tgml 0006 - Jannah and Jahannam (Part II)

Assalamu'alaikum.

We are now in the month of Ramadhan, a special month as ordained by Allah. This is the fasting month where we are given the opportunity to make our spiritual investments to pursue Jannah.   The value of our investments are worth much more than in other months.  InshaAllah.  In a hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Allah says: '(the person observing Saum [fasting] has abstained from food and drink, and sexual pleasures for My sake; fasting is for Me, and I will bestow its reward. Every good deed has ten times its reward'." In another hadith narrated by Muslim, the Prophet (pbuh) said,"The reward of every (good) deed of a person is multiplied from 10 to 700 times."

Thus, we are encouraged to increase our virtuous  deeds (eg. tarawih prayers, other optional prayers, recitation and understanding of the Qur'an, charity, zikir, etc) in this blessed Ramadhan.  May Allah Ta'ala forgive us, assist us all towards performing good deeds and staying away from the bad. And may all of our efforts and prayers in this blessed Ramadhan be accepted by Allah Aza Wajalla. Ameen.

Our objective of doing virtuous deeds is to seek Allah's Compassion for admission to Jannah.  Why? We have learnt the bliss of Jannah from some of the descriptions in the Qur'an and Sunnah in the last posting (tgml 0005). How wonderful to live in an eternal abode like that!

But there is another ominous reason why we need to do good and stay away from the prohibited.  Yes, the fearful Jahannam! In this posting we will list some descriptions in the Qur'an about Hell and the punishments for disbelievers and transgressors.

JAHANNAM

• "(Allah tells about the humiliation of the people of Hell by saying): And the people of Hell shall call out to the people of Paradise:" Give us some water, or some of that (food) which Allah has given you." They (the people of Paradise) shall reply: "Truly Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers."  (Al-A'raf 7:50)

• (Allah says: The disbelievers are those) who made their religion a pastime and an idle sport, and who were deceived by the life of the world (by its luxury and enjoyment).  Therefore, on this day (Day of Judgement), We will forget them (disregard them) as they forgot (disregarded the preparations for) the meeting of this day: for they denied Our revelations."    (Al-A'raf 7 : 51)

• "....And (for that reason) Fire shall be their final home; and wretched indeed is the dwelling place of the evil-doers."  (Ali-Imran 3:151)

• "Indeed those who reject Our revelations, We will burn them in Hellfire. No sooner are their skins burnt off then We shall replace them with new skins, so that they may truly taste Our chastisement. And (remember that) surely Allah is Almighty, All-Wise."  (An-Nisa 4:56)

• "Satan always makes (false) promises and stirs up in them vain desires, but Satan makes them promises only to deceive them.  For these people, their abode shall be Hell, and they shall find no way to escape from it."   (An-Nisa' 4: 120-121)

• "...And (remember) those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in the path of Allah - proclaim to them a painful punishment."    "(That is ) on that day, their gold and silver (their treasures) will be heated in the Fire of Hell, and their foreheads, sides and backs branded with them (while it will be said to them): " these are the riches which you hoarded. Taste then (punishment of) what you have hoared."   (At-Taubah 9:34-35)

• "Before him lies Hell and he shall be given stinking boiling water (which comes out of the bodies of the dwellers of the Hellfire)."  "He has to force himself to drink and he can scarcely swallow it (due to its bad smell). And (the pains of) death shall come to him from every quarter, yet he shall not die (so he shall not escape this torment), and besides that there is a greater torment."  (Ibrahim14:16-17)

• "...And We shall gather them all on the Day of Judgement (by dragging them) on on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf. Hell shall be their abode: whenever its flames die down, We will increase for them the fierceness of the fire"  (Al-Isra' 17:97)

• "Say (O Muhammad): "The truth is from your Lord.  Let him who will, believe in it, and him who will, disbelieve in it.  For the wicked, We have prepared a Hellfire which will encompass them like the walls  and roof of a tent.  When they cry out for relief by reason of thirst, they shall be showered with water like molten brass, which will scald their faces.  How dreadful a drink, how evil a place of rest."   (Al-Kahf 18: 29)

• "Here are two antagonists (the believers and the unbelievers) who contend about their Lord. As for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; scalding water shall be poured upon their heads. Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted. For them are iron rods for torturing them. Whenever they try to get out of Hell due to their suffering, they are restored to it and told: " Taste the torment of burning!""  (Al-Hajj 22:19-22)

• "The Hellfire will scorch their faces, and they will be abide therein with their lips distorted in pain.   (Al-Mu'min 23: 104)

• ".....But as for those transgressors (who do not believe and are guilty of disobedience) there will be the most evil place of final return,- That is, in the Fire of Hell where they shall be burnt, and a dismal resting-place is Hell; This is a punishment, let them taste it, - a boiling fluid, and a dark, murky, intensely cold fluid (for them to drink); And other penalties of a similar kind, which are equally bad."  (Sad 38: 55-58)

• "When yokes and chains shall be put round their necks while they shall be dragged along- Through boiling waters and then they are burnt in the Fire; Then it will be said to them:" Where are those idols (or beings and powers) to which you ascribed divinity?" (Al-Mu'min 40:71-73)

• "(Bear in mind), truly the tree of Zaqqum,- (Its fruit) shall be the food of the sinner (in Hell).  (This food is hot) like molten brass; it shall simmer in the belly,- like the boiling of scalding water. (Then the Keeper of Hell shall be ordered): "Seize him and drag him into the midst of the blazing Fire. "Then pour the penalty of boiling water over his head." (And it is said to them mockingly): "Taste you the punishment, truly you were an illustrious and honourable man (among your people)!" (then it is said to all the members of Hell): "Truly this is (the punishment) which you used to doubt."  (Ad-Dukhan 44: 43-50)

• "They not only accuse you of lying{O Muhammad}but they consider the Hour of Doom as a lie.  and for those who deny the Hour of Doom We have prepared a blazing fire.  When Hell sees them for a far-off place, they shall hear it raging and sighing. And when, chained together, they are flung into some narrow space in Hell, they will scream of destruction there and then (to release them form extreme punishment). "   ( Al-Furqan 25:11-13)

• "O believers! Guide yourselves and families against the Fire (of Hell) whose fuel is human beings and stones, whose keepers are fierce and severe ( in their dealings), and they never disobey Allah's command and promptly do what they are commended."  (At-Tahrim 66:6)

The above are some of the descriptions of the warnings Allah has revealed to mankind regarding punishments awaiting them lest they ignore His Commands. Everytime the faithful read the verses in the Qur'an depicting Hell and  punishments, bolts of fear should make us tremble and shake for there is no pain more painful and repetitive than that which one  can suffer in the final home of Fire. Wana'udhubillah (And we seek protection in Allah).  

We seek Allah's protection from  being complacent about the threat of  Jahannam in view of the bombardment of movies, curses and expletives using the word "Hell" as if Hell is merely an angry label or just another bad place to send someone you don't like , or just a place that is hot! Just like Jannah, Jahannam or Hell is REAL and TERRIFYING and not just a depiction in a CGI movie!

Therefore, as advised by 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali,"We must carefully guard not only our own conduct, but the conduct of our families, and of all who are near and dear to us. For the issues are most serious, and the consequences of a fall are most terrible."

M'as-Salaama