The Punishment of the People of Hell

The Intensity of the Suffering of the People of Hell

"As for those who reject Faith, and die rejecting - never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains, though they should offer it for ransom. For such is [in store] a penalty grievous and they will find no helpers". (3:91)

"As to those who reject faith - if they had everything on earth and twice repeated, to give as ransom for the Penalty of the Day of Judgement, it would never be accepted of them. Theirs would be a grievous Penalty." (5:36)

Muslim reports from Anas ibn Mâ that the Messenger of Allâh (saw) said:

"One of the people of Hell who found the most pleasure in the life of this world will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection, and will be dipped into the Fire of Hell. Then he will be asked: O son of Aadam, have you ever seen anything good? Have you ever enjoyed any pleasure?" He will say, "No, by Allâh (swt), O Rabb"" (Muslim, Mishkât al-Masâbîh, 3/102).

Just a few short moments will make the kuffâr forget all the good times and pleasure that they had enjoyed. Al-Bukhâri and Muslim report from Anas ibn Mâlik that the Messenger of Allâh (saw) said,

"On the Day of Resurrection, Allâh will say to one whose punishment in the Fire is the lightest, "If you had whatever you wanted on earth, would you give it up to save yourself?" He will say, "Yes". Allâh (swt) will say, "I wanted less than that from you: when you were still in the loins of Aadam, I asked you not to associate anything in worship with Me, but you insisted on associating others in worship with Me"". (al-Bukhâri, in Kitâb ar-Raqâq, Bâb Sifât al-Jannah wan-Nâr, Fath al-Bâri, 11/416, See also Mishkât al-Masâbîh, 3/102)

The horror and intensity of the Fire will make a man lose his mind, and he would give up everything he holds dear to escape it, but he will never be able to:

"..the sinner's desire will be: would that he could redeem himself from the Penalty of that Day by [sacrificing] his children, his wife and his brother, his kindred who sheltered him, and all, all that is on earth, so that it could deliver him. By no means! For it would be the Fire of Hell! Plucking out [his being] right to the skull". (70:11-16)

This horrendous ongoing punishment will make the life of these evildoers one of continual sorrow and pain.

Pictures of Their Punishments

(1) The Punishment of the People of Hell Will Vary in Degree

"There are some whom the Fire will take up to their ankles, others up to their knees, others up to their waists, and others up to their collarbones".

According to another report,

"up to their necks" (Muslim in Kitâb al-Jannah wa Sifât Na'imihâ, Bâb Shiddat Harr an-Nâr, 4/2185)

The Messenger of Allâh (saw) has told us about those who will receive the lightest punishment in Hell. Al-Bukhâri reports from al-Nu'mân ibn Bashîr who said:

"I heard the Messenger of Allâh (saw) say, "The person who will have the least punishment among the people of Hell on the Day of Resurrection will be a man under the arch of whose feet will be placed a smouldering ember, and his brains will boil because of it."

In another report also narrated by al-Bukhâri from an-Nu'mân ibn Bashîr, the Prophet (saw) said,

"The person who will have the least punishment among the people of Hell on the Day of Resurrection will be a man under the arch of whose feet will be placed two smouldering embers, because of which his brains will boil like water boils in a mirjal [copper vessel] or qumqum [narrow-necked vessel]." (al-Bukhâri in Sahîh, Kitâb ar-Raqâq, Bâb Sifât al-Jannah wan-Nâr, Fath al-Bâri, 11/417, and Muslim in his Sahîh, Kitâb al-Imân, 1/196, no. 363)

According to a report narrated from an-Nu'man ibn Bashîr by Muslim, the Prophet (Saw) said: The person who will have the least punishment among the people of Hell on the Day of Resurrection is a man who will be given shoes and laces of fire, because of which his brains will boil like water in a mirjal (copper vessel). He will think that anyone could be more severely punished than himself, yet he will be the one with the lightest punishment". (Sahîh Muslim, Kitâb al-Imân, 1/196, no. 364; Muslim also reports from Abu Sa'îd al-Khudri in the same chapter, no. 361) Al-Bukhâri and Muslim both narrate from Abu Sa'îd al-Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allâh (saw) say, when his uncle Abu Tâlib was mentioned:

"Maybe my intercession will help him on the Day of Resurrection, so that he may be put in a shallow part of Hell, with fire reaching to his ankles and causing his brain to boil". (al-Bukhâri in Kitâb ar-Riqâq, Bâb Sifât al-Jannah wan-Nâr, Fath al-Bâri, 11/417 and Muslim in Kitâb al-Imâm, Bâb Shifa'at an-Nabi (saw), 'Ali ibn Abi Tâlib, 1/195, hadîth no. 360)

Many âyât confirm the different levels of punishment that will be given to the people of Hell:

"The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire.." (4:145)

"..and [the Sentence will be] on the Day that Judgement will be established [it will be said to the angels]: "Cast the people of Pharaoh into the severest Penalty!" (40:46)

"Those who reject Allâh and hinder [men] from the Path of Allâh, for them will We add penalty to penalty, for that they used to spread mischief [or corruption]". (16:88)

Al-Qurtubi said,

"This topic indicates that the kufr of the person who simply disbelieves is not like the kufr of a person who oppresses, disbelieves, rebels and disobeys. There is no doubt that the kuffâr will suffer different levels of punishment in hell, as is known from Qur'ân and Sunnah. We know for certain that the punishment of those who oppressed and killed the Prophets and Muslims, and spread corruption and disbelief on earth, will not be the same as the punishment of those who simply disbelieved, but treated the Prophets and Muslims well. Do you not see Abu Tâlib, how the Prophet (Saw) will bring him up to a shallow level of Hell, because he helped him, protected him and treated him well? The hadîth narrated by Muslim from Samurah may be interpreted as referring to the kuffâr, as there is a hadith about Abu Tâlib, or it may be interpreted as referring to those monotheists who will be punished". (at-Tadhkirah, p. 409)

Ibn Rajab said,

"Know that the different levels of punishment suffered by The people of Hell will be according to the levels of their deeds for which they entered Hell".

Then he quotes the evidence for that, such as the words of Ibn 'Abbâs,

"The punishment of those who were extreme in their disbelief And spread corruption on earth, calling others to kufr, will not be like the punishment of those who did not do such things".

Then Ibn Rajab says,

"Similarly, the punishments of the monotheists in Hell will be at different levels, according to their deeds. The punishment of those who were guilty of major sins (kabâ'ir) will not be like that of those who were guilty of minor sins (saghâ'ir). The punishment may be reduced for some of them because of other good deeds, or for whatever reason Allâh (swt) wills. Hence some of them may die in the Fire". (at-Takhwîf min an-Nâr, p. 142-143)

(2) Roasting of the Skin

"Those who reject Our Signs, We shall soon cast them 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 Allâh is Exalted in Power, All-Wise" (4:56)

(3) Melting

"... then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads. With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as [their] skins". (22:19-20)

At-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said:

"al-Hamîm will be poured on their heads and will dissolve through until it reaches their sides and all their innards will drop out, until it comes out of his feet, and everything is melted, then he will be restored as he was."

He (at-Tirmidhi) said,

"It is a sahîh gharîb hasan hadîth". (at-Takhwîf min an-Nâr, p.145, Jâmi' al-Usûl, 10/540)

(4) Scorching (the face).

"..We shall gather them together prone on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf; their abode will be Hell; everytime it shows abatement, We shall increase for them the Fierceness of the Fire". (17:97)

Then they will be thrown on their faces in the Fire:

"And if any do evil, their faces will be thrown headlong into the Fire; “Do you receive a reward other than that which you have earned by your deeds?" (27:90)

The Fire will burn and cover their faces forever, with no barrier between them and it:

"If only the unbelievers knew [the time] when they will not be able to ward off the Fire from their faces, nor yet from their backs, and [when] no help can reach them!" (21:39)

"The Fire will burn their faces and they will therein grin, with their lips displaced" (23:104)

"Their garments of liquid pitch, and their faces covered with fire". (14:50)

"Is then one who has to fear the brunt of the penalty on the Day of Judgement [and receive it on] his face, [like one guarded therefrom]?" (39:24)

Look at this horrific scene that makes one shudder!

"The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say, "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allâh and obeyed the Messenger." (33:66)

Do you not see that just as meat and fish are turned over when they are cooked, so their faces will be turned over in the Fire of Hell. We seek refuge with Allâh (swt) from the punishment of the people of Hell.

(5) Dragging

"Truly those in sin are the ones straying in mind, and mad. The Day they will be dragged through the Fire on their faces [they will hear]: "Taste the touch of Hell." (54:47-48)

Their pain at being dragged will be increased by the fact that they will be tied up in chains and fetters:

"...But soon shall they know - when the yokes [shall be] round their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along, in the boiling fetid fluid, then shall they be burned". (40:70-72)

Qatâdah said, "They will be dragged once in the Fire, and once in al-Hamîm." (Ibn Rajab, at-Takhwîf min an-Nâr, p.147)

(6) Blackening of the faces.

"On the Day when some faces will be [lit up with] white and some faces will be [in the gloom of] black; to those who faces will be black [it will be said]: "Did you reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the Penalty for rejecting Faith". (3:106)

This is intense blackness, as if the darkness of night had covered their faces.

"But those who have earned evil will have a reward of like evil, and ignominy will cover their faces. No defender will they have from [the wrath of] Allâh. Their faces will be covered, as it were, with pieces from the darkness of night. They are Companions [or dwellers] of the Fire, they will abide therein [for aye!] (10:27)

(7) The Fire Will Surround the Kuffâr

"Nay, those who seek gain in evil and are girt round by their sins - they are companions [or dwellers] of the Fire; therein shall they abide [forever]" (2:81)

No one will be in such a state unless he is a kâfir and a mushrik. Siddîq Hasan Khan says,

"What is referred to here by evil deeds is a certain type of deed, the reasons for which should be overwhelming, with no way out or means of achieving hasanah. Eternity in Hell is for the kuffâr and mushrikîn, so evil and sin in this âyah has to be interpreted as meaning kufr and shirk. Thus the arguments of the Mu'tazilah and Khawârij are shown to be false by the proven mutawâtir reports that state that the sinners among the monotheists will eventually be brought forth from Hell."

Sins and evil deeds surround the Kuffâr like a bracelet around the wrist, so their punishment should fit their crimes. Hence the Fire will surround the Kuffâr on all sides, as Allâh (swt) says:

"There will be a bed of Hell [Fire] and over them coverings [of Hellfire]" (7:41)

The "bed" is what comes under them, and the "coverings" are what come over them. What is meant is that fires will surround them from above and below, as Allâh (swt) says:

"On the Day when the torment [Hellfire] shall cover them from above them and from underneath their feet" (29:55)

"They shall have coverings of Fire above them, and coverings of Fire beneath them". (39:16)

Some of the Salaf interpreted the "Bed" (al-Mihâd) as meaning a mattress and the "cover" (al-Ghawâsh) as being a blanket (Tafsîr Ibn Kathîr, 3/168). The "surrounding" may be interpreted in another way, which is that Hell will have a wall to surround the kuffâr so that they will never be able to get out or escape form it, as Allâh (swt) says:

"..Verily We have prepared for the wrongdoers a Fire whose [smoke and flames] like the walls and roof of a tent, will hem them in; If they implore relief, they will be granted water like melted brass, that will scald their faces. How dreadful the drink! How uncomfortable a couch to recline on!" (18:29)

(8) The Fire Will Leap Up Over Their Hearts

"Soon will I cast him into Hellfire! And what will explain to you what Hellfire is? Naught does it permit to endure, and naught does it leave alone, Darkening and changing the colour of man!" (74:26-29)

Some of the Salaf said concerning the phrase, "naught does it leave alone" that it meant, "it eats bones and flesh and brains and does not leave anything untouched" (Ibn Rajab, at-Takhwîf min an-Nâr, p.146) Allâh (swt) says:

"By no means! He will be sure to be thrown into that which Breaks to Pieces. And what will explain to you what that which Breaks to Pieces is? [It is] the Fire of the [wrath of] Allâh, kindled [to a blaze], that which mourns [right] to the hearts". (104:4-6)

Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurtubî said,

"The Fire eats into him until it reaches his heart, then his body will be created anew. It was reported that when Thâbit al-Bananî read this âyah, he said, "The Fire will burn them until it reaches their hearts, while they are still alive; this is how great their suffering is!" Then he wept." (at-Takhwîf min an-Nâr, p.146)

(9) Their entrails will be spilled out in the Fire

"A man will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection and thrown into the Fire. Then his entrails will be spilled out into the Fire, and he will be forced to walk around and around like a donkey in a treadmill. The people of Hell will gather around him and say, "O So-and-so, what is wrong with you? Did you not enjoin us to do good and forbid us to do evil?" He will say, "I used to order you to do good, but I did not do it, and I used to forbid you to do evil, but I used to do it." Then he will walk around and around like a donkey in a treadmill" (al-Bukhâri and Muslim, Mishkât al-Masâbîh, 2/642, hadîth no. 5139)

One of the people whose entrails will be spilled out in Hell is 'Amr ibn Lahay, who was the first to change the religion of the Arabs. The Prophet (saw) saw him dragging his own entrails in Hell. Muslim reports from Jâbir ibn Abdullâh that the Prophet (saw) said,

"I saw 'Amr ibn 'Aamir al-Khuza'î dragging his own entrails in Hell, and he was the first one to introduce as-Sâ'ibah (a she-camel turned loose for free pasture for the sake of idols, upon which nothing was allowed to be carried". (Mishkât al-Masâbîh, 2/642)

(10) The Chains, Fetters and Hammers of the People of Hell

"For the Rejecters We have prepared iron chains, yokes and a blazing Fire". (76:4)

"With Us are fetters [to bind them] and a Fire [to burn them] and a food that chokes, and a penalty grievous". (73:12-13)

The yokes will be placed around their necks:

"...We shall put yokes on the necks of the unbelievers. It would only be a requital for their ill [or evil] deeds". (34:33)

"When yokes [shall be] round their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along." (40:71)

The chains or fetters are something with which Allah (swt) will punish them:

"With Us are fetters..." (73:12)

The chains are another kind of punishment, with which the wrongdoers will be tied up, just as criminals are chained up in this world. See how the Qur'ân describes them:

"The stern command will say, "Seize him and bind him, and burn him in the blazing Fire, further, make him march in a chain, whereof the length is seventy cubits". (69:30-32)

Allâh (swt) has promised the people of Hell hooked rods of iron which are like hammers with which the evildoers will be beaten when they try to escape from the Fire, and they will be thrown ever deeper into Hell:

"And for them are hooked rods of iron [to punish them]. Every time they seek to get away therefrom, from anguish, they will be driven back therein, and [it will be] said to them: "taste the torment of burning!" (22:21-22)

(11) They will be accompanied by their objects of worship and their devils in Hell

"Verily, you [disbelievers] and the [false] gods that you worship besides Allâh are [but] fuel for Hell! To it will you [surely] come! If these had been gods, they would not have got there! But each one will abide therein." (21:98-99)

Ibn Rajab says,

"Because the Kuffâr worship their gods instead of Allâh (swt) and believe that they will intercede for them with Allâh (swt) and will bring them closer to Him, they will be punished by having these gods in Hell with them as a source of humiliation and shame, and to make them feel deep sorrow and regret. Because when a punishment is accompanied by the thing that was the reason for the punishment, the pain and sorrow becomes more intense." (at-Takhwîf min an-Nâr, p.105)

For this reason the sun and moon will be thrown into Hell, and will be fuel for it, to punish those wrongdoers who used to worship them instead of Allâh. As the hadîth says,

"The sun and moon will be rolled up in Hell". (al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Imân, and al-Bazzar, al-Isma'îlî and al-Khattabî, see Silsilat al-Hadîth as-Sahîhah, 1/32)

Al-Qurtubî says,

"They will be placed in Hell, because they were worshipped instead of Allâh (swt). It is not a punishment for them, because they are inanimate, but that will be done in order to increase the sorrow and shame of the Kâfirîn. This is what was said by some of the scholars." (al-Qurtubî, at-Tadhkirah, p.392)

For the same reason, the Kuffâr and their devils will be gathered together, so as to make the punishment more intense:

"And if anyone withdraws himself from the remembrance of [Allâh] All-Gracious, We appoint for him an evil one to be an intimate companion to him. Such evil ones really hinder them from the Path, but they think that they are being guided aright! At length, when [such a one] comes to Us, he says, [to his evil companion], "Would that between me and you were the distance of east and west". Ah, evil is the companion indeed! When you have done wrong, it will avail you nothing, that Day that you shall be partners in punishment". (43:36-39)

12) Their sorrow, regret and supplications

"...they would declare [their] repentance when they see the penalty but the judgement between them will be with justice, and no wrong will be done unto them." (10:54)

When the Kuffâr looks at the record of his deeds, and sees his kufr and shirk, for which he deserves eternal Hell, he will pray for oblivion and death:

"But he who is given his Record behind his back, soon will he cry for perdition, and he will enter a blazing Fire". (84:10-12)

They will repeat their prayer for oblivion when they are thrown into the Fire and its heat touches them:

"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". (25:13-14)

Their screams will grow louder and more desperate and they will call on their Rabb, hoping that He (swt) will take them out of the Fire: "Therein will they cry aloud [for assistance]: "Our Rabb! Bring us out, we shall work righteousness, not the [deeds] we used to do." (35:37) At that time, they will come to realise the error and foolishness of their kufr:

"They will further say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence we would not [now] be among the companions of the blazing Fire". (67:10)

"They will say, "Our Rabb! Twice have You made us without life and twice have you given us life! Now we have recognised our sins: Is there any way out [of this]?" (40:11)

But their prayer will be harshly refused, and they will be answered as animals deserve to be answered:

"They will say, "Our Rabb! Our misfortune overwhelmed us, and we became a people astray. Our Rabb! Bring us out of this; if ever we return [to evil] then shall we be wrongdoers indeed!" He [Allâh] will say, "Be driven into it with ignominy! And speak not to Me!" (23:106-108)

The promise will come true, and they will reach a destination where no prayer will benefit them and there will be no hope:

"If only you could see when the guilty ones will bend low their heads before their Rabb [saying], "Our Rabb! We have seen and we have heard; now then send us back [to the world], we will work righteousness for we do indeed [now] believe". If We had so willed, surely We could certainly have brought every soul its true guidance, but the Word from Me will come true: I will fill Hell with jinns and men all together. Taste you then - for you forgot the Meeting of this Day of yours, and We too will forget you - taste the penalty of eternity for your [evil] deeds!" (32:12-14)

After that the people of Hell will call upon the keepers of Hell:

"Pray To your Rabb to lighten us the penalty for a day [at least]! They will say, "Did there not come to you your Messengers with clear signs?" They will say, "Yes". They will reply, "Then pray [as you like]! But the prayer of those without faith is nothing but [futile wandering] in [mazes of] error". (40:49-50)

Then they will ask for intercession so that their Rabb might annihilate them:

"And they will cry, "O Malik [Guard of Hell]! Would that your Rabb put an end to us". He will say, "Nay, but you shall abide"" (43:77)

Everything they ask for will be refused. There will be no coming out of the Fire, no reduction in the torment, and no oblivion. Rather it is ongoing, eternal punishment, and at that time they will be told:

"...and whether you are patient of it, or impatient of it, it is all the same. You are only being requited for what you used to do." (52:16)

Then their wailing will increase, and they will weep for a long time:

"Let them laugh a little: much will they weep: a recompense for the [evil] that they do". (9:82)

They will weep until no tears are left, then they will weep blood, and their tears will leave traces on their faces like the channels cut into rock by water. In al-Mustadrak by al-Hâkim there is a report from 'Abdullâh ibn Qays that the Messenger of Allâh (saw) said: "The people of Hell will weep so much that if ships were placed in their tears, they would float, and they will weep blood - meaning, instead of tears" Anas ibn Mâlik reported that the Prophet (saw) said:

"The people of Hell will be made to weep, and they will weep until they have no tears left. Then they will weep blood until they have as it were channels in their faces, if ships were put in them, they would float". [(1)]

Those evildoers lost their own souls and their families when they preferred kufr to îmân. Listen to the wailing and cries when they are punished:

"The Day when their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say, "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allâh and obeyed the Messenger!" And they would say, "Our Rabb, verily we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (right) Path. Our Rabb, give them double penalty and curse them with a very great curse!" (33:66-68)

Listen to how Allâh (swt) described their condition [we seek refuge with Allâh (swt) from that]:

"As for those who are wretched, they will be in the fire, sighing in a high and low tone. They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and earth endure, except as your Rabb wills.." (11:106-107)

Az-Zajjaj said,

"The high tone (az-Zafîr) is because of the intensity of their groaning and it is very high. It was suggested that az-Zafîr means the panting of the breath in the chest due to extreme fear, so that the ribs become swollen. The "low tone" (ash-Shahîq) is a long drawn-out breath, or an intake of breath; in either case it is an indication of the great extent of their grief and anguish. Their situation is likened to that of the one whose heart was overwhelmed by heat and whose soul was surrounded by it. al-Layth said, "az-Zafîr means that a man will take deep breaths because of his intense grief, and ash-Shahîq refers to his exhaling" (Siddîq Hasan Khan, Yaqadhat uli al-I'tibâr p.72)

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