Just as Allah has given people the glad tidings of Paradise, He has also warned of the severe punishment of Hell. For a believer, the description of Hell’s punishment is not meant to instil fear but to keep one from sin, to call one to repentance and to make one firm in obedience to Allah. What is astonishing is that even what is called the lightest punishment of Hell is terrifying beyond human imagination. This hadith reminds us that deliverance from Hell is true success.
The Quran’s warning
Allah says: “O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones.” (Surah At-Tahrim: verse 6)
Allah also says: “Whoever is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has indeed succeeded.” (Surah Al-Imran: verse 185)
The lightest punishment of Hell
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The person with the lightest punishment among the people of Hell will be a man under the soles of whose feet two embers of fire are placed, from which his brain boils as a cooking pot boils. He will think that no one has a more severe punishment than he, though his is the lightest punishment of them all.” (Muslim 213)
What does this hadith teach us?
Even the slightest punishment of Hell is beyond human endurance. Sacrificing the Hereafter for the fleeting pleasures of this world is a cause of utter ruin. There is no alternative to sincere repentance, good deeds and God-consciousness (taqwa) to attain Allah’s mercy and deliverance from Hell. A believer should constantly ask Allah for Paradise and seek refuge from Hell.
A supplication seeking refuge from Hell
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said — Transliteration: “Allahumma ajirni minan-nar.” Meaning: “O Allah, protect me from the fire of Hell.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught that this supplication should be recited often, seeking deliverance from Hell. (Abu Dawud 5079)
This description of Hell’s lightest punishment proves that the punishment of the Hereafter is no ordinary matter. So the greatest goal of a believer’s life should be to attain Allah’s pleasure, to keep away from sin, to repent regularly, and to lead life in the light of the Quran and Sunnah. May Allah protect us all from the fire of Hell, grant us Jannatul Ferdaus, and give us death firm upon faith. Ameen.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report