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 (peace be upon him) 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 Kitab Al-Jannah wa Sifaat Na’imiha, Baab Shiddat Harr an-Naar, 4/2185)
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has told us about those who will receive the lightest punishment in Hell. Al-Bukhari reports from Al-Nu’maan ibn Bashir who said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) 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’.
Al-Bukhari and Muslim both narrate from Abu Saeed Al-Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allah Almighty say, when his uncle Abu Talib 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-Bukhari in Kitab ar-Riqaq, Bab Sifaat Al-Jannah wan-Naar, Fath Al-Bari, 11/417 and Muslim in Kitab Al-Imam, Bab Shifaat an-Nabi (peace be upon him), Ali ibn Abi Talib, 1/195, Hadith no. 360)
Many ayat 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...” (Qur’an, 4:145)
“..and on the Day when the Hour uprises (it is said): Cause Pharaoh’s folk to enter the most awful punishment. (Qur’an, 40:46)
“Those who reject Allah and hinder from the Path of Allah, for them will We add penalty to penalty, for that they used to spread mischief.” (Qur’an, 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 infidels 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 Talib, how the Prophet (peace be upon him) 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 infidel, as there is a Hadith about Abu Talib, or it may be interpreted as referring to those monotheists who will be punished.” (At-Tadhkirah, p. 409)
Roasting of the skin
The Fire of the Almighty will burn the skin of the infidels. The skin is the site of sensation, where the pain of burning is felt, and for this reason, Allah Almighty will replace the burned skin with a new one, to be burned 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.” (Qur’an, 4:56)
Melting
One of the kinds of torment will be the pouring of Al-Hamim over their heads. Al-Hamim 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 skins.” (Qur’an, 22:19-20)
At-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Al-Hamim 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)
Scorching (the face)
The noblest and most dignified part of a person is the face, hence the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade us to strike the face. One of the ways in which Allah Almighty 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; every time it shows abatement, We shall increase for them the Fierceness of the Fire.” (Qur’an, 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?” (Qur’an, 27:90)
The Fire will burn and cover their faces forever, with no barrier between them and it: “If only the unbelievers knew when they will not be able to ward off the Fire from their faces, nor yet from their backs, and no help can reach them!” (Qur’an, 21:39)
“The Fire will burn their faces and they will therein grin, with their lips displaced.” (Qur’an, 23:104)
“Their garments of liquid pitch, and their faces covered with fire.” (Qur’an, 14:50)
“Is then one who has to fear the brunt of the penalty on the Day of Judgement his face?” (Qur’an, 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.” (Qur’an, 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 Almighty from the punishment of the people of Hell.
Dragging
Another of the painful torments that the infidels 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: “Taste the touch of Hell.” (Qur’an, 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 round their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along, in the boiling fetid fluid, then shall they be burned.” (Qur’an, 40:70-72)
Qatadah said, “They will be dragged once in the Fire, and once in Al-Hamim.” (Ibn Rajab, at-Takhweef min an-Naar, p.147)
Blackening of the faces
Allah Almighty will blacken the faces of the people of Hell in the Hereafter: “On the Day when some faces will be white and some faces will be black; to those who faces will be black: “Did you reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the Penalty for rejecting Faith.” (Qur’an, 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 Allah. Their faces will be covered, as it were, with pieces from the darkness of night. They are Companions of the Fire, they will abide therein [for aye!] (Qur’an, 10:27)
To be continued
n Courtesy: magicalprincessdiaries.blogspot.com
Punishment for the people of Hell
