Most Read in the Category of Hell

Now, let us listen to another verse of our Lord:  

Verily the tree of Zaqqum will be the food of the Sinful like molten brass; it will boil in their insides. Like the boiling of scalding water. (A voice will cry:) "Seize ye him and drag him into the midst of the Blazing Fire! Then pour over his head the Penalty of Boiling Water; Taste thou (this)! Truly wast thou Mighty full of honour! Truly this is what ye used to doubt.” (ad-Dukhan 43-50)

The tree of Zaqqum mentioned in the verse is the tree that God Almighty created in Hell and named as "cursed tree". When the people of Hell get hungry, they go to this tree and eat from it. This tree boils like hot water in their abdomens. God Almighty makes the tree of Zaqqum boil like molten copper in their abdomens.

The Prophet (pbuh) sates the following about the tree of Zaqqum:“If one drop from the tree of Zaqqum were to fall into the seas of the world, it would turn the life of everybody upside down. What about the state of those who will eat Zaqqum?” (Tirmidhi, Jahannam, 4; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 2/294)

There are several kinds of torture in Hell. Hunger and thirst are two of them. A person feels so hungry that he chooses to eat from the tree of Zaqqum in order to be saved from the pain and agony caused by hunger though he knows that it will boil like molten copper in his abdomen. Then, he feels so thirsty that he chooses to drink boiling water and pus. I wonder what kind of pain hunger and thirst cause to make a person choose to eat from the tree of Zaqqum and drink boiling water.  What a strange state it is!

O my soul! Now, I will ask you some questions; answer them honestly:

Is it better to eat from the tree of Zaqqum and drink boiling water or to eat the food of Paradise and drink from the rivers of Paradise?

O my soul! What are the difficult things that your Lord wants from you in return for Paradise and that you avoid doing? Is what He wants so difficult? Are performing prayers five times a day, giving away one-fortieth of your property as zakah and going to hajj once in your life if you are rich difficult?

O my soul! I wonder for what pleasure of the world you agree to eat from the tree of Zaqqum and drink boiling water. For what pleasure do you accept to burn in hellfire and to be chained? What pleasure in this short world can make you agree to burn in hellfire?

O my soul! Does the feeling of not being able to enter Paradise not distress you? The Quran informs us about some of the talks between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell. Yes, God Almighty sometimes removes the curtain and the people of Paradise and the people of Hell see and talk to one another. Can you imagine the agony of seeing Paradise from Hell?

To burn in Hell or not to be able to enter Paradise… However, there is something worse. Does your ingratitude toward your Lord, who created you out of nothing and who made you live in this world like a coy baby, not distress you? What will you say to your Lord on the Day of Reckoning?

O my soul! By leaving Hell aside, I want to ask you this question: How will you bear the torture in the grave? You can even leave the torture in the grave aside and think as follows:

Suppose that Allah Almighty revived us in the grave but He did not torture us; that is, the walls of the grave did not fall on us, Munkar and Nakir (the grave angels) did not question us and we did not have the other grave troubles; how would you bear loneliness, darkness and that tight place if you were to be revived and left alone? Could you put up with the nest of worms, foreign place and place of loneliness? Would this not be enough for grave torture? How would you put up with the torture in Hell though you could not put up with the darkness of the grave and you were overwhelmed with fear when you thought of the grave? Your courage originates from your ignorance and not thinking about death and Hell. However, you should know it that they will not let you stay in this world because you close your eyes. One day, they will say, “Go out!” You should say to the world, "Go out!", throw it out of your heart and be saved before the world says, “Go out!” to you!

The following is reported from Numan Ibn Bashir: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "The person with the slightest torture on the Day of Judgment is the one under whose feet two pieces of coal fire are put; his brain boils like a copper cauldron and a pan because of it." (Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi)

O my soul! If this is the slightest torture, what is the severe one like? Can you put up with the slight torture? How come you are so ambitious and courageous though you cannot even put up with it? You bury your head into sand like an ostrich and close your eyes to the truth. You think it will not happen to you if you do not think about it. You are wrong. The way to be saved from this torture is to repent not to avoid thinking. 

The following is reported from Abdullah Ibn Masud : The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "That day, Hell will be brought; it will have seventy thousand reins and seventy thousand angels pulling it. (Muslim and Tirmidhi)

The following is reported from Abu Hurayra: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Your fire is only one part out of the seventy parts of Hell fire." Thereupon, the Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, the fire in the world is enough.” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Hell fire was made sixty nine times more severe than the fire in the world. The temperature of one of them is like the temperature of the whole fires of the world.” (Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi)

O my soul! You cannot even put up with fire in this world. When your hand is burnt a bit, you suffer for days and moan. How will you put up with the fire in the hereafter, which is seventy times more severe though you cannot even put up with the fire in the world? Think of this: if people were thrown into fire due to a certain crime in the world, you would not approach that crime let alone committing it. Why are you so brave when the fire in the hereafter is in question? The fire in the world frightens you, but why does the fire in the hereafter not frighten you?

The following is reported from Anas bin Malik: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "One of the people of Hell who was the wealthiest in the world is brought on the Day of Judgment and is plunged into fire.  Then, he is asked “O son of Adam! Have you received any favor? Have you had any enjoyable moments? He will say, “I have never had any enjoyable moments." (Muslim, Ibn Majah)

O my soul! Have you heard?  The wealthiest person in the world who enjoyed all kinds of luxury,  who had all kinds of opportunities, who rode the most luxurious yachts, who had planes, who did not know the exact amount of his money and property, who did not have any troubles in the world, who did whatever he wished and bought whatever he wanted, who was probably a king or an empire, in whose place you wanted to be the most is plunged into fire once and then our Lord asks him "Have you received any favor?" That is, "Have you had any happy, enjoyable days?" That person forgets about all of the enjoyable and pleasant days in the world due to the agony when he is plunged into fire once and says, “No, by Allah, I have never had any enjoyable days, o my Lord!” This is the result of being plunged into fire only once.  What about staying in Hell for centuries or forever? O my soul! You will not be able to console yourself by thinking about the enjoyable moments you had in the world when you burn in Hell. Only one spark of Hell will be enough to make you forget all of the pleasures you had in the world. 

The following is reported from Anas bin Malik: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, Allah will address the person who is tortured the least in Hell as follows: “Would you give as ransom the world and everything in it if you owned them in order to be saved from this torture?” He says, "Yes, I would." Thereupon, Allah will say, “When you were among the descendants of Adam, I had asked you something much easier than this sacrifice: not to associate any partners with me. However, you kept on associating partners with me.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Have you heard my soul? Your Lord says you would give away the whole world as ransom if you owned it in order to be freed from the torture of Hell… However, that ransom is not accepted today. Our Lord can give you Paradise for a single date given as sadaqah in the world. You can buy Paradise through one date or a small deed in this world. However, you cannot buy a single fruit of Paradise even if you give the whole world as a ransom. Besides, the property belongs to Him. He sent us to the world in order to test us in His property. Pass this test and give the property to its owner.   

Now, o my soul! What is your last word after hearing so many verses and hadiths?

Alhamdulillah, I have heard, believed and repented. I have decided not rebel again. I know that I have committed a lot of sins but my Lord's pardoning and mercy are bigger than my sins. I take refuge in the endless pardoning and mercy of my Lord and ask forgiveness and mercy from Him. I was leading a life away from my Lord like a slave that escaped from his master until this work made me wake up. Now I have understood that my rebellion cannot get away with it. One day, my book of deeds will be given to my hand and I will be asked to read it. That day, I will read whatever I write today in my book. Then, I need to work and write nice things in that book. It is time to work for Allah, to do things for Allah and to do deeds for Allah. 

O Lord! We take refuge in your pardoning from your torture, in your consent from your wrath and in You from You. O Lord, make these works atonements for our sins. Make our souls obey us. Forgive those who contributed to this work and those who watch it; save them from the torture of Hell. Amin! Amin! Amin!

Now, let us listen to some other verses carefully:

“Has the story reached thee, of the Overwhelming (Event)? Some faces, that Day, will be humiliated, Labouring (hard) weary― The while they enter the Blazing Fire― The while they are given, to drink, of a boiling hot spring, No food will there be for them but a bitter Dhari Which will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger. (al-Ghashiya 1-7)

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following about hellfire:

“Hellfire was burnt for one thousand years. It became red. Then, it was burnt for another one thousand years and it became white. Then, it was burnt for another one thousand years. Now, it is black and dark.” (It was reported from Abu Hurayr. Tirmidhi, Muwatta)

“Hellfire is black and dark like night.” (Bayhaqi)

The Prophet (pbuh) asked Jibril (Gabriel) to describe him hellfire. He described it as follows: “Allah ordered the fire of hell to burn for one thousand years and it became red. Then, it burned for one thousand years and became yellow. Then, it burned for another one thousand years and became black. It is now black and full of darkness; it is scorching hot. If a person burning in it were shown to the people on the earth, they would faint and die due to its bad smell and terrible appearance.” (Ihya Ulum’id-Din)

Now, we will report a long hadith narrated by Abu Darda. Half of this hadith includes verses.  

"The people of Hell are exposed to hunger. It becomes equal to the level of the torture they are exposed to. They ask help against hunger. They are given some thorny plants that are not nutritious and that do not eliminate hunger. They ask for food again. This time, they are given some food that sticks in their throat. It is stuck there; it does not move forward or backward. Then, they remember that they used to drink water when something stuck in their throat in the world and ask for some drink. They are given boiling water in pots with iron hooks. When these pots are approached to their faces, they brand their faces. When the water enters their stomachs, it rips their stomachs to pieces… Those in the Fire will say to the Keepers of Hell, "Pray to your Lord to lighten us the Penalty for a Day (at least)!" The angels will say, "Did there not come to you your messengers with Clear Signs?" They will say, "Yes." They will reply, "Then pray (as ye like) but the Prayer of those without Faith is nothing But (futile wandering) in (mazes of) error.“ They will cry: "O Malik! Would that thy Lord put and end to us!" He will say "Nay but ye shall abide!" A’mash, one of the narrators of the hadith, says, “I was told that one thousand years will pass between the demands of the people of Hell from Malik and Malik's answer to them… This time, the people of Hell will talk to one another and say, “Let us Pray our Lord; there is nobody better than Him for us. They will beg as follows, "Our Lord! Our misfortune overwhelmed us, and we became a people astray! Our Lord! Bring us out of this: if ever we return (to evil), then shall we be wrongdoers indeed!" Lord will say, "Be ye driven into Hell (with ignominy)! and speak ye not to Me! The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Upon this answer, the people of Hell lose all of their hope; they start to sob, repent, beat their chests and tear their clothes.” (Tirmidhi, Jahannam 4)

O my soul! You have heard a bit about the state of the fire that sinners will be exposed to. You have learned about the thorny plants that they will eat and that stick to their throats. You have heard how they begged angels of Hell and God Almighty. You have heard our Lord say to them, "Never speak to me again!" O my soul! Will you still continue committing sins? Will you still insist on rebelling? Can you bear the torture you have heard about? You cannot even put up with hearing that torture. How will you put up with the torture itself? Can you imagine your regret if you die today? What you have heard is true. Allah's promise is true. Come on, repent, shed tears, ask for forgiveness and promise not to commit sins again. Our Lord is the Forgiver and the Generous. He will forgive our sins and accept us as His slaves…

O my soul! Now, I will leave you to some Quranic verses. See what else the Quran says about Hell. Listen to what it says… If you have some share of guidance, you will receive your share from these verses and repent:

Those who reject Our Signs We shall soon cast into the Fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise. (an-Nisa 56)

The companions of the fire will call the companions of the garden; "pour down to us water or anything that Allah doth provide for your sustenance." They will say: "Both these things hath Allah forbidden to those who rejected Him.― Such as took their religion to be mere amusement and play and were deceived by the life of the world." That day shall We forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day of theirs, and as they rejected Our signs. al-(Araf 50-51)

In gulps will he sip it, but never well he be near swallowing it down his throat: death will come to him from every quarter, yet will he not die: and in front of him will be a chastisement unrelenting. (Ibrahim 17)

When it sees them from a place far off, they will hear its fury and its raging sigh. And when they are cast, bound together, into a constricted place therein, they will plead for destruction there and then! "This day plead not for a single destruction: plead for destruction oft-repeated!" Say: "Is that best, or the eternal Garden, promised to the righteous?? (al-Furqan 12-15)

But those who reject (Allah)― for them will be the Fire of Hell: no term shall be determined for them so they should die, nor shall its Penalty be lightened for them: Thus do We reward every ungrateful one! Therein will they cry aloud (for assistance): "Our Lord! Bring us out: we shall work righteousness, not the (deeds) we used to do!"― Did we not give you long enough life so that he that would should receive admonition? And (moreover) the warner came to you. So taste ye (the fruit of your deeds): for the Wrongdoers there is no helper.” (Fatir 36-37)

The Day that the enemies of Allah will be gathered together to the Fire they will be marched in ranks. At length, when they reach the (Fire), their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear witness against them, as to (all) their deeds. They will say to their skins: "Why bear ye witness against us?" They will say: "Allah hath given us speech― (He) Who giveth speech to everything: He created you for the first time, and unto Him were ye to return. "Ye did not seek to hide yourselves, lest your hearing your sight, and your skins should bear witness against you! But ye did think that Allah knew not many of the things that ye used to do! "But this thought of yours which ye did entertain concerning your Lord, hath brought you to destruction and (now) have ye become of those utterly lost!" If, then, they have patience, the Fire will be a Home for them! And if they beg to be received into favour, will they not (then) be received.. (Fussilet 19-24)

There are so many verses we can quote about Hell that we can write a separate book with them. We have just mentioned a few of them.

O my soul! You have listened to some Quranic verses. You have heard about Hell. Have you come to your senses? Or, do you still insist on rebelling your Lord? If you have not chosen the way to follow yet, listen to some of the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh). See what that luminous person says and against what kind of a torture he warns.

Man is weak enough to be defeated by a microbe that is invisible to the eye; and he is poor; the capital he has is partial freedom and partial freewill. However, his needs and desires are endless. In order to understand the wisdom behind the severe complaints big threats and intimidationby the Quran against man, who is so weak and poor, consider the following two comparisons:   

First Comparison:

For example, there was a royal garden in which were innumerable fruits and flowers. Many servants were appointed to attend to it. They all had different duties. The duty of one of the servants was only to open the water canal so that the water could spread throughout the garden and the plants, trees and other inhabitants of the garden would benefit from it. Otherwise, they would die of thirst.

If the servant was lazy and did not open the canal and the garden dried up, would all of the other servants not have the right to complain about this lazy servant? They definitely would. For, he dried the garden by not letting the water and destroyed all of the service and work of the other servants; he harmed them.

Second Comparison:

For example, hundreds of people worked in a big ship belonging to the king. They all had different duties.  The duty of one of the men was to shift the helm. If that man abandoned this duty, which seemed simple but was very important, and the ship was overturned by hitting a rock or ran aground, would the owner of the ship not complain against the man on behalf of the other sailors? Could the man have the right to say, "I am an ordinary man; I have been reprimanded severely due to unimportant negligence." Definitely not. For, he harmed the rights of the other sailors on the ship by abandoning his duty. He caused so much harm only through neglect.

The world is like the great garden and the big ship in the example. Unbelief, blasphemy, transgression and rebellion are a big murder violating the rights of others. 

For, the essence of them is denial and rejection, abandoning and not accepting. Therefore, it harms the deeds of other beings and they block the beautiful manifestations of divine names. It reduces the value of beings from one thousand to one.  It denies their duties and accuses their glorification of absurdity.

For instance, the sun is a mirror to Allah's names. 

It has the duty of being a mirror to Allah's names Khaliq (Creator) and Mujid (Inventor) with its existence,

to Allah's name Nur (Light) with its light,

to Allah's names Azim (Magnificent), Kabir (Greatest), Mutakabbir (Majestic), Ali (Supreme) and Aziz (Mighty) with its magnificence,

to Allah's names Rahim (Compassionate), Karim (Generous), Rahman (Merciful) with its light and heat,

and to Allah's other names and attributes.

As a matter of fact, those who do not accept Allah by denying or ignoring reject the duty of being a mirror of the names of Allah by the sun.

The sun will definitely sue the unbeliever who accuses it of not having a duty and of meaninglessness and who thinks it is unattended and at large. It will complain to Allah about him. 

As it is expressed by the rule “the work of art is valuable due to its artist", the sun becomes valuable because it is an art of Allah; however, it is reduced from the level of an antique work to the level of a mean and worthless ball of fire by the denier.  Its lawsuit against the unbeliever who reduces its level from one thousand to one is right and fair.

Though the sun glorifies Allah by uttering Allah’s one thousand and one names, denial accuses it of not having a duty.

The sun and all of the other beings will definitely complain to Allah about the unbeliever due to this transgression.

And Allah will definitely intimidate the unbeliever severely and threaten him repeatedly in order to protect the rights of the beings. This threat is wisdom and justice.  

That rebellious man deserves severe threats and horrible intimidation.

Now, let us listen to some other verses carefully:

And he that will be given his Record in his left hand will say: "Ah! would that my record had not been given to me! And that I had never realized how my account (stood)! Ah! would that (Death) had made an end of me! Of no profit to me has been my wealth! My power has perished from me!"...  (The stern command will say): "Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits! This was he that would not believe in Allah Most High, And would not encourage the feeding of the indigent! So no friend hath he here this Day. Nor hath he any food except the corruption from the washing of wounds, Which none do eat but those in sin." (al-Haaqqa 25-37)

O my soul! Have you heard the state of those whose books will be given to their left hands? … They are so regretful. They always say "if only"; Hell is full of "if only"s: They say, “Ah! would that my record had not been given to me! And that I had never realized how my account (stood)!  They say, “Ah! would that (Death) had made an end of me!” That is, if only there was no life after death. What a strange state it is that the thing that they hate the most in the world becomes something they want the most. They want it and they call it? What a strange state is it?

O my soul! Who will protect you from the torture you have heard? Your sultanate? Your children? Your money and property? Or, do you have assistants that we do not know? In fact, Allah says, “The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail.” Do you not trust in the word of Your Lord?  

O my soul! When our Lord orders His angels, “Seize ye him, and bind ye him, And burn ye him in the Blazing Fire. Further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits.”, what will your state be like?

Ibn Abbas states the following about this chain: This chain is put through a person's back and taken out from his mouth. Then, they are lined like locusts line on a stick so that they will never stand on their feet again. (Ibn Kathir)

O Lord! Save us from being chained and thrown into Hell for the sake of Your mercy! Make our souls obey us! Open the eyes of our blind feelings that do not see the end! We are your sinful slaves; forgive us! Amin…