The description of the torment of Hell and the blessings-filled Paradise in the light of the Quran and Hadith

Danial · 2026-05-25T08:30:05+0500

This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book In Search of Truth.

Description of the Punishment of Hell and the Rewards of Paradise

The Nature of the Punishment of Hell:

The fire of Hell is seventy times hotter than the fire of this world, which Allah Almighty has kept burning for three thousand years. If a single spark of the fire of Hell were to come into this world, it would burn and destroy all seven earths and everything between them. The severity and intensity of Hell are described in the Holy Quran as follows:

[یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا قُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ وَ اَہۡلِیۡکُمۡ نَارًا وَّ قُوۡدُہَا النَّاسُ وَ الۡحِجَارَۃُ عَلَیۡہَا مَلٰٓئِکَۃٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَّا یَعۡصُوۡنَ اللّٰہَ مَاۤ اَمَرَہُمۡ وَ یَفۡعَلُوۡنَ مَا یُؤۡمَرُوۡنَ]

O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families from the fire of Hell, whose fuel is men and stones. Its guardians are harsh and severe angels who do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do precisely what they are commanded.

Reference: (At-Tahrim:6)

Cry in a thousand ways, beg, ask for forgiveness, but they leave no stone unturned in burning and causing pain. They have no mercy even in name; these angels will bind the inhabitants of Hell with fiery chains. There will be fiery chains in Hell, seventy cubits long. The angels will throw these chains into the mouths of the damned and pull them out through their rectums, binding them tightly. There will be fiery clubs in Hell, with which the angels will beat the damned and throw them into Hell while howling. In Hell, there will be venomous snakes and scorpions of such wrath that a single bite will cause the damned to cry, scream, and writhe for a thousand years, but the poison will not subside, and death will be sought but will not come. In Hell, there will be snakes as large as Khorasani camels and scorpions as big as donkey foals, which will continuously bite the damned, never giving them respite. On the Day of Judgment, the angels will bind Hell with seventy thousand chains and drag it to the battlefield of resurrection; each chain will be held and dragged by seventy thousand angels. Hell will call out the names of the damned, who will flee in fear as a long fiery neck emerges from Hell and drags the disobedient for two hundred years' distance, throwing them into Hell as a bird pecks at grain.

The bodies of the inhabitants of Hell will grow so large that a swift rider can reach from one shoulder to the other in three days. Their beards will be as tall as Mount Uhud, and their thighs will be as large as Mount Bayda. The shoes of the inhabitants of Hell will also be fiery. A single spark of Hell will be as large as a great palace. The depth of Hell is so profound that if a heavy stone is dropped, it will take seventy years to reach the bottom. In Hell, there is a mountain of fire called Su'ud, whose height is a journey of hundreds of years. The inhabitants of Hell will be made to climb it and then pushed down into Hell from its peak. This torment will continue forever. In Hell, nothing will be available to eat except the fruit of Zaqqum. There is a tree of poisonous thorns called Zaqqum, which will grow in the fire. Similarly, the inhabitants of Hell will find nothing to drink except boiling hot water and boiling, putrid pus, which, when brought near the mouth, will cause all the flesh of the mouth to melt and fall off. The inhabitants of Hell will drink this due to extreme thirst. As soon as it reaches the stomach, it will cause the intestines to be expelled through the anus. They will grow tired after thousands of years of thirst and crying out for relief, but no help will be given. When the inhabitants of Hell reach the gate of Hell, the gatekeeper will ask, "Did the Messenger of Allah not come to you to recite the Book of Allah, to warn you of Hell, and to remind you of the torment of the Day of Judgment?" The inhabitants of Hell will reply, "He did come, and he warned us of Allah's wrath and the horrors of the Day of Judgment, but we did not accept it. We neither obeyed his words nor believed them; rather, we denied and argued. If we had listened to, understood, and accepted his admonition, why would we be suffering torment in Hell today?" In short, the inhabitants of Hell will know...

You will have to endure severe hardships, such hardships that no one has seen with their eyes or heard with their ears. Allah Almighty has spoken the truth:

[ثُمَّ لَا یَمُوۡتُ فِیۡہَا وَ لَا یَحۡیٰی] The one in Hell will neither die in Hell to end the torment nor live in peace; rather, his life will be in anger.

Reference: (الأعلى:13)

The Excellence of Paradise and the Bliss of the People of Paradise:

Indeed, Allah Almighty will admit into Paradise those who believe and who become true Muslims and who perform good deeds and follow the way of the Prophet. That Paradise is one beneath which rivers flow. This is the description of the Paradise promised by Allah to the God-fearing monotheistic Muslims. In this Paradise, there are various kinds of rivers: some are of milk whose taste does not change, some are of pure water whose smell does not alter, some are of wine which gives pleasure to the drinkers, and some are of honey which has no foam. They are very pure, sweet, and delicious in taste, and for them there are fruits of every kind, delightful and pleasing. And from Allah, there is forgiveness for those people there.

And He said: For you there is whatever you desire there, and hospitality from our Lord.

Reference: (حم السجدة:31)

There are eight heavens: Jannat al-Adn, Jannat al-Firdaws, Jannat al-Khuld, Jannat an-Na'im, Jannat al-Mawa, Jannat al-Qarar, Dar as-Salam, Dar al-Maqam. These are their names. They are created with the utmost excellence. The walls of Paradise are made of one brick of gold and one brick of silver, and they are coated with musk resin. The pebbles in Paradise are pearls and rubies. The soil there is saffron and fragrant. Those who enter Paradise will find peace and comfort and will live forever; neither will their youth perish nor will their clothes become dirty. Every inhabitant of Paradise will receive one hundred degrees so vast that they are like the heavens and the earth, and every Muslim will have two gardens.

The jinn made of gold will have all their possessions made of gold and will have gardens; the jinn made of silver will have all their possessions made of silver. Besides them, there will be palaces made of pearls, each measuring sixty miles in length and breadth. In every palace, there will be veiled women whom no one will see, and no one except their husbands will have intimacy with them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Paradise shines like light and is free from any danger. Pleasant breezes blow in Paradise. The palaces in Paradise are very strong, with rivers flowing in every palace, and fruits ripe and ready. The women are virgins upon whom no man or jinn has laid a hand; their faces are more radiant than rubies and pearls, adorned with ornaments, present in every palace because Paradise is an eternal abode.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: A space as small as a whip in Paradise is better than the world and all that is in it.

Reference: (Bukhari:2796)

And He said: The people of Paradise will see the lofty palaces as you see the shining stars at the edges of the sky towards the east and west. The Companions said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! Such excellent palaces must be for special Prophets. He said: No, by Allah! They will be found for the Muslims of my Ummah.

Reference: (Bukhari: 3256)

And He said: Ask Allah for Al-Firdaus Paradise.

Reference: (Bukhari:2790)

And the people of Paradise will sit at the windows of Paradise looking at each other, but they will not be able to see each other's wives, nor will their wives be able to see each other. In Paradise, there are shaded kinds of thrones on which are placed overflowing goblets filled with honey, wine, syrup, and milk, all flavorful and fragrant, and pillows are placed beside them. Carpets and high seats are spread upon them.

And He said: The righteous people will be sitting on thrones amidst blessings, watching the scenes all around. Their faces will reflect the greenery of the blessings of Paradise. They will drink pure wine sealed with musk, and those who desire will desire it. It will be mixed from a spring from which only special close servants will drink.

Reference: (Al-Mutaffifin:22 to 28)

He said: The people of Paradise will be reclining on thrones in Paradise, with their spouses, enjoying the blessings of Paradise, eating, drinking, and engaged in sightseeing and entertainment.

Reference: (Ya-Sin:55, 56)

Every person in Paradise will be granted a great kingdom, no matter how low their rank is, ten times greater than the world, so vast that if one rides a fast horse under one tree for a hundred years, they would not be able to cross its shade.

No one knows the vastness and greatness of Paradise except Allah Almighty. The gates of Paradise are so wide that the distance from one threshold to another is forty years. Despite such vastness, the people of Muhammad’s ﷺ Ummah will be overflowing with joy at the time of entering Paradise. When the inhabitants of Paradise wish to take a tour, they will ride on their respective thrones, accompanied by their wives, and the heavenly throne will show them around wherever they desire with a gesture.

Every man in Paradise will have the power to be in the company of one hundred women, and he will never feel tired from this; rather, his strength will continue to increase. The eyes of the women of Paradise will be large, pleasing to the heart, juicy, and beautiful. One edge of their veil is more precious than the entire world and everything in it.

If a woman of Paradise were to glance at the world, from the east to the west everything would become illuminated, the moon and the sun would pale, and all the people of the world would faint.

[رَبَّنَاۤ اٰتِنَا فِی الدُّنۡیَا حَسَنَۃً وَّ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ حَسَنَۃً وَّ قِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ]

O Allah! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire.

Reference: (Al-Baqarah:201)

[اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي]

O Allah! You are Most Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me.