CLASS 8
PEOPLE OF HELL
A N D T H E I R S I N S
The People Who Will Abide Therein Forever
The people of Hell who will abide therein forever, never leaving it and never dying, are the disbelievers and polytheists. Allaah (swt) says:
"But those who reject Allaah, for them will be the Fire of Hell. No term shall be determined for them, so they should die, nor shall its penalty be lightened for them". (35:36)
"But those who reject Faith and belie Our Signs, they shall be companions [or dwellers] of the Fire; they shall abide therein". (2:39)
"Verily those who reject faith and die rejecting - on them is Allaah's Curse and the Curse of the Angels and of all mankind. They will abide therein: their penalty will not be lightened, nor will respite be their lot." (2:161-162)
"Know they not that for those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger is the Fire of Hell - wherein they shall dwell? That is the supreme disgrace". (9:63)
Because they will abide therein forever, Allaah (swt) described the torment of Hell as a lasting torment, one that will never end, one that is eternal:
"Their wish will be to get out of the Fire, but never will they get out therefrom: their Penalty will be one that endures". (5:37)
"At length it will be said to the wrongdoers: "Taste you the enduring punishment! You get but the recompense of what you earned!" (10:52)
Death will be slaughtered, as is stated in the hadith narration from Ibn 'Umar by al-Bukhaari and in Muslim from Abu Sa'eed who said: "The Messenger of Allaah of Allaah ﷺ said: "Death will be brought like a horned ram, and will be made to stand between Paradise and Hell". It will be said, "O people of Paradise, do you know what this is?" They will raise their heads and look, and will say, "Yes, this is death". It will be said, "O people of Hell, do you know what this is?" They will raise their heads and look, and will say, "Yes, this is death". Then the command will be given for death to be slaughtered. Then it will be said, "O people of Paradise, it is eternal, there is no death. O people of Hell, it is eternal, there is no death". Then the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ recited: "And warn them of the Day of Grief and regrets when the case has been decided, while [now] they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not". (19:39)
The Worst Evil Deeds
The Qur'aan speaks at length of the evil deeds for which those who will abide in the Hell forever deserve their never-ending fate. Here we will mention the most serious of them.
1. Kufr and Shirk
Allaah (swt) tells us that it will be said to those who disbelieved, when they are in the Fire, that Allaah's hatred of them will be greater than their own hatred towards themselves because of their disbelief. Then He explains that their eternal fate in Hell is because of their kufr and shirk: "The unbelievers will be addressed: "Greater was the aversion of Allaah to you than [is] your aversion to yourselves, seeing that you were called to the Faith but you used to refuse. They will say, "Our Rabb! Twice have You made us without life, and twice have You given us life! Now have we recognised our sins: is there any way out [of this]?" [The answer will be]: "This is because, when Allaah was invoked as the Only [object of worship] you did reject Faith, but when partners were joined to Him, you believed! The Command is only with Allaah, All-High, All-Great!" (40:10-12)
When the disbelievers are thrown into Hell they will be filled with regret for having disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger and having followed their masters and leaders: "Verily Allaah has cursed the unbelievers and has prepared for them a blazing Fire, to dwell therein; no protector will they find, nor helper. The Day that their faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say, "Woe to us! Would that we had obeyed Allaah and obeyed the Messenger". And they would say, "Our Rabb! We obeyed our chiefs and our great ones and they misled us as from the [Right] Path". (33:64-67)
2. Hypocrisy
Allaah promised Hell to the hypocrites, a promise that He has taken upon Himself to never break: "Allaah has promised the hypocrites, men and women, and the rejecters of Faith, the fire of Hell, therein shall they dwell. Sufficient is it for them. For them is the curse of Allaah and an enduring punishment." (9:68) He has told us that the position of the hypocrites is the lowest level of Hell, which si where the heat and agony are most intense: "The hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire; no helper will you find for them". (4:145)
3. Arrogance
This is a quality shared by most of the people of Hell. Allaah (swt) says: "But those who reject Our Signs and treat them with arrogance - they are the Companions (dwellers) of the Fire, to dwell therein [forever]" (7:36) Muslim devoted a chapter of his Saheeh to this issue, entitled Baab an-Naar Yadhkhulha al-Jabbaaroon wal-Jannah yadkhuluha ad-du'afaa (Hell will be entered by the arrogant and Paradise will be entered by the weak). In this chapter he refers to the debate between Paradise and Hell, what they said and what Allaah (swt) saId to them. Muslim quotes the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (ra) which goes back to the Prophet ﷺ, in which it is stated that Hell said, According to another report, Hell said, "I will become rich (have too many) from the proud and arrogant". Allaah (swt) said, "You are My Punishment with which I will punish whomsoever I will". (Sahih Muslim, 4/2186, no. 2846) al-Bukhaari, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi report from Harithah ibn Wahb that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: "Shall I not tell you about the people of Paradise? Every meek person who is considered to be so humble that if he were to adjure something by Allaah (swt), He would fulfil it for him. Shall I not tell you about the people of Hell? Every haughty, greedy and proud person." (Jaami' al-Usool, 10/547, no. 8111) According to a report given by Muslim, he ﷺ said, "Every proud mean and arrogant person". This is confirmed by the Qur'aan "Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty [i.e. arrogant]?" (39:60) "But today shall you be recompensed with a penalty of humiliation for that you were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that you [ever] transgressed" (48:20) "Then, for such as had transgressed all bounds, and had preferred the life of this world, the Abode will be Hellfire" (79:37-39)
The Evil Deeds that Lead One to Hell
Sheikh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah (swt) have mercy on him, was asked: "What are the deeds of the people of Hell and what are the deeds of the people of Paradise?" He replied, "The deeds of the people of Hell are:
associating partners in worship with Allaah (swt)
disbelieving in His Messenger
kufr (ingratitude, disbelief)
hasad (malicious envy)
lying
treachery
oppression and wrongdoing (dhulm)
promiscuity
backstabbing
cutting off the ties of kinship
cowardice at the time of ji had
miserliness
inconsistency between what is in one's heart and the face one shows to people
despairing of the mercy of Allaah (swt)
feeling secure from the plan of Allaah (swt)
panicking blindly at the time of crisis
pride and extravagance at the time of plenty
abandoning one's duties towards Allaah (swt)
transgressing His limits
violating His sanctity
fearing a created being instead of the Creator
showing off
going against the Qur'aan and Sunnah in word or deed
obeying a created being in some act of disobedience to the Creator
blindly supporting falsehood
mocking the signs of Allaah (swt)
rejecting the truth
withholding knowledge and testimony that should be revealed
witchcraft and magic
disobeying one's parents
killing any soul forbidden by Allaah (swt) except for reasons of justice
consuming the wealth of the orphan
riba (usury)
desertion from the battlefield
slandering the reputation of innocent, chaste, believing women" (Yaqadhat uli al-I'tibar, p.222)
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ mentioned all the sins that will lead one to Hell. Muslim reports from 'Iyadh bin Himaar that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said, during a lengthy khutbah: "..the people of Hell are five: the weak who lack the power to (avoid evil); the (carefree) who pursue (everything irrespective of whether it is good or evil) and who have no concern for their families or their wealth; the dishonest people whose greed cannot be concealed even in the case of minor things; and those who betray you, morning and evening, with regard to your family and your property. He also mentioned misers, liars and those who are in the habit of abusing people and using obscene, foul language". (Muslim)
Note: Take this moment to ponder if oyu have ever indulged in any of the sins mentioned above, if you have then repent, verily Allah is the oft forgiving but also remember that the punishments in Hell are intense. So repent and do it sincerely. May Allah forgive us all for our short coming and protect us from Hell fire.
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. Allaah (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 disbelievers 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 ﷺ said: "I was shown the nations and I saw a Prophet accompanied by a small group, another accompanied by one or two 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 ﷺ said: Allaah 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 Allaah (swt) will say to Aadam, "Send forth the people of the Fire". Aadam will say, "How many are the people of the Fire?!" Allaah (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 Allaah's punishment will be most severe". This speech distressed his Companions and the said, "O Messenger of Allaah ﷺ, 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 Allaah (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)
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.
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 Allaah (swt), and by adhering to the customs of their forefathers in ways that contradict these laws.
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 ﷺ said, "I saw Hell and I saw that most of its inhabitants were women".
With regard to the reason for this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked about it and he explained the reason.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I was shown Hell and I have never seen anything more terrifying than it. And I saw that the majority of its people are women.” They said, “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Because of their ingratitude.” It was said, “Are they ungrateful to Allah?” He said, “They are ungrateful to their companions (husbands) and ungrateful for good treatment. If you are kind to one of them for a lifetime then she sees one (undesirable) thing in you, she will say, ‘I have never had anything good from you.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 1052)
It was narrated that Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I attended Eid prayers with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He started with the prayer before the khutbah (sermon),….., speaking of fear of Allah (taqwa) and urging us to obey Him. He preached to the people and reminded them. Then he went over to the women and preached to them and reminded them. Then he said, ‘Give in charity, for you are the majority of the fuel of Hell. A woman with dark cheeks stood up in the midst of the women and said, ‘Why is that, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘Because you complain too much and are ungrateful to your husbands.’ Then they started to give their jewellery in charity, throwing their earrings and rings into Bilal’s cloak.” (Narrated by Muslim, 885)
Our believing sisters who learn of this hadeeth should behave like those Sahabiyat (female Companions) who, when they learned of this, did good deeds which would be the means, by Allah’s leave, of keeping them far away from being included in that majority of the inhabitants of Hell.
So note that there are many righteous women among us, who stay within the limits set by Allaah (swt), adhere to His laws, and obey Allaah (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 Allaah ﷺ 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 Allaah ﷺ 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)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The disbeliever’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)
This increasing of the body size of the people of hell will increase his suffering and torment.
May Allah give us all the Hidayah to work to be amongst the people of Jannah and save us all from being amongst the people of Fire!
TIPS OF TEST
Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.
Remember the people and their description.
Memorise the sins listed that can lead to hell fire. (more importantly stay away from it and if you have done it thn repent sincerely)
ASSIGNMENT
Talk about any 3 punishments from classes 6-9 and their reasons with atleast 3 people. 6 Marks.
Implement atleast 3 deeds that will be discussed in Class 10. 4 Marks
Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark
Share the about LEARN ISLAM website and its benefits with atleast 10 people - 4 Marks
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