 50:30)

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also adds to this,

“Hell will continue to ask, ‘Is there anything more?’ until Allah, the Exalted, and High will place His foot thereon, Then it will say, ‘Enough, enough, by Your honor,’ and some of its parts will draw close together.’”

For a more vivid, and more referenced description of Hellfire, you can visit the following link where Sister Safa has taken a painstaking duty of compiling all the verses and ahadeeth on Hellfire, http://forums.almaghrib.org/showthread.php?t=26711

May Allah (swt) indeed save ourselves from the Hellfire and may Allah (swt) make us of those who fulfill His command in Surah Tahreem,

”O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.” (Qur’an 66:6)

I end with a short poem on Hellfire by the renowned scholar of Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy upon him,

A place its inhabitants are banished to,

where they are forbidden from tasting any pleasure,

their cleanliness is changed to blackness on their faces,

and they are beaten by hammers stronger than mountains,

over it are angels, harsh and severe,

if you only saw them.

So their sadness is permanent, no happiness after it, and their state, unchangeable,

they will never leave, living there forever and ever.

Upon it are angels, harsh and severe.

What sadness for them, that the Creator is angry with them!

They are exposed in front of all the people,

they cry over wasting their lives,

and every time they cry the punishment increases!

What happened to their chasing of the dunya!?

What happened to them striving in sins?!

It seems like only a dream…then their bodies are burned, and then healed, then burned. Upon it are angels, harsh and severe……

Qur’an 15:43-44 ↩
Saheeh Al Bukhari ↩
Saheeh Muslim ↩
Saheeh Muslim ↩
Qur’an 4:145 ↩
Saheeh Muslim ↩
Qur’an 3:10, 72:14-15, 2:24, 66:6, 21:98-99, 26:91-95 ↩
Saheeh Al Bukhari ↩
Qur’an 44:43-46 ↩
Sunan At-Tirmidhi ↩
Qur’an 38:55-58 ↩
Sunan At-Tirmidhi and Sunan ibn Majah ↩
Saheeh Al Bukhari ↩