Scenes of Hell Witnessed During Miʿrāj: The Fate of Preachers, Hypocrites, and the Misguided
This excerpt is taken from Ḥāfiẓ Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf’s book: Wāqiʿah Miʿrāj aur Us ke Mushāhadāt
◈ The Honor of Witnessing Paradise and Hell
On the night of Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ was granted the honor of entering Paradise and witnessing some of its blessings, as has already been briefly detailed. Likewise, he was also shown glimpses of Hell and its punishments.
❀ The Terrible End of Those Who Backbite
In Musnad Aḥmad, it is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ saw in Hell people eating corpses. He asked Jibrīl (عليه السلام):
“Who are these people?”
Jibrīl replied: “They are those who used to eat the flesh of others.”
(al-Fatḥ al-Rabbānī, vol.20, p.255)
In Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لما عرج بي مررت بقوم لهم أظفار من نحاس يخمشون وجوههم وصدورهم، فقلت: من هٰؤلاء يا جبريل؟ قال: هٰؤلاء الذين يأكلون لحوم الناس ويقعون فى أعراضهم
“On the night of Miʿrāj, I passed by people whose nails were of copper, scratching their faces and chests. I asked, O Jibrīl! Who are these? He replied: They are those who ate the flesh of people and dishonored them.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Adab, Bāb fī al-Ghībah, Ḥadīth 4878)
➡ Eating people’s flesh means backbiting—mentioning someone’s faults behind their back. The Qur’an compares this act to eating the flesh of one’s dead brother:
﴿وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ﴾ (الحجرات:12)
“Do not spy nor backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would surely detest it.”
❀ The Disgraceful Fate of Preachers Without Action
Anas (رضي الله عنه) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
رأيت ليلة أسري بي رجالا تقرض شفاههم بمقاريض من نار، قلت: من هٰؤلاء يا جبريل؟ قال: هٰؤلاء خطباء من أمتك يأمرون الناس بالبر وينسون أنفسهم، وهم يتلون الكتاب، أفلا يعقلون
“On the night of Miʿrāj, I saw men whose lips were being cut with scissors of fire. I asked, O Jibrīl! Who are these? He replied: They are the preachers of your Ummah who enjoin righteousness upon people but forget themselves, though they recite the Book. Do they not understand?”
(Sharḥ al-Sunnah by al-Baghawī, 14/353, Ḥadīth 4159 – Ḥadīth Ḥasan)
➡ This is the dreadful punishment of those who preach but do not practice.
❀ The Killer of Allah’s She-Camel in Hell
Prophet Ṣāliḥ (عليه السلام) was given a she-camel as a miracle upon the demand of his people, with instructions not to harm it. A turn was fixed for the camel to drink water and a turn for the people. However, the transgressors killed this she-camel, which Allah Himself had called “Nāqat Allāh” (the she-camel of Allah).
During Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ was shown the killer of this she-camel in Hell. He saw a man with red complexion, bluish eyes, curly hair, and a disheveled appearance. He asked Jibrīl (عليه السلام): “Who is this man?” Jibrīl replied: “This is the killer of the she-camel.”
(al-Fatḥ al-Rabbānī, vol.20, p.255 – Ibn Kathīr authenticated this in his Tafsīr)
Summary:- Backbiters will be punished by eating carrion and scratching their own bodies with copper nails.
- Preachers who do not practice will have their lips cut with fiery scissors.
- The killer of Allah’s she-camel has been seen in Hell as an example of the fate of those who rebel against divine commands.
