This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
In the previous pages, the deeds have been mentioned from the Quran and authentic Hadiths, by performing which one will attain the great blessing of Allah, Paradise, and will receive the certificate of freedom from Hell. Hell is a very terrible place where there will be no peace or comfort even for a moment.
Therefore, a brief mention is made so that the fear of Hell may settle in the hearts and the desire for Paradise may arise in the hearts. The believers continuously seek refuge from the torment of Hell:
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا ﴿٦٤﴾ وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا ﴿٦٥﴾
"And who spend the night prostrating and standing before their Lord, and who say, 'Our Lord, keep us away from the punishment of Hell. Indeed, its punishment is ever adhering.'"
Reference: (25-Al-Furqan:64,65)
رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ﴿١٩١﴾ رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ ﴿١٩٢﴾
"Our Lord, You did not create this in vain; exalted are You! Protect us from the punishment of Hell. Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to Hell - You have disgraced him, and for the wrongdoers there are no helpers."
Reference: (3-Aal Imran:191,192)
﴿فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ﴾
"Whoever is saved from Hell and admitted to Paradise has indeed succeeded, and the life of this world is nothing but deception."
Reference: (3-Aal Imran:185)
عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : إذا مات أحدكم فإنه يعرض عليه مقعده بالغداة والعشي ، فإن كان من أهل الجنة ، فمن أهل الجنة وإن كان من أهل النار فمن أهل النار
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When any one of you dies, his place is shown to him morning and evening; if he is among the people of Paradise, his place is shown to him in Paradise, and if he is among the people of Hell, his place is shown to him in Hell."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of the Beginning of Creation, Chapter on the Description of Paradise, No: 3240.
◈ The Physique of the Inhabitants of Hell:
Allah Almighty said:
﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا سَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِمْ نَارًا كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا لِيَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا﴾
"Indeed, those who disbelieved in Our verses - We will drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted through, We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise."
Reference: (4-An-Nisa:56)
عن أبى هريرة رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ضرس الكافر او ناب الكافر مثل أحد ، وغلظ جلده مسيرة ثلاث
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The jaw or molar of a disbeliever (in Hell) will be as large as Mount Uhud, and the thickness of his skin will be equivalent to a three-day journey."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Paradise and its Delights, Chapter: The Fire is Entered by the Arrogant, Hadith No: 2851.
عن أبى هريرة رضي الله عنه و عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إن غلظ جلد الكافر اثنان وأربعون ذراعا، وإن ضرسه مثل أحد، وإن مجلسه من جهنم كما بين مكة والمدينة.
Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: (In Hell) the thickness of a disbeliever's skin will be forty-two hands, one tooth will be equal to Mount Uhud, and his sitting place will be equal to the distance between Makkah and Madinah.
Reference: Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Book on the Description of Hell, Chapter: What has been mentioned about the greatness of the people of Hell, Hadith No: 2577 - Al-Silsilah Al-Sahihah, No: 100.
◈ The Clothing of the Inhabitants of Hell:
Allah Almighty says:
هَٰذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ ۖ فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِّن نَّارٍ يُصَبُّ مِن فَوْقِ رُءُوسِهِمُ الْحَمِيمُ ﴿١٩﴾ يُصْهَرُ بِهِ مَا فِي بُطُونِهِمْ وَالْجُلُودُ ﴿٢٠﴾
These two groups are enemies to each other; they disputed about their Lord. So for those who chose disbelief, garments of fire will be tailored on the Day of Resurrection. Scalding water will be poured over their heads, the heat of which will melt their insides and their skins.
Reference: (22-Al-Hajj:19,20)
In another place, He says:
وَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ ﴿٤٩﴾ سَرَابِيلُهُم مِّن قَطِرَانٍ وَتَغْشَىٰ وُجُوهَهُمُ النَّارُ ﴿٥٠﴾
"And on that Day, you will see the criminals bound together in chains. Their garments will be of sulfur, and fire will cover their faces."
Reference: (14-Ibrahim:49,50)
◈ The intensity of punishment in Hell:
عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يؤتى بانعم اهل الدنيا، من اهل النار يوم القيامة، فيصبغ فى النار سبغة: ثم يقال: يا ابن آدم! هل رأيت خيرا قط؟ هل مر بك نعيم قط؟ فيقول: لا والله يارب ويؤتى بأشد الناس بؤسا فى الدنيا من أهل الجنة، فيصبغ صبغة فى الجنة، فيقال له، يا ابن آدم هل رأيت بوسا قط؟ هل مر بك شدة قط؟ فيقول: لا والله يارب ما مر بي بؤس قط، ولا رأيت شدة قط.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "On the Day of Resurrection, a person will be brought whose going to Hellfire will have been decided. In this world, he indulged in excessive luxury and pleasure. He will be given a plunge into Hellfire, and he will be asked: O son of Adam! Have you ever seen any blessing in the world? Have you ever experienced luxury and comfort in the world?" He will say: O my Lord! By Your oath! Never. Then a person will be brought who will be among the people of Paradise but who lived a very difficult life in this world. He will be given a plunge into Paradise and will be asked: O son of Adam! Have you ever seen any hardship or ever experienced grief and sorrow in the world?" He will say: O my Lord! By Your oath! Never. I never experienced grief or sorrow nor did I see any pain or hardship."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Characteristics of Hypocrites, Chapter: The Most Luxurious People of the World in Hellfire, Hadith No: 2807.
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Among the people of Hellfire, the lightest punishment will be for Abu Talib. He will be made to wear two shoes of the Hellfire, which will split open his brain.
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter: The Lightest Punishment for the People of Hellfire, Hadith No: 212.
◈ Food of the Hellfire Dwellers:
Allah Almighty said:
تُسْقَىٰ مِنْ عَيْنٍ آنِيَةٍ ﴿٥﴾ لَّيْسَ لَهُمْ طَعَامٌ إِلَّا مِن ضَرِيعٍ ﴿٦﴾ لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِي مِن جُوعٍ ﴿٧﴾
“They will be given to drink boiling water that will tear apart their intestines. Their food will be nothing but dry thorny branches. Neither will it nourish them nor satisfy their hunger.”
Reference: (88-Al-Ghashiyah:5 to 7)
At another place He said:
مِّن وَرَائِهِ جَهَنَّمُ وَيُسْقَىٰ مِن مَّاءٍ صَدِيدٍ ﴿١٦﴾ يَتَجَرَّعُهُ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُ وَيَأْتِيهِ الْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ ۖ وَمِن وَرَائِهِ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ ﴿١٧﴾
And Hell will be brought near to the disbelievers. They will drink from a boiling spring of pus, which they will gulp down with difficulty; it will not go down their throats, and death will surround them from every side, but they will not die, and a severe punishment will be set for them.
Reference: (14-Ibrahim:16,17)
Further He said:
إِنَّ شَجَرَتَ الزَّقُّومِ ﴿٤٣﴾ طَعَامُ الْأَثِيمِ ﴿٤٤﴾ كَالْمُهْلِ يَغْلِي فِي الْبُطُونِ ﴿٤٥﴾ كَغَلْيِ الْحَمِيمِ ﴿٤٦﴾
Indeed, the tree of Zaqqum is the food of the sinners. It will be like molten brass, boiling in their bellies, like the boiling of scalding water.
Reference: (44-Ad-Dukhan:43 to 46)
◈ Intensity of the Fire in Hell:
Allah Almighty said:
وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا الْأَشْقَى ﴿١١﴾ الَّذِي يَصْلَى النَّارَ الْكُبْرَىٰ ﴿١٢﴾ ثُمَّ لَا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَىٰ ﴿١٣﴾
And from it, the wretched man will be far away, who will enter the great fire. Then neither will he die therein, nor will he live.
Reference: (87-Al-A'la:11 to 13)
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ﴿٨﴾ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ ﴿٩﴾ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ ﴿١٠﴾ نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ ﴿١١﴾
"And whose scales are light, his refuge will be Hawiyah. And what will make you know what it is? It is a blazing fire."
Reference: (101-Al-Qari'ah:8 to 11)
عن أبى هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ناركم هذه التى يوقد ابن آدم جزء من سبعين جزءا من حر جهنم قالوا: والله! إن كانت لكافية، يارسول الله قال: فإنها فصلت عليها بتسعة وستين جزءا، كلها مثل حرها.
Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "This (worldly) fire which the son of Adam kindles is only the seventieth part of the heat of the Hellfire." The Companions said: By Allah, O Messenger of Allah! (This fire is enough to burn people.) The Prophet (PBUH) said: "But it is seventy (69) degrees hotter than the worldly fire, and every part of it is as hot as the fire of this world."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Paradise and its Blessings, Chapter on Hellfire, may Allah protect us from it, Hadith No: 2843.
◈ The Levels of the Inhabitants of Hell:
Allah Almighty said:
وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ ﴿٨﴾ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ ﴿٩﴾ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ ﴿١٠﴾ نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ ﴿١١﴾
And whoever's scales are light, his abode will be Hawiyah. And what will make you know what it is? It is a blazing fire."
Reference: (101-Al-Qari'ah:8 to 11)
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ ﴿١٥﴾ نَزَّاعَةً لِّلشَّوَىٰ ﴿١٦﴾ تَدْعُو مَنْ أَدْبَرَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ ﴿١٧﴾ وَجَمَعَ فَأَوْعَىٰ ﴿١٨﴾
No! Indeed, it will be a flame of fire. It will tear off the scalp. It will call out to every person who turned away from the truth, and turned their back, and collected wealth and hoarded it."
Reference: (70-Al-Ma'arij:15 to 18)
عن العباس بن عبد المطلب رضي الله عنه أنه قال: يا رسول الله! هل نفعت أبا طالب بشيء، فإنه كان يحوطك ويغضب لك؟ قال نعم، هو فى ضحضاح من نار: ولولا أنا لكان فى الدرك الأسفل من النار.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (RA) that he said: O Messenger of Allah! Abu Talib used to protect you and was displeased with others on your behalf, will this benefit him in any way? The Prophet (PBUH) said: Yes! Now he is in the upper level of Hell, if I had not interceded for him, he would have been in the lowest level of Hell.
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter on the Intercession of the Prophet (PBUH) for Abu Talib, Hadith No: 209
◈ The Depth of Hell:
عن أبى هريرة رضي الله عنه أنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: إن العبد ليتكلم بالكلمة، ينزل بها فى النار، أبعد ما بين المشرق والمغرب.
Narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: "A person utters a word with his tongue which causes him to descend lower than the distance between the earth and the sky in Hell."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Zuhd, Chapter on Guarding the Tongue, Hadith No: 2988
عن أبى هريرة رضي الله عنه قال كنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذ سمع وجبة، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أتدرون ما هذا؟ قال: قلنا: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: هذا حجر رمي به فى النار منذ سبعين خريفا، فهو يهوي فى النار الآن حتى انتهى إلى قعرها.
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Once we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when suddenly we heard a loud explosion. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) inquired: "Do you know what this sound is?" We replied: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He (peace be upon him) said: "It is a stone that was thrown into Hell seventy years ago, and it has been falling in the fire, and now it has reached the bottom of Hell."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Paradise and its Delights, Chapter on Hell, May Allah protect us from it, Hadith No: 2844.
◈Hell is the earnings of its deeds:
Allah Almighty said:
﴿أَفَمَن يَتَّقِي بِوَجْهِهِ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ وَقِيلَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ ذُوقُوا مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ﴾
"Is he who will be saved from the worst punishment on the Day of Resurrection by his face (equal to the one who will enjoy in Paradise)? And the wrongdoers will be told, 'Taste what you used to do.'"
Reference: (39-Az-Zumar:24)
﴿وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا عَلَى النَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ طَيِّبَاتِكُمْ فِي حَيَاتِكُمُ الدُّنْيَا وَاسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهَا فَالْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْسُقُونَ﴾
"And the Day when the disbelievers will be brought before the Fire, it will be said to them, 'You exhausted your pleasures in the worldly life and enjoyed them, so this Day you will be awarded the punishment of humiliation because of your denial.'"
Reference: (46-Al-Ahqaf:20)
وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَاءُ اللَّهِ إِلَى النَّارِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ ﴿١٩﴾ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا مَا جَاءُوهَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَأَبْصَارُهُمْ وَجُلُودُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَقَالُوا لِجُلُودِهِمْ لِمَ شَهِدتُّمْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ قَالُوا أَنطَقَنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنطَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ خَلَقَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٢١﴾
"And the Day when Allah's enemies will be driven to Hell in groups, until when they reach it, their ears, their eyes, and their skins will testify against them concerning what they used to do. And they will say to their skins, 'Why have you testified against us?' They will say, 'We were made to speak by Allah, who has made everything speak; and He created you the first time, and to Him you are returned.'"
Reference: (41-Fussilat:19 to 21)
﴿وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ ۖ فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ﴾
"And those people will be reclining therein and will say, 'O our Lord, remove us from here; we will do righteousness other than what we used to do.' (But) Allah will say, 'Did We not give you a long life so that whoever would receive admonition might receive it? And there came to you a warner. So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper.'"
Reference: (35-Fatir:37)
عن أبى أمامة رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: من اقتطع حق امرء مسلم بيمينه، فقد أوجب الله له النار، وحرم عليه الجنة فقال له رجل: وإن كان شيئا يسيرا يارسول الله؟ قال وإن قضيب من أراك.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah Harithi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Whoever swears falsely and deprives a Muslim of his right, Allah makes Hell obligatory for him. A man asked: O Messenger of Allah! Even if it is a small amount? The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Even if it is a twig of a date palm."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter: Warning to one who cuts off a Muslim's right, No: 137
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: رأيت النار فلم أر كاليوم منظرا قط، ورأيت أكثر أهلها النساء قالوا: بم يا رسول الله قال: بكفرهن قيل: أيكفرن بالله؟ قال: يكفرن العشير، ويكفرن الإحسان، لو أحسنت إلى إحداهن الدهر، ثم رأت منك شيئا قالت ما رأيت منك خيرا قط.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Today I saw Hell, and I have never seen a scene like it before; I saw that the majority in Hell were women." The Companions asked: O Messenger of Allah! Why is that? He (peace be upon him) said: "Because of their ingratitude." It was asked: Do they show ingratitude to Allah? He said: "They show ingratitude to their husbands and do not appreciate kindness. If you do a favor to a woman for a lifetime, but if something happens against her will, she will say: I have never seen any good from you."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Eclipses, No: 207 - Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Faith, No: 29
عن عياض بن حمار المجاشعي رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ذات يوم فى خطبته ...... وأهل النار خمسة: الضعيف الذى لا زبر له، الذين هم فيكم تبعا لا يتبعون أهلا ولا مالا، والخائن الذى لا يخفى له طمع وإن دق إلا خانه، ورجل لا يصبح ولا يمسي إلا وهو يخادعك عن أهلك ومالك وذكر البخل او الكذب والشنظير الفحاس.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Iyad bin Himar Majashi (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said in a sermon one day: "There are five types of people who will go to the Fire: First, the ignorant people who have no distinction between halal and haram; second, those who follow blindly and are careless about their family and wealth; third, the treacherous person who, when he feels the need for a small thing, resorts to treachery; fourth, the person who deceives you in your family and wealth; then the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned the miser or the liar; and fifth, the person who is obscene and abusive."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Paradise and its Description and its People, No: 2865/63
