#hell islam qa

[islamichy]

Is Hell divided into ranks?

In Hell, everyone will be repaid in full for what they did. Certainly people will be ranked according to the intensity of their disbelief, the confusion they stirred up concerning the believers and Allah’s religion, and according to the seriousness of the wrongdoing they used to commit in the world. For example, it is declared in the Qur’an that hypocrites, the main enemies of believers against whom they hatch secret plans, will be in the lowest level of the Fire (Surat an-Nisa’: 145). Likewise, it is stated in the verse below that all unbelievers will certainly enter the Fire and, with the justice of Allah, will be paid in full for what they did:

Those are people of whom the statement about the nations, both of jinn and men, who passed away before them, has also proved true; truly they were the lost. Everyone will be ranked according to what they did. We will pay them in full for their actions and they will not be wronged.  (Surat al-Ahqaf, 18-19)

Besides this, unless Allah wills otherwise, people will not be forgiven and released from Hell after a given period of punishment for their wrong actions. Every unbeliever who enters Hell will remain in it for eternity, forever (Surat al-Baqara: 80-81).

[islamichy]

Islamic Questions

What will the unbelievers be given as food and drink in Hell?

The companions of Hell, who are removed from the mercy and grace of Allah on account of their excesses in the world, will not be given any blessing in the Hereafter. Unbelievers who will meet only the punishment of Hell will call out to believers, begging them to throw down some of the blessings that are endlessly bestowed on them (Surat al-A’raf: 50). Nevertheless, instead of these blessings which are forbidden to them, the unbelievers will be given food which chokes, causes pain, and in no way satisfies hunger, and drinks which intensify their thirst. What is more, although they are of no good to them, they will long for this agonising food and drink.

Descriptions in the Qur’an of the food and drink that are prepared for unbelievers in Hell convey the indescribable punishment and the sickening horror of their situation:

The tree of Az-Zaqqum (Surat ad-Dukhan: 43-46) and bitter thorny bush (Surat al-Ghashiyya: 6-7) are among the food of Hell. Scalding water (Surat al-Waqi’a: 54-55), pus to drink (Surah Ibrahim: 16-17) and exuding pus (Surat al-Haqqa: 36) are among the drinks of Hell.

[islamichy]

Islamic Questions

Are there any other punishments in Hell apart from the Fire?

Allah informs us in the Qur’an that unbelievers will be flung into Hellfire, and will have garments of fire and tar. (Surat al-Hajj, 19) Yet the punishment of Hell is not limited to fire:

- There are cudgels made of iron (Surat al-Hajj, 21),

- people will be yoked together in chains (Surah Ibrahim, 49),

- they will be dragged along and will have shackles and chains around their necks (Surah Ghafir, 71),

- the punishment of boiling water will be poured on their heads (Surat ad-Dukhan, 48),

- they will wear shirts of tar (Surah Ibrahim, 50),

- they will be flung into a narrow place in it, shackled together in chains (Surat al-Furqan, 13),

- they will be firewood and fuel for Hellfire (Surat al-Jinn, 15, Surah Al ‘Imran, 10)

What is listed here is in fact only a small portion of the types of punishment of Hell. In Hell there are punishments that are so painful that no one on earth can ever imagine. Besides the regret they feel, the spiritual pain that Allah inflicts on the companions of the Fire will everlastingly burn their hearts. Allah draws attention to this spiritual pain in the Qur’an as follows:

And what will convey to you what the Shatterer is? The kindled Fire of Allah reaching right into the heart. (Surat al-Humaza, 5-7)