This excerpt is taken from the book of Fazilat-ul-Sheikh Abdul Salam Rustami From Denial of Hadith to Denial of Quran.
Hadith 21: The Change of Cold and Hot Seasons Due to Hell's Breathing
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that Hell complained to its Lord: O my Lord! One part of me has consumed another part. So Allah Almighty allowed it to breathe twice. One breath in winter and the other in summer. So when you see severe heat and cold, it is the breath of Hell.
Two objections have been raised by the deniers of Hadith:
➊ The seasons of heat and cold do not occur in all parts of the earth; in some places it is always hot, in some always cold, and in some places the weather remains moderate.
➋ The change of seasons of heat and cold is related to the sun; the part of the earth closer to the sun is hot, and the part farther away is cold. What connection does the change of seasons have with Hell?
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Mawaqit al-Salat, Chapter on Cooling at Noon in Intense Heat, Hadith: 537, and Hadith location, p: 329
Answer:
Belief in Hellfire as mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, along with all its conditions and states, is part of faith in the unseen, which is the foremost characteristic of the believers. It is stated:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ
"Those are the ones who believe in the unseen."
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:3)
Therefore, believing in the state mentioned in this hadith is obligatory upon the believer, whether its reality is comprehended by reason and intellect or not. It is necessary to believe that Hellfire breathes and that its effect causes heat and cold in this world by the power and permission of Allah Almighty. However, Allah Almighty has also created causes in this world. Their effects also exist by the permission of Allah Almighty. So, for heat and cold to occur on the earth, there are two causes: one internal, i.e., the breathing of Hellfire, and the other external, i.e., the sun’s proximity and distance. The correct answer is that the heat is from the sun, and the sun is from the fire, that is, Hellfire. So the heat obtained from the sun actually comes from Hellfire. Another answer is that the heat of summer is from the sun, and the sun’s heat is attributed to and comes from Hellfire. In this regard, if it is said that the heat is from Hellfire, there is no harm in that.
