Jannah wa an-Naar - In The Light of the Qur'an and Sunnah

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The Vast Number of People in Hell​
Many texts indicate the large numbers of the children of Aadam will enter Hell, and the few who will enter Paradise. Allah (swt) says:


"Yet no faith will the greater part of mankind have, however ardently you desire it." (12:103)


An indication of the large numbers of kuffaar and mushrikeen who rejected the call of the Messengers is the fact that the Prophets will come on the Day of Resurrection some with a small group (of less than ten), others with one or two and some with no followers at all. Muslim reports from Ibn 'Abbaas that the Prophet (saw) aid:


"I was shown the nations and I saw a Prophet accompanied by a small group, another accompanied by one or tow men, and another with no companions at all.." (Saheeh Muslim, 1/198, no.220)


Many texts indicate that nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand of the children of Aadam will enter Hell, and only one (in a thousand) will enter Paradise.


al-Bukhaari narrates from Abu Sa'eed that the Prophet (saw) said: Allah will say, "O Aadam!" Aadam will reply, "I respond to Your call, I am obedient to Your commands, and all good is in Your hands." Then Allah (swt) will say to Aadam, "Send forth the people of the Fire". Aadam will say, "How many are the people of the Fire?!" Allah (swt) will say, "Out of every thousand, take nine hundred and ninety-nine". At that time, children's hair will turn grey and every pregnant female will spontaneously abort and you will see the people looking as if they are drunk, although they are not, but Allah's punishment will be most severe". This speech distressed his Companions and the said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), who amongst us will be that man (one in a thousand)?" He said, "Be of good cheer: the thousand will be from Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) and the one will be from among you". Then he said, "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, I hope that you will be one third of the people of Paradise." We praised and glorified Allah (swt) and then he said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, I hope that you will be half of the people of paradise, as you are among the nations like a white hair on the hide of a black bull or a round hairless spot on the foreleg of a donkey". (al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Raqaaq, Baab Qawl Allah Azza wa jalla, innaa zalzalat al-Saa'ah, Shay'un 'Adheem, Fath al-Baari, 11/388; see also Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/610, Musnad Ahmad 4/435).


It might be asked: how can we reconcile between these hadith and the report from Abu Hurayrah in Saheeh al-Bukhaari, in which the Prophet (saw) said that Allah (swt) said to Aadam ('alayhis-salaam) - "Send forth [into Hell] ninety-nine out of every hundred [of your descendants]". It is obvious that these reports do not contradict the other Saheeh reports that we have quoted above, because these figures are referring to different groups. The hadith that mention a ratio of nine hundred and ninety-nine may be interpreted as referring to all the progeny of Aadam, whilst the hadith of al-Bukhaari that mentions a ratio of ninety-nine may be interpreted as referring to the progeny of Aadam excluding Ya'juj and Ma'juj. This reconciliation is more likely to be correct - as Ibn Hajar suggests - because Ya'juj and Ma'juj are mentioned in the hadith of Abu Sa'eed whereas they are not mentioned in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah. It may be said that the first hadith refers to all of creation, so the ratio of people admitted to Hell when all nations are taken into account is 999 in every thousand. The latter hadith of al-Bukhaari explains the ratio of people who will enter Hell from this ummah alone. Ibn Hajar (said) "This interpretation is supported by the words of the Sahabah in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (ra): "If ninety-nine out of every hundred are taken from us, what will be left of us?" This division of people could happen twice: once involving all the nations, when one in a thousand will enter Paradise, and a second time involving this ummah alone, when ten out of every thousand will enter Paradise". (Fath al-Baari, 11/390).
 
The Wisdom Behind There Being So Many People In Hell​
The reason why there will be so many people in Hell is not that the truth failed to reach them all, wherever or whenever they lived. Allah does not blame anyone whom His call did not reach:


"..Nor would We punish with Our Wrath until We had sent a Messenger [to give warning]." (17:15)


"..And there never was a people, without a Warner having lived among them [in the past]". (35:24)


The reason behind it is the fact that those who responded to the Messengers were few in number, while those who disbelieved were great. Furthermore, many of those who responded were not pure and sincere in faith.


In his book, at-Takhweef min an-Naar, Ibn Rajab discussed the reason why so few people will enter Paradise and so many will enter Hell: "These hadith and other similar reports prove that most of the children of Aadam will enter Hell, and that the followers of the Messengers are few in number when compared to the rest of mankind. Those who did not follow the Messengers will enter Hell, except for those whom the Message did not reach, or who
could not understand it because of the garbled form in which they heard it. Many of those who claim to be followers of the Messengers are in fact adhering to a distorted religion and an altered book, and they too will be among the people of Hell, " as Allah (swt) says:


"...But those of the sects that reject it [the Qur'an] the Fire will be their promised meeting-place" (11:17)


As for those who claim to follow the Book and Law of Allah (swt) the true religion, many of them will also enter Hell. These are the Munaafiqoon (the hypocrites) who will be in the lowest level of the Fire. Many of those who
claim to follow it openly and in secret will be tested by ambiguities and doubts - these are the misguided inventors and followers of bid'ah (reprehensible innovations, heresies). Several hadith have been narrated which state that the ummah will split into seventy-odd sects, all of which will be in the Hell except for one. Many people will also be tested with forbidden desires for which the promised punishment is Hellfire, although in this case it is not necessarily an eternal punishment. No one from this ummah will be saved from the Fire, or deserve the absolute promise of Paradise, apart from the one sect or group, who follow the example and practice of the Prophet (saw) and his Companions openly and in secret, and are saved from the temptation and trials of desires and doubts. Such are very few indeed, especially in latter times". (at-Takhweef min an-Naar, Ibn Rajab, p.214)


The main reason why so many follow their desires is that the love of such things is deeply rooted in the human psyche:


"Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and children; heaved-up hoards of gold and silver [wealth]; horses branded [for blood and excellence]; and [wealth of] cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life.." (3:14)


Many people want to fulfill these desires in whatever way they wish, without paying attention to the revealed laws of Allah (swt), and by adhering to the customs of their forefathers in ways that contradict these laws:


"Just in the same way, whenever We sent a Warner before you [Muhammad] to any people, the wealthy ones among them said: "We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we will certainly follow in their footsteps". [The Warner] said: "What! Even if I brought you better guidance than that which you found your fathers following?" They said, "For us, we deny that you [Prophets] are sent [on a mission at all]". (43:23-24)


Loving the ways of one's forefathers to the point of sanctifying them is a disease which many nations are suffering from, and its effects on the deeply-rooted desires of men are no less, if it is not counted as a desire in
itself.


at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and an-Nasaa'ee report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the messenger of Allah (saw) said, "When Allah (swt) created Hell, He told Jibreel, "Go and look at it." Jibreel went and looked at it, and when he came back he said, "By Your Glory, I fear that no-one who hears of it will enter it". So He surrounded it with desires, and said, "Go and look at it." Jibreel went and looked at it, and when he came back, he said, "By Your Glory, I fear that there will be no-one left who does not enter it". (the version narrated by an-Nasaa'ee adds the words, "and at what I have prepared for its inhabitants in it".) [Jaami al-Usool, 10/250, # 8068. at-Tirmidhi described it as sahih hasan].


al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (saw) said, "Hell is veiled in desires and Paradise is veiled in hardships".


Siddeeq Hasan Khan said, "What is meant by desires is the things that people want and enjoy". al-Qurtubee said, "Desires are all those things that people like and towards which they are inclined, and surrounding a thing means placing something all around it, so that it cannot be reached without going through it". (Yaqadhat uli al-I'tibar, p.220)
 
Most of Those Who Enter Hell Will be Women​
Most of the sinners amongst the monotheists who enter Hell will be women, as is reported in as-Saheehayn, via Ibn 'Abbaas: in the khutbah given during a solar eclipse, the Prophet (saw) said, "I saw Hell and I saw that most of its inhabitants were women".


al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Prophet (saw) said, "O women give in charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell." They asked, "Why is that so, O Messenger of Allah (saw)?" He said, "Because you curse too much and are ungrateful for good treatment".


al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Usaamah ibn Zayd that the Prophet (saw) said "I stood at the gate of Hell, and saw that most of those who entered were women".


Muslim reports from 'Imraan ibn Husayn (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said, "Few of the inhabitants of paradise are women".


This does not contradict the fact that every man in Paradise will have more than one wife. What is referred to by the women who will be the majority of the inhabitants of Hell is women who are descendants of Aadam: the inhabitants of Paradise will have many wives from among al-Hoor al-'Iyn.


"Women will be few among the inhabitants of Paradise because in most cases they prefer the immediate pleasures of this life, as they are less wise and unable to keep the Hereafter in mind. They are too weak to strive and prepare themselves for it, and are more inclined towards this world. In spite of all this, they are the strongest factor in this world that distracts men from the Hereafter, because men are inclined to desire them and they are not concerned with the Hereafter. They are quick to follow those who call them to deviate from Islaam, and reluctant to follow those pious people who call them to the Hereafter, and righteous deeds". (al-Qurtubee, at-Tadhkirah, 1/369)


In spite of all this, there are many righteous women among them, who stay within the limits set by Allah (swt), adhere to His laws, and obey Allah (swt) and His Messenger. Many of these women will enter Paradise, and many of them excel over men in their faith and righteous deeds.
 
The Huge Size of the People of Hell​
When the People of Hell enter the Fire they will be huge in size, in a form that none can comprehend, except the One Who Created them.


According to a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The distance between the shoulders of the Kaafir in Hell will be like three day's travelling for a fast rider" (Muslim, 4/290)


Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The molar of the kaafir or the eye-tooth of the kaafir, will be like Uhud, and the thickness of his skin will be like a journey of three (days)". (Muslim, 4/2189, at-Tirmidhi, al-Haakim, Ibn Maajah and Ahmad)


Zayd ibn Arqam said, "The man who is destined for Hell will become huge in preparation for it, so that one of his molars will be as big as Mount Uhud".

This is narrated by Ahmad, who attributes it to the Prophet (saw) but Zayd did not state that he heard it from the Prophet (saw). (Silsilat al-Ahadith as-Sahihah, 4/131, al-Albaani said its isnaad is saheeh according to Ibn Maajah and Ahmad)


Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (saw) said: "The kaafir's skin will be forty-two cubits thick and his molar will be like Uhud and the space he occupies will be as wide as the distance between Makkah and Madinah." (at-Tirmidhi) (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh 3/103, sahih hasan)


Abu Hurayrah (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) said: "The molar of the kaafir on the Day of Resurrection will be like Uhud, and the thickness of his skin will be seventy cubits. His upper arm will be like al-Bayda', his thigh will be like Warqaan and the space he occupies will be like the distance between me and ar-Rabdhah" (al-Haakim and Ahmad - Silsilah al-Ahadith as-Sahihah, 4/94. al-Baydaa` could be the name of a mountain or it may refer to the well-known city in Morocco)


This increasing of the kaafir's body size will increase his suffering and torment. Commenting on the hadith narrated by Muslim on this subject, an-Nawawi said, "All of this is in order to intensify the suffering, and all of this is possible for Allah (swt). We must believe in it, because the truthful (Prophet) has told us about it" [Sharh an-Nawawi 'alaa Muslim, 17/186]. Ibn Katheer in a comment on these hadith said, "So that their punishment and suffering may be more severe, as Allah (swt) the Severe in punishment says:


"...that they may taste the Penalty". (4:46)


[Ibn Katheer, an-Nihayah, 2/139]
 
The Food, Drink and Clothing of the People of Hell​
The food of the people of Hell is ad-Daree and az-Zaqqum, and their drink is al-Hameem, al-Ghasleen and al-Ghassaaq.


Allah (swt) says:


"No food will there be for them but a bitter Daree obnoxious thorny plant, which will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger". (88:6-7)


ad-Daree is a thorny plant know as ash-Shubruq that grows in the Hijaaz. Ibn 'Abbaas said, "It is a low-growing thorny plant; when it grows tall it is called daree". Qataadah said, "It is one of the very worst types of food" (Ibn Rajab, at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.115). This food of the people of Hell will be of no benefit whatsoever to them, and they will not enjoy it in the least; this is one of the forms of punishment that they will suffer. Allah (swt) says:


"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." (44:43-46).


The Tree of Zaqqum is described in another aayah:


"Is that [Paradise] the better entertainment or the tree of Zaqqum [a horrible tree in Hell]? For We have truly made it [as] a trial for the wrongdoers. For it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hellfire, The shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of devils; Truly they will eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith. Then on top of that they will be given to drink a mixture made of boiling water. Then, shall their return by to the blazing Fire of Hell". (37:62-68)


Elsewhere in the Qur'an, Allah (swt) says:


"Then, will you truly - O you that go wrong, and treat [Truth] as Falsehood]! You will surely taste of the tree of Zaqqum. Then you will fill your insides therewith, and drinkboiling water on top of it. Indeed you will drink like diseased camels raging with thirst! Such will be their entertainment on the Day of Requital!" (56:51-66)


What we may understand from these aayaat is that this tree is a repulsive tree, whose roots go deep into the bottom of Hell, and whose branches stretch forth all over. Its fruits are so ugly that they are likened to the heads of devils, so that everyone may easily understand just how ugly they are, even though they have never seen them. Although this tree is so vile and obnoxious, the people of Hell will become so hungry that they will have no choice but to eat from it until they are full. When they have filled their bellies, this food will start to churn like boiling oil, which will cause a great deal of suffering to them. At that point they will rush to drink al-Hameem, which is an extremely hot water, and they will drink it like camels that drink and drink but their thirst is never quenched because of some disease. Then it will tear their innards:


"..[they] will be given to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels [to pieces]" (47:15)


This is the hospitality that will be offered to them on that awesome Day. May Allah (swt) protect us from this by His Grace and Mercy.


When the people of Hell eat this vile food of ad-Daree and az-Zaqqum, they will choke because of its foulness:


"Verily with Us are fetters [to bind them] and a raging Fire [to burn them], And a food that chokes and a Penalty grievous". (73:12-13)


The food that makes people choke is the food that sticks in the throat.


The Prophet (saw) portrayed for us the ugly and terrifying nature of az-Zaqqum:


"If one drop from az-Zaqqum were to land on this world, the people of earth and all their means of sustenance would be destroyed. So how must it be for the one who must eat it?" It was reported by at-Tirmidhi, who said, it is a sahih hasan hadith. [Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/105, narrated by Ibn 'Abbaas]


Another kind of food that will be eaten by the people of Hell is al-Ghasleen. Allah (swt) says:


"So no friend has he here this Day, Nor has he any food except corruption [or filth] from the washing of wounds [al-Ghasleen], which none do eat but those in sin". (69:35-37)


"Yea, such! - Then shall they taste it - a boiling fluid and a fluid dark, murky, intensely cold [ghassaaq]! And other penalties of a similar kind - to match them!" (38:57-58)


al-Ghasleen and al-Ghassaaq mean the same thing, which is the festering pus that oozes out of the skin of the people of Hell. It was suggested that it refers to the offensive discharge that flows from the private parts of adulterous women, and the decaying skin and flesh of the kuffaar. al-Qurtubee said, "It is the juice of the people of Hell" [Yaqhadhat uli al-I'tibaar, p. 86]


Allah tells us that al-Ghasleen is just one of many similarly obnoxious punishments.


The drink of the people of Hell will be al-Hameem. Allah (swt) says:


"...and 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)


"...and he will be made to drink boiling, festering water. He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find great difficulty in swallowing it.." (14:16-17)


These aayaat mention four kinds of drink that the people of Hell have to endure:


(1) al-Hameem: an extremely hot water.


As Allah says: "In its midst and in the midst of the boiling hot water will they wander round!" (55:44)


This was explained as being ultra-hot water. And Allah (swt) says: "They will be given to drink from a boiling hot spring." (88:5)


(2) al-Ghassaaq: as discussed above.


(3) al-Sadeed (pus): what flows from the flesh and skin of the Kaafir. Muslim reports from Jaabir that the Prophet (saw) said, "Anyone who drinks intoxicants will be made to drink the mud of khabaal". They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is the mud of khabaal?" He said, "The sweat of the people of Hell", or "the juice of the people of Hell".


(4) al-Muhl: according to the hadith of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri narrated by Ahmad and at-Tirmidhi the Prophet (saw) said:


"It is like boiling oil, and when it is brought near a person's face, the skin of the face falls off into it". Ibn 'Abbaas said, "It is like very thick oil".


Some of the sinners will be fed the burning coals of Hell as an appropriate punishment:


"Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat us a Fire into their own bellies, and they will soon be enduring a blazing Fire!" (4:10)


"Those who conceal Allah's revelations in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit - swallow into themselves naught but Fire.." (2:174)


As for the dress of the people of Hell, Allah (swt) has told us that garments of fire will be tailor-made for them, as it says in the Qur'an:


"..But for those who deny [their Rabb] for them will be cut out a garment of Fire; over their heads will be poured out boiling water" (22:19)


When Ibraaheem at-Taymi recited this Aayah he used to say, "Glory be to Allah, Who has created garments out of fire" (at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.126)


Allah (swt) says, "And you will see the sinners that Day bound together in fetters. Their garments of liquid pitch and their faces covered with Fire". (14:49-50)


This pitch or tar is melted copper. According to a hadith narrated by Muslim from Abu Maalik al-Ash'ari, the Prophet (saw) said, "The woman who wails for the dead, if she does not repent before she dies, she will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection, wearing a shirt of tar and a shield of scabs." Ibn Maajah reported this with the wording, "The woman who wails over the dead, who does not repent before she dies, Allah (swt) will cut out for her a garment of tar and a shield of scabs".
 
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The Punishment of the People of Hell: The Intensity of the Suffering of the People of Hell​
The Fire is an intense punishment, in which there are different types of torment, to escape which people would give the dearest possessions that they own:


"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 Maalik that the Messenger of Allah (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 Allah (swt), O Rabb"" (Muslim, Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/102).


Just a few short moments will make the kuffaar forget all the good times and pleasure that they had enjoyed. al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Anas ibn Maalik that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah 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". Allah (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-Bukhaari, in Kitaab ar-Raqaaq, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 11/416, See also Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 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


As Hell has various levels, in some of which the torment and horror is greater than in others, so the people of Hell will be given different levels of punishment. According to a hadith narrated by Muslim and Ahmad from Samurah, the Prophet (saw) said, concerning the people of Hell:"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 Kitaab al-Jannah wa Sifaat Na'imihaa, Baab Shiddat Harr an-Naar, 4/2185)


The Messenger of Allah (saw) has told us about those who will receive the lightest punishment in Hell. al-Bukhaari reports from al-Nu'maan ibn Basheer who said:


"I heard the Messenger of Allah (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-Bukhaari from an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer, 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-Bukhaari in Sahih, Kitaab ar-Raqaaq, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 11/417, and Muslim in his Sahih, Kitaab al-Imaan, 1/196, no. 363)


According to a report narrated from an-Nu'man ibn Basheer 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 not think that anyone could be more severely punished than himself, yet he will be the one with the lightest punishment". (Sahih Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, 1/196, no. 364; Muslim also reports from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri in the same chapter, no. 361)


al-Bukhaari and Muslim both narrate from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say, when his uncle Abu Taalib 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-Bukhaari in Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 11/417 and Muslim in Kitaab al-Imaam, Baab Shifa'at an-Nabi (saw), 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib, 1/195, hadith no. 360)


Many aayaat 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 Allah and hinder [men] from the Path of Allah, 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 kuffaar will suffer different levels of punishment in hell, as is known from Qur'an 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 Taalib, 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 hadith narrated by Muslim from Samurah may be interpreted as referring to the kuffaar, as there is a hadith about Abu Taalib, 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 'Abbaas, "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 (kabaa'ir) will not be like that of those who were guilty of minor sins (saghaa'ir). The punishment may be reduced for some of them because of other good deeds, or for whatever reason Allah (swt) wills. Hence some of them may die in the Fire". (at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p. 142-143)


(2) Roasting of the Skin


The Fire of the Almighty will burn the skin of the kuffaar. The skin is the site of sensation, where the pain of burning is felt, and for this reason, Allah (swt) will replace the burnt skin with a new one, to be burnt anew, and this will be repeated endlessly:


"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 Allah is Exalted in Power, All-Wise" (4:56)

(3) Melting


One of the kinds of torment will be the pouring of al-Hameem over their heads. al-Hameem is ultra-heated water; because of its extreme heat, it will melt their innards and everything inside:


"... 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-Hameem 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 sahih ghareeb hasan hadith". (at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.145, Jaami' al-Usool, 10/540)


(4) Scorching (the face).


The noblest and most dignified part of a person is the face, hence the Prophet (saw) forbade us to strike the face. One of the ways in which Allah (swt) will humiliate the people of Hell is by gathering them on their faces, blind, deaf and dumb, on the Day of Resurrection:


"..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 Allah 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 Allah (swt) from the punishment of the people of Hell.


(5) Dragging


Another of the painful torments that the Kuffaar will suffer is being dragged on their faces into Hell:


"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)


Qataadah said, "They will be dragged once in the Fire, and once in al-Hameem." (Ibn Rajab, at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.147)


(6) Blackening of the faces.


Allah (swt) will blacken the faces of the people of Hell in the Hereafter:


"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] Allah. 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 Kuffaar


The people of Hell are the Kuffaar whose sins and disobedience surround them, leaving no hasanah for them. Allah (swt) said, in response to the Jews who claimed that the Fire would only touch them for a certain length of time:


"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 kaafir and a mushrik. Siddeeq 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 kuffaar and mushrikeen, so evil and sin in this aayah has to be interpreted as meaning kufr and shirk. Thus the arguments of the Mu'tazilah and Khawaarij are shown to be false by the proven mutawaatir reports that state that the sinners among the monotheists will eventually be brought forth from Hell."

Sins and evil deeds surround the Kuffaar like a bracelet around the wrist, so their punishment should fit their crimes. Hence the Fire will surround the Kuffaar on all sides, as Allah (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 Allah (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-Mihaad) as meaning a mattress and the "cover" (al-Ghawaash) as being a blanket (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/168)


The "surrounding" may be interpreted in another way, which is that Hell will have a wall to surround the kuffaar so that they will never be able to get out or escape form it, as Allah (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


We have already explained that the physical bodies of the people of Hell will be made huge in size. In spite of that, the Fire will penetrate their bodies until it reaches their innermost depths:


"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-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.146)


Allah (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] Allah, kindled [to a blaze], that which mourns
to the hearts". (104:4-6)


Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurtubee said, "The Fire eats into him until it reaches his heart, then his body will be created anew. It was reported that when Thaabit al-Bananee read this aayah, 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-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.146)


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


al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Usaamah ibn Zayd that the Prophet (saw) said: "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-Bukhaari and Muslim, Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/642, hadith 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 Jaabir ibn Abdullaah that the Prophet (saw) said, "I saw 'Amr ibn 'Aamir al-Khuza'ee dragging his own entrails in Hell, and he was the first one to introduce as-Saa'ibah (a she-camel turned loose for free pasture for the sake of idols, upon which nothing was allowed to be carried". (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/642)


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


Allah (swt) has promised that the people of Hell will have chains fetters and hammers in the Fire:


"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'an 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)


Allah (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


The Kuffaar and Mushrikeen used to glorify the false deities that they worshipped instead of Allah (swt); they would defend them and give of themselves and their wealth in their worshipping. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah (swt) will cause those deities that they used to worship instead of Him to enter the Fire, as a source of humiliation and shame for them, so that they will know that they were misled and that they worshipped something that has no power either to benefit them or to harm them:


"Verily, you [disbelievers] and the [false] gods that you worship besides Allah 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 Kuffaar worship their gods instead of Allah (swt) and believe that they will intercede for them with Allah (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-Takhweef min an-Naar, 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 Allah. As the hadith says, "The sun and moon will be rolled up in Hell". (al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Imaan, and al-Bazzar, al-Isma'eelee and al-Khattabee, see Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 1/32)


al-Qurtubee says, "They will be placed in Hell, because they were worshipped instead of Allah (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 Kaafireen. This is what was said by some of the scholars." (al-Qurtubee, at-Tadhkirah, p.392)


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


"And if anyone withdraws himself from the remembrance of [Allah] 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


When the Kuffaar see Hell, they will be filled with intense regret, at a time when regret will be of no avail:


"...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 Kuffaar 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 [Allah] 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-Haakim there is a report from 'Abdullaah ibn Qays that the Messenger of Allah (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 Maalik 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 eemaan. 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 Allah 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 Allah (swt) described their condition [we seek refuge with Allah (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-Zafeer) is because of the intensity of their groaning and it is very high. It was suggested that az-Zafeer means the panting of the breath in the chest due to extreme fear, so that the ribs become swollen. The "low tone" (ash-Shaheeq) 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-Zafeer means that a man will take deep breaths because of his intense grief, and ash-Shaheeq refers to his exhaling" (Siddeeq Hasan Khan, Yaqadhat uli al-I'tibaar p.72)


(1) Sheikh Naasir ud-Deen al-Albaani narrated these two hadiths in Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/245, no. 1679 and attributed the first hadith to al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak. al-Haakim said "It is a hadith whose isnaad is saheeh". adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. Sheikh Naasir said, "He should have added: according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim. All the men of its isnaad are men who narrated the hadith they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) recorded. He mentioned that one of them, Abul-Nu'man, whose nickname was 'Aarim had become confused. Sheikh Naasir quoted the second hadith in support of the first, and attributed it to Ibn Maajah, and Ibn Abi-Dunyaa; Yazeed al-Raqqas one of the narrators, is da'eef, but the rest of the narrators are those from whom al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated.​
 
How to Save Oneself From the Fire​
As it is kufr that will condemn a person to eternal Hell, the way to be saved from Hell is through eemaan and righteous deeds. So the Muslims pray to their Rabb with faith to save them from the Fire:


"Those who say, "Our Rabb! We have indeed believed, forgive us then, our sins and save us from the agony of the Fire". (3:16)


"...Our Rabb! Not for naught have You created [all] this, glory to You! Give us salvation from the torment of the Fire. Our Rabb! Any whom You admit to the Fire, truly You cover with shame, and never will wrongdoers find any helpers. Our Rabb! We have heard the call of one calling [us] to faith: "Believe in your Rabb," and we have believed. Our Rabb! Forgive us our sins and blot out from us our inequities, and take to Yourself our souls in the company of the righteous [al-Abraar]. Our Rabb! Grant us what You did promise unto us through Your Messengers and save us from shame on the Day of Judgement, for You never break Your Promise". (3:191-194)


Many ahadith speak in detail about this matter and describe the deeds that will protect one from the Fire, for example, love of Allah (swt). In al-Haakim's al-Mustadrak, and Ahmad's al-Musnad, a report from Anas ibn Maalik (ra) states, "The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "By Allah (swt), Allah will never thrown one whom He loves into the Fire" (sahih, See Sahih al-Jaami' 6/104)


Fasting is also a source of protection from the Fire, as Ahmad reports in al-Musnad and al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Imaan, with a hasan isnaad from Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah: "The Prophet (saw) said, "Allah (swt) says, "Fasting is a shield with which one may protect oneself from the Fire". (Sahih al-Jaami, 4/114)


In Shu'ab al-Imaan, al-Bayhaqi reports from 'Uthmaan ibn Abil-Aas that the Prophet (saw) said, "Fasting is a shield from the punishment of Allah (swt)" It was reported by Ahmad, an-Nasaa'ee, Ibn Maajah and Ibn Khuzaymah and its isnaad is saheeh (Sahih al-Jaami' 3/264).


If fasting is accomplished at the time of jihaad against the enemy, then that is a great victory, as it was reported from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever fasts for one day when he is engaged in jihaad for the sake of Allah, Allah will remove him [lit. his face] seventy years distance from the Fire". (Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaa'ee - Sahih al-Jaami' 5/310)


Other means of salvation from the Fire are fear of Allah and jihaad for His sake:


"But for him who fears the standing before his Rabb, there will be two gardens [ie in Paradise]" (55:46)


at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasaa'ee reported from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah(saw) said: "No one who weeps out of fear of Allah will enter Hell until the milk goes back into the breast [i.e. never] and a man will never have both the dust from fighting in the way of Allah (swt) and the smoke of Hell". (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/356, no. 3828, isnaad is sahih)


al-Bukhaari reports from Abu 'Abs that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "No two feet that get dusty for the sake of Allah (swt) will never meet in the Fire of Hell". (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/349, no. 3794)


Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "A Kaafir and the one who kills him will never meet in the Fire of Hell." (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/349, no. 3795)


We may also be shielded from the Fire by seeking protection with Allah from it:


"Those who say, "our Rabb! Avert from us the wrath of Hell, for its wrath is indeed an affliction grievous." Evil indeed is it as an abode and as a place to rest in". (25:64-65)


Ahmad, Ibn Maajah, Ibn Hibbaan, and al-Haakim report with a sahih isnaad from Anas, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "No one asks Allah (swt)) for Paradise three times, but Paradise will say, "O Allah (swt) admit him to Paradise". And no Muslim asks Allah for protection from Hell three times, but Hell will say, "O Allah save him from me"" (Sahih al-Jaami, 5/145, no.5506)


al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that when the Prophet (saw) was discussing the angels who seek out gatherings of dhikr he said, "Allah (swt) asks them and He knows best, "What are they seeking protection from?" They tell Him, "From the Fire". He asks, "And have they seen it." They say, "No, by Allah, O Rabb, They have not seen it." He says, "How would it be if they had seen it?" They say, "They would be even more afraid and anxious to escape it". He (swt) says, "Bear witness that I have forgiven them"". (Sahih al-Jaami', 2/233, no. 2169)
 
Paradise: the Eternal Abode​
Paradise is the tremendous reward which Allah (swt) has prepared for His beloved (awliyaa) and those who obey Him. It is complete joy and pleasure, where nothing is lacking and nothing can disturb its purity. What Allah (swt) and His Messenger have told us about it makes out heads spin because our minds are not able to comprehend the greatness of such blessings.


Listen to the words of Allah (swt) in this hadith qudsi:


"I have prepared for My righteous slaves that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and has never crossed the mind of any human being".


Then the Prophet (saw) said, "Recite, if you wish: "No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do". (32:17)


The joys of Paradise are far greater than the pleasures of this world, which pale into insignificance in comparison. al-Bukhaari reports from Sahl ibn Sa'd as-Sa'idee that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "A space the size of a whip in Paradise is better than this world and al that is in it". (Fath al-Baari, 6/319, an-Nawawi's commentary on Muslim 17/166)


Because admittance to Paradise and salvation from the Fire are according to Allah's will and judgement, it is a great victory and tremendous success, as Allah (swt) says:


"Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden, will have indeed attained the object of life [or: been successful]" (3:185)


"Allah has promised to believers - men and women - Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein [forever], and beautiful mansions in Gardens of everlasting bliss. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme felicity [or success]". (9:72)


"...and those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing underneath, to abide therein [forever] and that will be the supreme achievement". (4:13)
 
Admittance to Paradise​
There is no doubt that the joy of the believers will be incomparable when they are led, group by honourable group, to the blessed Gardens of Paradise.


When they reach Paradise its gates will be opened for them, and they will be welcomed by noble angels congratulating them on their safe arrival after suffering so much hardship and witnessing so much horror:


"And those who feared their Rabb will be led to the garden in crowds, until, behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened and its keepers will say "Peace be upon you! Well have you done! Enter here, to dwell therein". (39:73)


In other words, your words, thoughts and deeds were good so your hearts and souls became pure and for that you deserve Paradise.
 
The Believers Will Be Purified Before They Enter Paradise​
After the Believers have passed over as-Siraat (the bridge over Hell), they will be kept on a bridge between Paradise and Hell, where they will be purified by means of their settling any wrongs that existed between any of them in this world. THen when they enter paradise they will be pure and clean, none of them bearing any ill-will towards another or demanding anything of another.al-Bukhaari reported from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:


"The believers will be saved from the Fire then they will be kept on a bridge between Paradise and Hell. They will settle their accounts with one another for any wrongs that existed between them in this world, until they are purified and cleansed, and will be permitted to enter Paradise. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, each of them will know his dwelling in Paradise better than he knew his dwelling in this world". (Sahih al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab al-Qisas Yawm al-Qiyamah, Fath al-Baari, 11/395)


Our Prophet (saw) will be the first to ask for the gates of paradise to be opened, after Aadam, the father of mankind, and all the other great Prophets refuse this task.
 
The First People to Enter Paradise​
The first of mankind to enter Paradise will be our Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the first nation to enter Paradise will be his ummah. The first member of this ummah to enter will be Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (ra).


Ibn Katheer quotes a number of Hadith [an-Nihayah, 2/213] that state this such as the report of Muslim from Anas (ra) according to which the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "I will be the first one to knock at the gates of Paradise".


Muslim also reported from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "I will come to the gates of paradise and ask for it to be opened. The gatekeeper will ask, "Who are you?" I will say, "Muhammad". The gatekeeper will say, "I was ordered not to open the gate for anyone else before you"".


al-Bukhaari, Muslim and an-Nasaa'ee report from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said: "We are the last, but we will be the first on the Day of Resurrection. We will be the first of mankind to enter Paradise".


Abu Dawood reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said, "Jibreel came to me, and showed me the gate of Paradise through which my ummah will enter". Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger of Allah (saw), would that I had been with you to see it!". The Messenger of Allah (saw) "But you, O Abu Bakr, will be the first of my ummah to enter Paradise".
 

Those Who Will Enter Paradise Without Being Called to Account​
The first group of this ummah who will enter Paradise will be those who were pre-eminent in their imaan, taqwaa, righteous deeds and adherence to the true religion. They will enter Paradise in one rank: the first of them will not enter until the last of them enters, and they will be as beautiful as the full moon.


Al-Bukhaari reports from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:


"The first group to enter Paradise will be as beautiful as the full moon. They will not spit, blow their noses or excrete. Their vessels will be fo gold, their combs of gold and silver, their incense o aloe, and their sweat of musk. Each of them will have two wives, the marrow of whose leg-bones will be visible through their flesh because of their extreme beauty. There will be no differences or hatred among them (the people of Paradise); their hearts will be as one, and they will glorify Allah (swt) morning and evening". (Kitaab Bid' al-Khalq, Baab Ma Jaa' fi Sifaat al-Jannah, Fath al-Baari, 6/318; Muslim, at-Tirmidhi)


al-Bukhaari reports from Sahl ibn Sa'd (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Seventy thousand - or seven hundred thousand - of my ummah will enter Paradise; the first of them will not enter until the last of them does so, and their faces will look like the full moon". (Fath al-Baari, 6/319)


It is true that with each one of these seventy, Allah (swt) will give His Prophet seventy thousand. Ahmad reports with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Bakr (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:


"I have been given seventy thousand of my ummah, who will enter Paradise without being called to account. Their faces will be like the full moon, and their hearts will be as one. I asked my Rabb, may He be glorified, for more, and He gave me, along with each of them, seventy thousand more". (Saheeh al-Jaami', 1/350, no. 1068)


Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Hibbaan report with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Umaamah that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "My Rabb promised me that seventy thousand of my ummah would enter Paradise without being called to account and without being punished, and with each one will be seventy thousand, and three handfuls of people picked up by my Rabb [i.e. it will be a great number]". (Saheeh al-Jaami' 6/108, no. 2988).


The Prophet (saw) described the characteristics of these seventy thousand.


al-Bukhaari reports from Ibn 'Abbaas that the Prophet (saw) said, "I was shown the nations, and I saw a Prophet pass by with a group of his people, and another with a band of his people, another with only ten, another with five, and another on his own (with no followers). Then I looked and saw a large crowd of people. I asked, "O Jibreel, are these my ummah?" He said, "No, but look at the horizon." So I looked, and saw a huge multitude of people. Jibreel said, "These are your ummah, and those seventy thousand in front will not be called to account or punished." I asked, "Why?" He said, "They did not treat themselves with branding (cauterisation) or with ruqyaa (charms) and they did not see evil omens in things (i.e they were not superstitious): they put their trust only in their Rabb"". 'Ukaasha ibn Mihsan stood up and said, "Pray to Allah (swt) to make me one of them". The Prophet (saw) said, "O Allah (swt) make him one of them". Then another man stood up and said, "Ask Allah (swt) to make me one of them". The Prophet (saw) said, 'Ukaasha has preceded you". (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Yadhkul al-Jannah Sab'un Alfan bi Ghayri Hisaab, Fath al-Baari, 11/405)


These may be the ones whom Allah (swt) has called al-Muqarraboon (those nearest to Allah swt):


"And those foremost [in faith] will be foremost [in the Hereafter]. These will be those nearest to Allah [al-Muqarraboon], in the Gardens of Bliss". (56:10-12)


More of them will come from the early generations than from the later generations:


"A multitude of those [foremost] will be from the first generations [who embraced Islaam], and a few of those [foremost] will be from the later generations". (56:13-14)
 
The Poor Will Enter Jannah Ahead of the Rich​
Muslim reports from 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said "The poor of the Muhajireen will enter Paradise forty years ahead of the rich". (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/663, no. 5235)


at-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Sa'eed, and Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah reported from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The poor of the Muhajireen will enter Paradise five hundred years ahead of the rich of the Muhajireen" (Saheeh al-Jaami' 4/90, no.4104).


Elsewhere the Prophet (saw) explained that these are the people who have nothing to be brought account for, and this is in addition to their jihaad and virtue. al-Haakim reported from 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Do you know who will be the first of my ummah to enter Paradise?" I said, "Allah and His Messenger know best". He said, "The poor of the Muhajireen. They will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and ask for it to be opened. The gatekeepers will say to them, "Have you been brought to account?" They will say, "What do we need to be brought to account for? We were carrying our swords and fighting for the sake of Allah (swt) until we died." Then the gates will be opened for them and they will stay there for forty years before anyone else enters". (Silsilah al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 2/532, no. 853, al-Haakim said it is sahih according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari and Muslim).


al-Bukhaari reports from Usaamah ibn Zayd that the Prophet (saw) said, "I stood by the gate of Paradise and saw that the majority of those who entered were the poor and wretched. The rich [Muslims] were detained while the people of Hell were ordered to be taken to Hell". (Sahih al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, BAab Sifaat al-Jannah, wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 2/345)


Some of the hadith quoted above stated that the poor will enter Paradise forty years ahead of other people while others state that the difference will be five hundred years. The two statements may be reconciled by pointing out that the poor a re not all alike, neither are the rich. As al-Qurtubee suggested (at-Tadhkirah, p.470) the poor vary in the strength of their imaan and their achievements, and the same applies to the rich. If we think in terms of the first of the poor and the last of the rich to enter Paradise then the time-span will be five hundred years, but if we are thinking of the last of the poor and the first of the rich, then the time span is forty years. And Allah knows best." (Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/345)
 
The First Three to Enter Jannah​
at-Tirmidhi reported with a hasan isnaad from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (saw) said:


"I was shown the first three to enter Paradise: the Shaheed (the martyr); the one who is chaste and proud; and the slave who worships Allah (swt) with devotion and is faithful and sincere towards his master" (Jaami' al-Usool, 10/535, attributed to Ahmad, al-Haakim and al-Bayhaqi)
 
The Sinners Among the Believers Will Enter Paradise​
(i) They will be brought forth from Hell and will enter Paradise by means of intercession.


Muslim reports from Abu Sa'eed that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:


"The people of Hell will remain there, never dying, and never living. But there are people who will enter Hell because of their sins, and will be killed therein, so that they become like coals. Permission will be granted for intercession to be made, and they will be brought forth in groups and spread on rivers of Paradise, and it will be said, "O people of Paradise, pour water on them. Then they will grow like seeds in the silt left by a flood". [Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab as-Shafa'ah wa Ikhraaj al-Muwahiddin min an-Naar, 1/172]


Muslim also reports from Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Some people will be brought out of the Fire, having been burnt all over except for their faces, and they will enter Paradise". [Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaam, Baab adna Ahl al-Jannah Manzilatan, 1/178]


The people of Paradise will call these people who are brought out of Hell and admitted to Paradise, al-Jahannamiyyoon. al-Bukhaari reports from 'Imraan ibn Husayn (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said, "Some people will be brought out of Hell through the intercession of Muhammad (saw). They will enter Paradise and will be known as al-Jahannamiyyoon." [Sahih al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 11/418. They are also mentioned in a hadith narrated from Jaabir by Muslim, 1/179 and al-Bukhaari from Anas, Fath al-Baari 11/416]


According to another sahih hadith narrated by Jaabir: "The Prophet (saw) said, "They will be brought out of the Fire through intercession, as if they are tha'areer". I asked, "What are tha'areer?" He said, "Daghabis [snake cucumbers]"". [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Sifaah al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 11/416]


Muslim reports a lengthy hadith from Abu Hurayrah, in which the Prophet (saw) describes the Hereafter, and in which he says: "...When Allah (swt) has finished judging mankind, and wants to bring whomever He wills out of Hell by His Mercy, He will order angels to bring forth those upon who He wishes to bestow His mercy of the people who never associated anything in worship with Allah (swt), and who said, "Laa ilaaha illaah Allah". The angels will recognise them in Hell, and will known them by the mark of sujood on their foreheads. The Fire will consume all of a man except the mark of sujood which Allah (swt) has forbidden the Fire to consume. They will be brought forth, having been burned in the Fire, the water of life will be poured on then, and they will grow like seeds left by still after a flood". [Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab ar-Ru'yah, 1/299, no. 182]


It was reported in more than one hadith that Allah (swt) will bring forth from hell whoever has a dinaar's weight of faith in his heart, or even half a dinaar's weight or an atom's weight. Moreover, people will be brought forth who never did any good deeds at all. Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Allah (swt) will admit the people of Paradise to Paradise and He will admit whomsoever He will by His Mercy. And He will admit the people of Hell to Hell, then He will say, "Look for anyone who has the weight of a mustard seed of faith in his heart, and bring him out"". [Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab Ithbat ash-Shafa'ah wa Ikhraaj al-Muwwahhadeen, 1/172]


One of the reports about Hell is the hadeeth narrated by Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah (ra) concerning entering Hellfire:


"Then intercession will be permitted and they will interceded until whoever says Laa ilaaha illa Allah and has a barley grain's worth of goodness in his heart will be brought forth. They will be made to stand in the courtyard of paradise and the people of Paradise will start to pour water over them, until they begin to grow like seeds left by silt after a flood. All traces of the Fire will disappear, then he [the person who was brought out of Hell] will keep asking until he is given the equivalent of this world and ten times more". [Sahih Muslim, Baab adna Ahl al-Jannah Manzilatan, 1/178]


Anas ibn Maalik reported that the Prophet (saw) said: "Whoever says Laa ilaaha illaa Allah and has a barely grain's weight of goodness in his heart will be brought out of the Fire. Then whoever says, "Laa ilaaha illaa Allah" and has a wheat grains weight of goodness in his heart will be brought out of the Fire. Then whoever says, Laa Ilaaha illaa Allah and has an atom's-weight of goodness in his heart will be brought out of the Fire". [Sahih Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab adna Ahl al-Jannah Manzilatan, 1/182]


There are many hadiths that discuss this matter.


(ii) Opinions of different groups on intercession.


The Khawaarij and Mu'tazilah deny that there will be any intercession to protect those who are guilty of major sins and have been ordered to enter Hell from doing so, or to bring forth those who have already entered.


al-Qurtubee said, "This intercession was denied by the innovators, Khawaarij and Mu'tazilah. Their denial is based on their corrupt principles, which are based on what they saw as rational thinking". [1]


These reprehensible ideas which go against the muttawaatir sahih hadith, emerged while the Sahabah were still alive. Muslim reports in his sahih from Yazeed al-Faqeer, who says: "I was infatuated with one of the ideas of the Khawaarij, so a large group of us went out, intending to go for Hajj and then go out to fight the people. We came to Madinah, where we found Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah sitting by a pillar, narrated hadith to the people. When he mentioned al-Jahannamiyyoon, I said, "O Companion of the Messenger of Allah, what is this that you are narrating, when Allah (swt) says: "And who You admit to the Fire, truly You cover with shame." [3:192] and "....everytime they wish to get away therefrom, they will be put back thereto.." [32:20] So what is it that you are saying?" He said, "Have you read the Qur'an?" I said, "Yes." He asked, "Have you heard about the [exalted] position of Muhammad [i.e. the position to which Allah swt would raise him]?" I said, "Yes". He said, "That is the honoured position of Muhammad by which Allah (swt) will bring out whosoever He wishes to bring out". Then he described as-Siraat [the bridge over Hell] and the passing of the people over it, then said, "I am afraid that I may not have remembered exactly what he said. But he said that people would be brought out of Hell after entering it. He meant that they would come out looking like the wood of the ebony tree; they would enter one of the rivers of paradise and bathe in it, then they would come out looking [white] like sheets of paper". We turned back and said, "Woe to you! Do you think this sheikh would tell lies about the Messenger of Allah (saw)? We turned back [from the views of the Khawaarij] and by Allah (swt) every one of us abandoned this group except for one man". [Sahih Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab adna Ahl al-Jannah Manzilatan, 1/179, no.191]


The Khawaarij and Mu'tazilah went ot extremes with their claim that people guilty of major sins [al-Kabaair] would never come out of Hell, and that the intercession of those who interceded would be of no avail for them. The Murji'ah went to the opposite extreme by stating that no-one who was guilty of major sins would necessarily enter Hell, and believing that all such people would enter Paradise without being punished at all. Both groups are in conflict with the well-known muttawaatir Sunnah and with the consensus of the Salaf and Imaams of this ummah. Allah (swt) has guided Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah to the truth in this matter where others have erred, by His Will. They [Ahl as-Sunnah] believe that hose who are guilty of major sins are subject to the will of Allah (swt); if He wills, He will forgive them, out of mercy, and If He wills, He will punish them for His sins then admit them to Paradise by His Mercy.


"Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him, but He forgives anything else, to whom He pleases." (4:48)


"Say: O My Slaves who have transgressed against themselves [by committing evil deeds and sins]! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-forgiving, All-Merciful". (39:53)


Shirk will not be forgiven, but any other sin is subject to the Will of Allah. The one who repents will be as if he never sinned. The aayaat that the Khawaarij use to prove that intercession will not be accepted actually refers to the kinds of intercession believed in by the mushrikeen. They think that interceding with Allah is like interceding with rulers or authorities on earth, where a person may intercede with someone (an authority figure) without that person's permission and even if the one in authority is displeased with the one on whose half intercession is made. This is not so in the case of Allah (swt) may He be glorified. Several texts reject this type of intercession, for example:


"Then guard yourselves against A Day when one soul shall not avail another, nor shall intercession be accepted from him nor will compensation be taken from him nor shall anyone be helped [from outside]" (2:48)


"Then will no intercession of [any] intercessors profit them". (74:48)


"..No intimate friend, nor intercessor will the wrongdoers have, who could be listened to". (40:18)


Several texts explain that no-one can intercede with Allah except with His permission and unless He is pleased both with the intercessor and the one for whom he seeks to intercede:


"Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His permission?" (2:255)


"and they cannot interceded except for him with whom He is pleased" (21:28)


"And there are many angels in the heavens, whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He wills and pleases". (53:26).


Allah (swt) also says about the angels: "He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased. And they stand in awe for fear of him". (21:28)


"No intercession can avail in His presence, except for those to whom He has granted permission". (34:23)


These aayaat reject and refute the kind of intercession believed in by the mushrikeen, i.e. intercession via angels, prophets and righteous people, ("saints"), and confirm only that intercession which takes place with the permission of Allah (swt) and when He is pleased with both the intercessor and the one on whose behalf he intercedes. Allah (swt) is not pleased with the kuffaar and mushrikeen. As for the disobedient monotheists, intercessors will interceded for them, but they will not intercede for a mushrik. al-Bukhaari narrated that Abu Hurayrah (ra) said, "I said, "O Messenger of Allah, who will be the most happy with your intercession on the Day of Resurrection?" He said, "I thought, O Abu Hurayrah, that no one would ask me this question before you, because I have seen that you are so eager to learn hadith. The one who will be the most happy with my intercession on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who says Laa ilaaha illaa Allah sincerely and from the heart"". [al-Bukhaari, Kitaab ar-Riqaaq, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath al-Baari, 11/418]


[1] al-Khawaarij are a sect that emerged after the battle of Siffin; they denounced 'Alee and Mu'awiyah, and whoever followed them, as kaafirs, and claimed that whoever was disobedient to Allah (swt) would remain forever in Hell. The Mu'tazilah are the followers of Waasil ibn 'Ataa' who believe in the Mu'tazili doctrine that whoever commits major sins will remain eternally in Hell, but does not judge their position in this life.
 
The Last Person to Enter Paradise​
The Prophet (saw) has told us about the last man who will be brought out of Hell and into Paradise and the conversation that will take place between him and his Rabb, and the incredibly great honour that Allah (swt) will bestow upon him. Ibn al-Ithir collected all the hadith on this topic in Jami' al-Usool from which we will quote the following:


(i) 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'oud (ra) said:"The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "I know the last of the people of Hell who will be brought forth from it, and the last of the people of Paradise to enter it. It is a man who will come out of Hell crawling on all fours." Allah will say to him, "Go and enter Paradise". So he will come to it and will suppose that it is full. He will go back and say, "My Rabb, I found it full". Allah (swt) will say, "Go and enter Paradise for there you have something like the world and ten times over [or you have something ten times better than the world]. He will says, "Are you making fun of me - or laughing at me - and You are the Sovereign of all?" I ['Abdullaah] saw the Messenger of Allah (saw) smiling so broadly that his back teeth were visible. He used to say, "That is the one who is lowest in status of the people of Paradise". [al-Bukhaari, 11/386, ar-Riqaaq, at-Tawheed Baab Kalaam ar-Rabb 'azza wa jall yawm al-qiyamah ma'a al-anbiyaa wa ghayrihim; and Muslim, with slight variation, no. 186, Baab aakhir Ahl an-Naar Khurujan; and at-Tirmidhi, no. 2598 in Safah Jahanam, Ch. 10]


(ii) 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'oud reported that the Messenger of Allah (Saw) said: "The last person to enter paradise will be a man who will alternately walk, stagger and be touched by the Fire. Once he has passed out of the Fire, he will turn to face it and say, "Blessed be He Who has saved me from you. Allah (swt) has given me something that He did not give to the earlier and later generations. Then a tree will be raised up for him, and he will say, "O my Rabb, bring me closer to this tree so that I may enjoy its shade and drink of its water". Allah (swt) will say, "O son of Aadam perhaps if I grant you this, you will ask Me for something else?" He will say, "No, O Rabb, I promise that I will not ask for anything else". Allah (swt) will excuse him because he is seeing something that he has no patience to resist so he will bring him closer and he will enjoy its shade and drink its water. Then another tree, better than the first, will be raised up for him and he will say, "O my Rabb, bring me near to this tree so that I may drink its water and enjoy its shade, then I will not ask you for anything more". Allah (swt) will say, "O son of Aadam did you not promise Me that you would not ask me for anything else? Perhaps if I bring you closer to this tree you will ask for more?" So the man will promise not to ask for any more, and Allah will excuse him because he is seeing something that he has no patience to resist, so He will bring him closer and he will enjoy its shade and drink its water. Then a third tree will be raised up at the gate of paradise, and it will be better than the first two. The man will say, "O My Rabb, bring me closer to this [tree] so that I may enjoy its shade and drink its water, and I will not ask for anything more." Allah will say, "O son of Aadam, did you not promise Me that you would not ask Me for anything more?" He will say, "Yes, O Rabb, I will not ask you for anything more." His Rabb, may He be glorified, will excuse him because he is seeing something which he has no patience to resist, so He will bring him closer. When he is brought close, he will hear the voices of the people of Paradise, and will say, "O my Rabb, admit me to it." Allah (swt) will say, "O son of Aadam what do you want so that you will never ask Me for anything else? Will it please you if I give you the world and as much again?" He will say, "O Rabb, are You making fun of me when You are the Rabb al-Aaalameen?" Ibn Mas'oud smiled and said, "Why do you not ask me why I am smiling?" They asked, "Why are you smiling?" He said, "Because the Messenger of Allah (saw) smiled". They asked, "Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allah (saw)?" He said, "Because the Rabb of the Worlds will smile when He is asked, "Are You making fun of me when You are the Rabb of the Worlds?" He will say, "I am not making fun of you, but I am able to do whatever I will""". [Muslim, no. 187, Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab aakhir an-Naar khurujan]


And in the version of Abu Sa'eed, he adds, "Allah (swt) will tell him, "ask for such and such" and when he has stated his wishes, Allah (swt) will say, "You will have them and ten times more". Then he will enter his house [in Paradise] and his two wives from among al-hoor al-'eeyn will enter and say, "Praise be to Allah (swt) who has created you for us and created us for you". He will say, "No one has ever been given anything like that which I have been given." [reported by Muslim, no.188 Kitaab al-Imaan, Baab adna Ahl al-Jannah manzilatan]
 

Those Who Will Enter Paradise Before the Day of Resurrection​
The first human being ever to enter Paradise was the father of mankind, Aadam (as),


"O Aadam! Dwell you and your wife in the Garden and enjoy [its good things] as you wish, but approach not this tree or you run into harm and transgression". (7:19)


But Aadam disobeyed Allah by eating from the tree which Allah (swt) had forbidden him to eat from, so Allah (swt) sent him down from the Garden of Paradise to this world of distress and misery:


"We had already, beforehand, taken the covenant of Aadam, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm will-power. When We said to the angels, "Prostrate yourselves to Aadam". They prostrated themselves but not Iblees, he refused. Then we said, "O Aadam! Verily, this is an enemy to you and your wife. So let him not get you both out of the Garden, so that you are landed in misery. There is in it [enough provision] for you not to go hungry nor to go naked, Nor to suffer from thirst nor from the sun's heat". But Shaytaan whispered evil to him, he said, "O Aadam, Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?" As a result they both ate of the tree and so their nakedness appeared to them, and they began to sew together leaves from the Garden for their covering. Thus did Aadam disobey his Rabb and allow himself to be seduced. But his Rabb chose him [for His Grace]; He turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance. He [Allah] said, "Get you down, both of you - all together - from the Garden, with enmity one to another." [20:115-123]


The Messenger of Allah (saw) also saw Paradise. al-Bukhaari reports from 'Imraan ibn Husayn that the Prophet (saw) said, "I have seen Paradise and I saw that its inhabitants are the poor.." [Sahih Bukhaari, Kitaab Bad' al-Khalq, Baab ma jaa fi Sifaat al-jannah, Fath al-Baari, 6/318]


Among those who will enter paradise before the Day of Resurrection are ash-Shuhadaa [the martyrs]. Muslim reports that Masruq said, "We asked Abdullaah ibn Mas'oud about this aayah:


"Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Rabb" (3:169)


He said, "We asked about that too, and the Prophet (saw) said, "Their souls are in the bellies of green birds, and they have lights suspended from the Throne. They wander about in Paradise wherever they wish, then they take shelter in those lights. Their Rabb will suddenly come to them and ask," Do you desire anything?" They will say, "What thing could we wish for when we can wander wherever we wish in Paradise?" Allah will come and ask this three times. When they see that they will not be allowed to giver no reply, they will say, "O Rabb, would that we could return our bodies and be killed for Your sake one more time." When Allah (swt) sees that they have no wants or needs, they will be left alone"". (Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 2/351, no. 3804)


Whoever dies will be shown his position in Paradise or Hell morning and evening. Muslim reports from Ibn 'Umar (ra) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:


"When any one of you dies, he will be shown his position morning and evening. If he is one of the people of Paradise, then he will be one of the people of Paradise, and if he is one of the people of Hell, then he will be one of the people of Hell and he will be told, "This is your position until Allah (swt) resurrects you to it on the Day of Resurrection"". [Muslim, see Muslim bi sharh an-Nawawi, 17/300]
 
Paradise: There is Nothing Like It​
The delights of Paradise surpass the imagination and defy description. They are like nothing known to the people of this world; no matter how advanced we may become, what we achieve is as nothing in comparison with the joys of the Hereafter. As is mentioned in several reports, there is nothing like Paradise:


"It is sparkling light, aromatic plants, a lofty palace, a flowing river, ripe fruit, a beautiful wife and abundant clothing, in an eternal abode of radiant joy, in beautiful soundly-constructed high houses". [Ibn Maajah, as-Sunan, Kitaab az-Zuhd, Baab Sifaat al-Jannah, 2/1448, no. 4332. Ibn Hibbaan narrated it in his saheeh]



The Sahabah asked the Prophet (saw) about the buildings of Paradise and he replied with a wonderful description:


"Bricks of gold and silver, and mortar of fragrant musk, pebbles of pearl and sapphire, and soil of saffron. Whoever enters it is filled with joy and will never feel miserable; he will live there forever and never die; their clothes will never wear out and their youth will never fade." [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, ad-Daarimee, Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/29, sahih].


Allah (swt) indeed spoke the truth when He (swt) said: "And when you look there [in Paradise] you will see a delight [that cannot be imagined]. and a great dominion" [76:20]


What Allah (swt) has kept hidden from us the delights of Paradise is beyond our ability to comprehend: al-Bukhaari reported from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Prophet (saw) said that Allah (swt) said, "I have prepared for My slaves what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart can imagine". Recite if you wish, "No person know what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do." (32:17).


In the version reported by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, there is the addition, "Never mind what Allah has told you; what He has not told you is EVEN greater".
 
The Gates of Paradise​


Paradise has gates through which the believers, like the angels, will enter:


"'Adn [Eden - everlasting gardens] of Paradise, whose doors will open for them" [38:50]


"...And angels shall enter unto them from every gate [with the salutation]: "Peace be unto you for that you persevered in patience! How excellent is the final home!" [13:23-24]


Allah (swt) has told us that these gates will be opened when the believers reach them, and they will be welcomed by the angels with greetings of peace:


"...til, when they reach it, its gates will be opened, and its keepers will say, "Salaamun 'alaykum! You have done well, so enter here to abide therein." [39:73]


The number of gates in Paradise is eight, one of which is called ar-Rayyaan, which is exclusively for those who fast.


al-Bukhaari and Muslim report from Sahl ibn Sa'eedi that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"In Paradise there are eight gates, one of which is called ar-Rayyaan. No one will enter it except those who fast, and when they have entered it will be locked behind them and no one else will enter it". [Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/214]


In addition to ar-Rayyaan, there are also gates for those who pray much, those who give in charity and those who fight in jihaad; Abu Hurayrah (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) said, "Whoever spends a pair [of anything] from his wealth for the sake of Allah (swt) will be called from the gates of Paradise, and Paradise has eight agates. Whoever used to pray [regularly and properly] will be called from the gate of prayer; whoever use to give in charity will be called from the gate of charity' whoever used to fight in jihaad will be called from the gate of jihaad, and whoever used to fast [regularly] will be called from the gate of fasting". Abu Bakr (ra) said, "By Allah, it would not matter if a person was called from any of them but will anyone be called from all of them, O Messenger of Allah (saw)?" He said, "Yes, and I hope that you will be one of them". [saheeh, Ibn Katheer, an-Nihaayah, 2/214]


The Prophet (saw) also said, "Whoever performs wudhu and does it properly, then lifts his gaze to the sky and says, "Ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa Allah, wahdahu laa shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abdahu wa rasuluhu, the eight gates of Paradise will be opened to him, and he will enter it through whichever one he wishes". [Muslim, Ahmad and others on the authority of 'Umar, an-Nihaayah, 2/219]


The Prophet (saw) told us that there is a gate, which is only for those who will not be called to account: this is the right-hand gate of Paradise. Everyone else will enter Paradise with the rest of the nations through the other gates. In a hadith about ash-Shafaa'ah (intercession) whose authenticity is agreed upon, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (saw) said, "Allah (swt) will say, "O Muhammad, admit those of your ummah who do not need to be brought to account through the right-hand gate and the others will enter through the other gates like the rest of the people.""


In the same hadith, the Prophet (saw) described the width of the gates of Paradise:


"By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, the distance between two panesl of the gates of Paradise or between the two gateposts, is liek the distance between Makkaah and Hajar, or between Makkah and Basra" [an-Nihaayah, 2/221]


The Prophet (saw) has told us that the gates of Paradise are opened during Ramadhaan. al-Bukhaari, Muslim, and Ahmad report from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "When the month of Ramadhan comes, the gates of heaven are opened".


In some reports it states that the distance between the two gate-panels when they are open is that of a forty year journey.


The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "The distance between the two gate-panels of one of the gates of Paradise is the distance of forty-year's walking, but there will come a time when it is very crowded". [Ahmad in al-Musnad, Abu Na'eem in al-Hilyah, from Haakim ibn Mu'aawiyah from Mu'aawiyah, sahih; see also Muslim and Ahmad on the authority of 'Utbah ibn Ghazwaan]


And in the narration of at-Tabaraani reported in al-Mu'jam al-Kabeer from 'Abdullaah ibn Salaam, it is said "..and it [the gate] will become as crowded as a drinking-trough surrounded by thirsty camels".
 
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