Severity Of The Heat Of Hell-Fire

Severity Of The Heat Of Hell-Fire
Sheikh Salaah al Budayr
Jumaadal ulaa 23, 1423 (August 2, 2002)

All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Allaah created the men so that they may worship Him. He showed them evidences in His creatures that they should fear Him and He described the severity of His torment for them, so that, it may deter souls from error and corruption and make them work towards what will lead them to success and guidance. Beware therefore of all that He warns you against and fear that which He commands you to fear. Fear the Fire which He has described in his Book and through His Prophet Muhammad.

The Fire is an abode of severe rage and moaning; and abode whose horror is immense and whose blazing flame is hot. It is an abode that is full of darkness, loneliness and burning. It spares not (any sinner) nor does it leave anything (unburnt). Burning and blackening the skins. Over it are nineteen (angels as guardians). Its flame never extinguishes. It is an abode whose inhabitants are kept away from Mercy of Allaah and are denied the eternal happiness. It is Hell that sinners will be made to enter, an evil it is as a resting place. When the hearts of those who fear Allaah remember its stages, ranks, gates and guardians, their eyes shed tears. The Messenger of Allaah said, "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if you but saw what I have seen, you would have laughed a little and wept a lot." They said, "O Messenger of Allaah! What have you seen?" He said, "I saw Paradise and Hell." (Muslim)

An-Nu'maan bin Basheer said, "I heard the Messenger of Allaah giving a sermon and saying, 'I warn you against Fire! I warn you against Fire!' He kept on saying that till a black woollen blanket that was on his shoulders fell on his feet." (Ahmad)

Brethen in Faith! Paradise and Fire are close to anyone of you than the laces of his shoes. And the Fire which you kindle here in the world is just a seventieth part of the Hell-Fire. The Hell-Fire is sixty-nine times hotter than the fire of this world. The hotness of summer and its mid-day heat that you feel is just a breath of the Hell-Fire. The Prophet said, "The Fire complained to its Lord and said, 'O my Lord! Parts of me eats up other parts.' So Allaah permitted it to have two breaths: one in the summer and one in the winter and that is the severe heat you feel in summer and the severe cold you feel in the winter. And the severe heat is of the breath of Hell."

Hell will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection with seventy thousand reins, each rein is pulled by 70,000 angels. It will be brought forth while in a state of severe rage; and the sinners will become sure of the great calamity when they see it. People shall then fall on their knees and man will remember his deeds, but how can the remembrance then avail him? He will say: Alas! Would that I had sent forth good (deeds) for (this) my life. So on that Day, none will punish as He will punish and none will bind (the wicked, disbelievers and polytheists) as He will bind. Its depth is a march of 70 years. The Prophet said, when he heard a sound, "That is a rock cast in the Fire since 70 years, and it shall continue falling into the Fire until it reaches its depth." (Muslim)

The Siraat (passageway) will be erected across the Hell with its Horror and hooks that will fell sinners into the Hell. The believers shall move across it according to their deeds; some will pass it like a twinkle of an eye, some like a thunder, some like the wind, some like birds and some like fast horses. Some people will be saved and some will be torn to pieces and sent down to Hell. Among those who will fall into Hell, some will be immersed into the Fire up to their ankles, some up to their knees, some up to their waists and some up to their collar bones. Its dwellers will be dragged there in fright and be pushed there, and the Fire will boil them like pots. When they are thrown there, they will hear it make a terrible breath as it blazes forth. They will complain of hunger, but they will only be relieved with the worst of all food that has been prepared for sinners.

"Verily the tree of Zaqqoom, will be the food of the sinners, like boiling oil, it will boil in the bellies, like the boiling of scalding water." (Ad-Dukhaan 44:43-46)

The Prophet said, "If a drop of Zaqqoom was to be dropped on the earth, it would have rendered the food of the inhabitants of the earth bitter. How then would it be like for those whose food is Zaqqoom and who have no other food." (Ahmad). They will only be fed with poisonous thorny plant, which will neither nourish nor avail against hunger. A thorn that zeises them; it will not enter their bellies nor will it come out of their throats. They will be relieved when they have reached the peak of thirst, they will be made to drink from a severely hot spring; a drink that will cut their intestines; for they had for long been eating from forbidden and sinful means; their faces will be scalded in Fire, for they had long been disobeying their Lord. Terrible will be their drink and an evil dwelling. The Prophet said, "Hot water will be poured on their heads and it will penetrate their skulls until it reaches their bellies. It will then chop off whatever is in their bellies until it comes out from their feet. It will then be returned as it is." (Ahmad & Tirmidhee). The least tormented among the inhabitants of Hell is the one who will have only a pair of shoes and laces made of Fire. Both will boil his brain like boiler. He will see no one suffering more than him in punishment, while he is the least in punishment.

They will suffer in the Hell from pieces of fire and garments of pitch, bound together in fetters. Chains and shackles will render them incapacitated. Their legs will be bound to their necks. Their faces will be blackened out of the disgrace of their sins and they will not be able to free themselves from the shackles of 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!" (Al-Hajj 22:21-22)

They will be locked in the Hell and their torment will be aggravated. Cry and sorrow will be their lot out of severe torment. They will move about its valleys aimlessly and they will passionately plead with the guardian of Hell saying,
"O keeper of Hell! Let your Lord make an end of us." And he will say, "Verily, you shall abide forever." (Az-Zukhruf 43:77)

Their sorrow will be eternal and they will know no happiness. The Prophet said, "Indeed, the dwellers of Hell shall weep and if ships are to be moved on the sea of their tears, they will certainly move. They shall shed tears of blood." (Al-Haakim)

They shall weep on their life that was wasted without any provision for the Hereafter. Woe unto them for the wrath of the Creator upon them and their disgrace in front of all creatures. They shall be screaming, "Our Lord, bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds not (the evil deeds) that we used to do." (Faatir 35:37)

"Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world) that we will do righteous good deeds." (As-Sajdah 32:12)

"Our Lord! Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were an erring people. Our Lord! Bring us out of this, if ever we return (to evil) then indeed, we shall be wrongdoers." (Al-Mu'minoon 23:106-107)

They would now cry unto Allaah Whom they had long disobeyed, violated His limits and been hostile to His friends. But they would not be shown mercy, and they will not have their invocations answered. Their sins have encompassed them, and they will continue nursing hope upon hope until a caller will proclaim,
"O dwellers of Paradise! Abide therein forever and you shall not die! O inhabitants of Hell! Abide therein forever and you shall not die." Their fire is one that never dies out, "Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them, so that they die, nor shall its torment be lightened for them." (Faatir 35:36)

They shall be cursing one another and blaming one another, "Every time a new nation enters (the Fire) it curses its sister nation (that went before her)." (Al-A'raaf 7:38)

Their rage will be severe on those who misled them and led them to destruction and they will say,

"Our Lord, show us those among jinn and men who led us astray: that we may crush them under our feet so that they become the lowest." (Fussilat 41:29)

On that day, the one who forgot remembrance of Allaah shall tell his evil companion who diverted him from remembrance of Allaah: "Would that between me and you were the distance of the two easts (or the east and the west). A worst kind of companion indeed." (Az-Zukhruf 43:38)

But all this will be of no avail to them, for they will be partners in the torment, but they will not know.

Brethren in Faith! These are just some of the characteristics of the Fire and its dwellers. So, seek refuge with Allaah from Hell and from all sayings and deeds that lead to it for you are now in an age where tribulations, evils, ambiguities and lusts are many that take whoever succumbs to it into backwardness in matters of his belief, manners, thoughts and behaviour. The Messenger of Allaah said, "Of the things that I fear for you most is the oppressive lusts of your private parts and misleading desires." He also said, "The Paradise is screened with undesirable things while Hell is screened with lustful things." (Bukhaaree). Therefore, try to cross the desert of undesirable things and awake your hearts from their forgetfulness. Lead your souls away from desires. Take to the instructions of the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Know that you are now being given respite and that you shall soon be overtaken by death. For there is no slumber that is deeper than forgetfulness and there is no bondage stronger than lust. No calamity is like death of the heart and no warner is greater than old age and no final destination that is worse than Hell,

"and it is nothing else than a reminder to mankind. And by the dawn when it brightens, verily, it (Hell) is but one of the greatest signs: a warning to mankind. To any of you that chooses to go forward (by working righteous deeds) or to remain behind (by committing sins)." (Al-Muddath-thir 74:33-37)

Fellow Muslims! Save yourselves from Hell. Learn lessons from past nations before you become objects of lessons to others. Follow the paths of the repentant ones, for now is time for repentance and seeking for forgiveness and abstention from sins.

Dear brother! O you who have exceeded all limits and abandon the right path! Hasten to repentance, cleanse yourself of sins and rescue yourself from Hell. How I wish I know how the sinful live joyful life while Allaah says,

"And if you could but see, when they will be terrified, with no escape (for them) and they will be seized from a near place." (Saba' 34:51)

Brethren in Faith! Rescue yourselves from Hell and beware of the wrath of Allaah. The Prophet said, "Every one of you shall be addressed by his Lord without any interpreter. Man will look at his right and shall not see but what he has presented of his deeds, and will look left and will not see but what he has presented of his deeds. He will look in front of him but will not see but Hell. So, fear Hell by being generous even with a part of a date even with a good word." (Al-Bukhaaree)

Brethren in Faith! Rescue yourselves, your wives, your children and all those who are under your care from Hell. Know that neglecting prayers, emulating the infidels and immoral people, watching unlawful things on TV channels, dressing unIslaamically and drinking alcohol are all deeds of the people of Hell. Know also that all acts that are in disobedience of Allaah and His Messenger are also that of people of Hell. Allaah says,

"And whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messsenger and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire to abide therein, and he shall have disgraceful torment." (An-Nisaa 4:14)

Fellow Muslims! O you who believe that Allaah is your Lord, that Islaam is your religion and that Muhammad is your Prophet and Messenger! Turn to Allaah in repentance and listen to this call from our Lord,

"O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels, stern (and) severe, who disobey not (from exceeding) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded." (At-Tahreem 66:60)