Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at a time other than the time at which he usually came. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up towards him and said: 'O Jibril! What is the matter, that I see your colour changed?' Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'I have come to you only when Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has given the command concerning the keys of the Fire (Hell).' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Jibril! Describe the Fire to me and tell me the nature of Hell.' Jibril (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, gave the command concerning Hell, and it was kindled for a thousand years until it became white; then He commanded, and it was kindled for a thousand years until it became red; then He commanded, and it was kindled for a thousand years until it became black. So now it is black and dark; its sparks give no light and its flames are not extinguished. By the One who sent you with the truth! If an opening the size of the eye of a needle were made in Hell, all the people on earth would die from its heat. By the One who sent you with the truth! If one of the garments of Hell were hung between the heaven and the earth, all the people on earth would die from its heat. By the One who sent you with the truth! If one of the keepers (wardens) of Hell appeared to the people of the world and they looked at him, all the people on earth would die from the ugliness of his face and his stench. By the One who sent you with the truth! If a single link of that chain of the people of Hell which Allah has mentioned in His Book were placed on the mountains of the world, they would crumble to pieces and would not hold together, until it reached the lowest earth.'
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Enough, O Jibril, lest my heart burst and I die.' The narrator said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at Jibril (peace be upon him), and he was weeping. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'O Jibril! You weep, while you hold the position you hold with Allah?' He said: 'Why should I not weep? I am more deserving of weeping. Perhaps in the knowledge of Allah I am not in the state in which I am now; and what do I know, perhaps I may be put to the same trial with which Iblis was tried, though he was among the angels; and how do I know, perhaps I may be put to the same trial with which Harut and Marut were tried.'
The narrator said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wept and Jibril (peace be upon him) wept, and they both kept weeping until they were called: 'O Jibril, and O Muhammad! Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has made you both safe from disobeying Him.' Then Jibril (peace be upon him) went up, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and passed by a group of the Ansar who were laughing and playing. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Are you laughing while Hell is behind you? If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, food and drink would not be pleasant to you, and you would go out to the open roads and plains, crying out humbly before Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.' Then it was called out (from Allah): 'O Muhammad! Do not make My servants despair. I have sent you only to make things easy; I did not send you to make things hard.' Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Keep to what is right and stay close (to the mark).'"
Imam al-Tabarani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) only with this chain; Sallam is alone in narrating it."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الأوسط / باب الألف / 2583
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف، فيه سلام الطويل مجمع على ضعفه
Hadith Takhrij«قال الهيثمي: فيه سلام الطويل وهو مجمع على ضعفه «مجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد، ج 10، ص 387»»