Hellfire - جھنّم

اعوذ باللہ من الشیطٰن الرجیم
بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم
الحمد لله رب العالمين ، أرسل رسوله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله و كفي بالله شهيدا ، و أشهد ألا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ؛ له الملك و له الحمد ، يحيى و يميت و هو على كل شئ قدير

In the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful, master of the day of Judgement. It is his aid that we seek to keep ourselves on the right path and the path whom he has blessed and not of those who go astray.

Salutations be upon Prophet Mohammad SAW, who was sent as a guide to this mankind and who delivered the message of our creator in its completeness through his words and action.

Dear respected brothers, sisters and elders of the community, Assalam o allaikum….

In my previous khutba, we talked about Al-Jannah. We talked about the Al-Jannah. We talked about its people and and its conditions and brief descriptions that Allah SWT has provided us in Quran Al Kareem.

We also learnt from the saying of Prophet Mohammad SAW that a human mind cannot comprehend the realities of Jannah as it surpasses every imagination a human being has. Allah SWT therefore gives us examples in Quran that are relevant to our worldly life here so we can understand and appreciate the goodness of Jannah as the reward of those who spend their lives as righteous.

In order to attain Jannah, we must show our obedience to Allah SWT in this life. We must maintain a relationship with Allah SWT in this life where our Imaan is increased rather than decrease. In order to increase this imaan we must have hope from Allah SWT and we must have fear from Allah SWT. It is after such struggle that Allah blesses us with this good eternal life and companionship of the prophets, martyrs, righteous and the truthful people.

When we see the life of sahaba kiram radhiallahu anhum, we see that they maintained this relationship with Allah SWT through the teachings of Quran. They maintained hope from Allah SWT through the explanations of Jannah and they maintained their fear by learning about the hellfire. It is as important for a muslim to know the mercy of Allah SWT as it is to know about His anger. All prophets sent by Allah SWT were the bearers of glad tidings as well as the warners of the torment of hellfire.

Allah SWT says in Quran (35:24):
إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا خلَا فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ
Verily! We have sent you with the truth, a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner. And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.



In another ayah (59.20):
لَا يَسْتَوِي أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمُ الْفَائِزُونَ
Not equal are the dwellers of the Fire and the dwellers of the Paradise. It is the dwellers of Paradise that will be successful

The punishment in the hellfire is not only limited to humans but also to Jinns.
Allah SWT says in Quran (32:13):

وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَآتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَاهَا وَلَكِنْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ مِنِّي لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
And if We had willed, surely! We would have given every person his guidance, but the Word from Me took effect (about evil­doers), that I will fill Hell with jinn and mankind together.

We also notice that Allah SWT has called this hellfire with different names in Quran. Allah SWT calls it “An_Naar” (58:17):

لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا أُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Their children and their wealth will avail them nothing against Allâh. They will be (the) dwellers of the Fire, to dwell therein forever.


And in Surah Al-Lahab, Allah calls it the Flame of Fire (111:3):

سَيَصْلَى نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ

He will be burnt in a Fire of blazing flames!


Allah SWT has divided this hellfire into different ranks based on the its difficulty and punishment. Allah SWT tells us in Surah An Nisaa (4:145):

إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا
Verily, the hyprocrites will be in the lowest depths (grade) of the Fire; no helper will you find for them

The messenger of Allah SAW said that there is a valley in the hellfire that is called “Wayl” and if a mountain is placed in that valley, it will melt out of the sheer heat and then he repeated 10 times the ayah of Surah Mursalaat (77:15):

وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!

The most common name of hellfire in arabic is “Jahannam” as mentioned in Surah Al-Jinn (72:23):

إِلَّا بَلَاغًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِسَالَاتِهِ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَإِنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا
"(Mine is) but conveyance (of the truth) from Allâh and His Messages (of Islâmic Monotheism), and whosoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, then verily, for him is the Fire of Hell, he shall dwell therein forever[] ."

Another name of it is “Saqr” Surah Mudassir ( 74:26-28):

سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ (74:26
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ (74:27)
لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ (74:28)
26. I will cast him into Hell-fire
27. And what will make you know exactly what Hell-fire is?
28. It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)!



And also mentioned by the name “Jaheem” in Surah Al Haaqa (69:30-31):

خُذُوهُ فَغُلُّوهُ
ثُمَّ الْجَحِيمَ صَلُّوهُ
(It will be said): "Seize him and fetter him,
Then throw him in the blazing Fire.

In Surat Al-Hajj, Allah SWT called it “As-Sa’eer” (22:4):
كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ مَن تَوَلَّاهُ فَأَنَّهُ يُضِلُّهُ وَيَهْدِيهِ إِلَى عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ
For him (the devil) it is decreed that whosoever follows him, he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire. [Tafsir At-Tabarî]

In Ibn Katheer’s interpretation of the meaning of the Quran, he said according to Sa’eed Ibn Jubayir RAA that “As-Sa’eer” is a valley of pus in the hell fire.
Allah SWT also called it the “Great Fire” or “An-Nar Al-Kobra”, compared to the fire of this world, which is absolutely minor in comparison to the fire of the hereafter.

Abou Hurayirah RAA narrated from the messenger of Allah PBUH that he said: “the fire of this world with its heat and fury is only a part of seventy parts of the fire of hell and it was cooled in the oceans twice otherwise, it would have done no one any good, because of its heat”. [Sunan Ahmad]

Among the properties and descriptions of the hell fire is a tree that the people of hell shall eat from, that is known as “Az-Zaqqoom”, the taste of which is most bitter than any thing ever found in this world or the hereafter and its smell is more offensive than any decayed cadaver ever found. It is mentioned in many verses in the Quran in Surat Al-Isra’a, As-Saffat, Ad-Dukhan and Al-Waqi’ah, among those is what was mentioned in Surat As-Saffat (37:62-67):

أَذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ نُّزُلًا أَمْ شَجَرَةُ الزَّقُّومِ ہ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاهَا فِتْنَةً لِّلظَّالِمِينَ ہ إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌ تَخْرُجُ فِي أَصْلِ الْجَحِيمِہ طَلْعُهَا كَأَنَّهُ رُؤُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ ہ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَآكِلُونَ مِنْهَا فَمَالِؤُونَ مِنْهَا الْبُطُونَ ہ ثُمَّ إِنَّ لَهُمْ عَلَيْهَا لَشَوْبًا مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ
Is that the better entertainment or the Tree of Zaqqoom? For, We have truly made it (as) a trial for the wrong-doers. For it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell-fire: 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 a mixture made of boiling water.

And again in Surat Ad-Dukhan, Allah SWT said (44:43-46):

إِنَّ شَجَرَةَ الزَّقُّومِ ہ طَعَامُ الْأَثِيمِ ہ كَالْمُهْلِ يَغْلِي فِي الْبُطُونِ ہ كَغَلْيِ الْحَمِيمِ ہ
Verily the tree of Zaqqoom Will be the food of the Sinful, Like molten brass; it will boil in their insides, Like the boiling of scalding water.

In Surat Az-Zukhruf, Allah SWT described hell fire regarding the big boss of its gatekeepers, whose name is “Malik”, from among the honorable angels in a famous expected dialogue between him and the disbelievers and criminals as follows (43:74-77):

إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِي عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ ہ لَا يُفَتَّرُ عَنْهُمْ وَهُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ ہ وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَكِن كَانُوا هُمُ الظَّالِمِينَ ہوَنَادَوْا يَا مَالِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُم مَّاكِثُونَ ہ
The sinners will be in the Punishment of Hell, to dwell therein: the punishment will not be lightened for them, and in despair will they be there overwhelmed. We were not unjust to them: but it is they who have been unjust themselves. They will cry: "O’ Malik! Would that thy Lord; Allah put an end to us!" he will say, "No, but you shall abide forever!"

“Malik” is the name of the angel who is charged with the affairs of Hell fire.

In another Surah, Allah SWT described the conversation between the people of hell fire and its angels, whose name is “Az-Zabanyiah”, as mentioned in Surat Ghafir (40:49-50):

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ فِي النَّارِ لِخَزَنَةِ جَهَنَّمَ ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ يُخَفِّفْ عَنَّا يَوْمًا مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ ہ قَالُوا أَوَلَمْ تَكُ تَأْتِيكُمْ رُسُلُكُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ قَالُوا بَلَى قَالُوا فَادْعُوا وَمَا دُعَاء الْكَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ ہ

Those in the Fire will say to the Keepers of Hell: "Pray to your Lord; Allah, 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!"

In another Surah, Allah SWT described the keepers of the Hell Fire as follows as mentioned in Surat At-Tahreem (66:6):

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

O’ you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are appointed angels stern and severe, who flinch not from executing the Commands they receive from Allah, but do precisely what they are commanded.

Abu Hurayirah RAA narrated that the messenger of Allah PBUH said: “Everyone of you shall enter paradise except those who refuse. The people asked him: who will refuse, O’ messenger of Allah? He said: “Who obeys me shall enter it and who disobeys me verily, refused” reported by Al-Bukharee and the messenger of Allah PBUH also said: “Every offspring of Adam commits errors, and the best of those who err are the ones who ask for forgiveness”. Ask Allah SWT for forgiveness with assurance of His acceptance insha’allah.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, the description of the hell fire is really unnerving and upsetting, but we have to know how it is in order to do righteous and fear Allah SWT more and more.

May Allah SWT keep us on the path of righteousness and save us from the hellfire.
Ameen!

Delivered at Fredericton Islamic Association, Masjid on August 17, 2007