A glimpse of hell

A glimpse of hell

 

 [The earlier parts of this series dealt with the pleasures and wonder of paradise.  You may read them here and here]

 

We have seen the pleasures of paradise.  Now have a glimpse of hell as well, which is also described in the Holy Quran and Hadith.  These Traditions are also taken from the aforementioned books.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  The heat of the fire of hell is 69 times greater than that of the fire of this world.  One may understand it in this manner that heat has been divided into 70 parts.  One has been given to this world and the rest to the fire of hell.

 

If there is a hole in hell, even to the extent of a needle’s point, and that heat starts escaping to this world, then all the inhabitants of this world will perish.  The color of that fire is black like the dark night.

 

Hell is so deep that if a stone on its edge is rolled into it, then even after 70 years that stone will not strike the bottom.

 

There is a mountain in hell.  The dwellers of hell will be forced to climb that mountain.  When they will lay their hands or feet on it, they will melt away and when they will raise their limbs, their limbs will grow back.

 

There are lakes of pus and blood in it.  The hunger of the dwellers of hell will be so great that no other punishment will equal it.  When they will cry out of hunger, they will be fed “Dharee’.”  This is a poisonous thorny shrub.

 

When they will cry out again, they will be fed something which will get stuck in their throats.  Then they will get a thought that in this world they used to drink water to relive such choking.  They will ask for water.  They will be made to drink hot, scalding water…This will be so hot that when it brought close to the mouth, the skin of the mouth and the head will fall off.  When it will reach the stomach, the intestines will fall off in small pieces.

 

Sometimes, they will be made to drink Zaqqoom.  This is such a thing that if one drop of it falls into this world, the life of all inhabitants will change for the worse.  If a single drop falls into the ocean, all the water of the ocean will be spoiled.

 

At other times, they will be made to drink water which will be viscous like oil and exceedingly hot.  The skin of their faces will fall off due to its heat.  Sometimes they will be made to drink Ghassaq i.e. pus.  If one pail of it is poured into this world, the whole world will be suffocated with its reek.

 

A person, who was the richest in this world and the one with most bounties, will be dunked into hell.  Allah Most High will ask him:  Did you ever see any good or enjoy any bounty?  That person will say:  Never, my Lord.

 

This means that due to the horrors of hell, that person will not even remember any bounty. 

 

The tongues of the disbelievers will become so long that people will walk on them. 

 

Hameem i.e. boiling water will be poured on the dwellers of hell.  Passing through the pores, it will reach inside the body and will melt whatever is in the body.  These things thus melted will flow out of the body.  Those things will again be created.

 

The snakes of hell will be huge – of the size of camels.  The scorpions there will be as big as mules.  When they will sting anyone, their poison and the pain of that sting will remain for 40 years.  Apart from them, there is no harmful thing in

 

The chains with which the disbelievers will be shackled are such that if a single link of the chain is placed on a mountain, it will melt the mountain and all the layers of earth beneath it.

 

The angels in hell have such terrifying faces that if one of those angels is revealed in this world, then people will look at the angel’s face and die of fright.

 

Thus, the way paradise has all kinds of pleasures and has all that is desirable to one’s self, similarly hell also has all kinds of punishments and horrors.

 

[Excerpted from Maqasid Ul Islam, Vol. 5]