Saturday, April 7, 2012

Paradise & Hell 8 of 11



Punishments of the People of Hell

The Fire is an intense punishment, in which there are different types of torment so great that the people will barter to give up all they possess to leave it

As for those who reject Faith, and die rejecting – never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains, though they should offer it for ransom. For such is [in store] a penalty grievous and they will find no helpers.” (3:91)

“As to those who reject faith – if they had everything on earth and twice repeated, to give as ransom for the Penalty of the Day of Judgment, it would never be accepted of them. Theirs would be a grievous Penalty. (5:36)

The Prophet said:

One of the people of Hell who found the most pleasure in the life of this world will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection, and will be dipped into the Fire of Hell. Then he will be asked: O son of Adam, have you ever seen anything good? Have you ever enjoyed any pleasure?” He will say, “No, by Allah (swt), O Rabb” (Muslim)

Just a few short moments will make the Kuffar forget all the good pleasures that they had enjoyed. Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported from Anas ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said:

On the Day of Resurrection, Allah (swt) say to one whose punishment in the Fire is the lightest, “If you had whatever you wanted on earth, would you give it up to save yourself?” He will say, “Yes”. Allah will say, “I wanted less than that from you: when you were still in the loins of Adam, I asked you not to associate anything in worship with Me, but you insisted on associating others in worship with Me.”

The horror and intensity of the Fire will make a man lose his mind, and he would give up everything he holds dear to escape it, but he will never be able to

“…the sinner’s desire will be: would that he could redeem himself from the Penalty of that Day by [sacrificing] his children, his wife and his brother, his kindred who sheltered him, and all, all that is on earth, so that it could deliver him. By no means! For it would be the Fire of Hell! Plucking out [his being] right to the skull.” (70:11-16)

This horrendous ongoing punishment will make the life of these evildoers one of continual sorrow and pain.

As Hell has various levels, in some of which the torment and horror is greater than others, so the people of Hell will be given different levels of punishment. According to a hadith narrated by Muslim the Prophet (saws) said, concerning the people of Hell:

There are some whom the Fire will take up to their ankles, others up to their knees, others up to their waists and others up to their collarbones.” According to another report “up to their necks” (Muslim)

The Messenger of Allah (saws) has told us about those who will receive the lightest punishment in Hell. Al-Bukhari reports Numan ibn Bashir said

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say,

“The person who will have the least punishment among the people of Hell on the Day of Resurrection will be a man under the arch of whose feet will be placed a smouldering ember and his brains will boil because of it.”

In another report also narrated by al-Bukhari the Prophet (saws) said

“The person who will have the least punishment among the people of Hell on the Day of Resurrection will be a man under the arch of those feet will be placed 2 smouldering embers, because of which his brains will boil like water boils in a mirjal [copper vessel] or qumqum (narrow-necked vessel].”

Al-Bukhari and Muslim both narrate from Abu-Sa’id al-Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say, when his uncle Abu Talib was mentioned:

 “Maybe my intercession will help him on the Day of Resurrection, so that he may be put in a shallow part of Hell, with fire reaching to his ankles and causing his brain to boil.”

Many ayat confirm the different levels of punishment that will be given to the people of Hell:

“The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of fire” (4:145)

“..and [the Sentence will be] on the Day that Judgment will be established [it will be said to the angels]: “Cast the people of Pharaoh into the severest Penalty!” (40:46)

“Those who reject Allah and hinder [men] from the Path of Allah, for them will We add penalty to penalty, for that they used to spread mischief [or corruption].” (16:88)

Al-Qurtubi Explains:

The kufr of the person who simply disbelieves is not like the kufr of a person who oppresses, disbelieves, rebels and disobeys. There is no doubt that the kuffar will suffer different levels of punishment in hell, as is known from Quran and Sunnah.

We know for certain that the punishment of those who oppressed and killed the Prophets and Muslims, and spread corruption and disbelief on earth, will not be the same as the punishment of those who simply disbelieved, but treated the Prophets and Muslims well.

Do you not see Abu Talib, how the Prophet (saws) will bring him up to a shallow level of Hell, because he helped him, protected him and treated him well?

Ibn Rajab has said on the subject:

“Similarly, the punishments of the monotheists in Hell will be at different levels, according to their deeds.

The punishment of those who were guilty of major sins (kaba’ir) will not be like that of those who were guilty of minor sins (saghair)

The punishment may be reduced for some of them because of other good deeds, or for whatever reason Allah (swt) wills.” (at-Takhwif min an-Nar)

One punishment is the Roasting of the Skin:

“The Fire of the Almighty will burn the skin of the kuffar. The skin is the site of sensation, where the pain of burning is felt, and for this reason, Allah (swt) will replace the burnt skin with a new one, to be burnt anew, and this will be repeated endlessly: “Those who reject Our Signs, We shall soon cast them into the Fire. As often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty. For Allah is Exalted in Power, All-Wise” (4:56)

Another punishment involves melting

One of the kinds of torment will be the pouring of al-Hamim over their heads. Al-Hamim is ultra-heated water; because of its extreme heat, it will melt their innards and everything inside:

“…then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their head. With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as [their] skins.” (22:19-20)

At-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saws) said:

“Al-Hamim will be poured on their heads and will dissolve through until it reaches their sides and all their innards will drop out, until it comes out of his feet, and everything is melted, then he will be restored as he was.”

Another Punishment is the scorching of faces:

The noblest and most dignified part of a person is the face, hence the Prophet (saws) forbade us to strike the face.
One of the ways in which Allah (swt) will humiliate the people of the Hell is by gathering them on their faces, blind, deaf and dumb, on the Day of Resurrection:

“..We shall gather them together prone on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; every time it shows abatement, We shall increase for them the Fierceness of the Fire.” (17:97)

Then they will be thrown on their faces in the Fire: “And if any do evil, their faces will be thrown headlong into the Fire; “Do you receive a reward other than that which you have earned by your deeds?” (27:90)

Also:

“And if any do evil, their faces will be thrown headlong into the Fire; “Do you receive a reward other than that which you have earned by your deeds?” (27:90)

The Fire will burn and cover their faces forever, with no barrier between them and it:

“If only the unbelievers knew [the time] when they will not be able to ward off the Fire from their faces, nor yet from their backs, and [when] no help can reach them!” (21:39)

“The Fire will burn their faces and they will therein grin, with their lips displaced” (23:104)

Listen to this which makes us shudder:

“The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say, “Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger.” (33:66)

Do you not see that just as meat and fish are turned over when they are cooked, so their faces will be turned over in the Fire of Hell.

Another Punishment will be dragging:

Another of the painful torments that the Kuffar will suffer is being dragged on their faces into Hell:

“Truly those in sin are the ones straying in mind, and mad. The Day they will be dragged through the Fire on their faces [they will hear]: “Taste the touch of Hell” (54:47-48)

Their pain at being dragged will be increased by the fact that they will be tied up in chains and fetters:

“..But soon shall they know – when the yokes [shall be] round their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along, in the boiling fetid fluid, then shall they be burned.” (40:70-72)

Another punishment will be the blackening of the face

Allah (swt) will blacken the faces of the people of Hell in the Hereafter:

“On the day when some faces will be [lit up with] white and some faces will be [in the gloom of] black; [it will be said]: “Did you reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the Penalty for rejecting Faith.” (3:106)

This is intense blackness, as if the darkness of night had covered their faces

“But those who have earned evil will have a reward of like evil, and ignominy will cover their faces. No defender will they have from [the wrath of] Allah. Their faces will be covered, as it were, with pieces from the darkness of night. They are Companions [or dwellers] of the Fire, they will abide therein [for aye!] (10:27)

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