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KHUTBAH: HELLFIRE
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O Brothers and Sisters, We need to realise, and understand, that our purpose in this life is only to worship Allaah as He has commanded, hoping in His Mercy and Reward and fearing His Anger and punishment. Many of us know about the Paradise, we often talk about it, have many good thoughts about it, are amazed with the delights that await therein for the believers, and have much hope in Allaah to attain it. But how many of us think about the Hellfire, a horrifying and severe punishment that awaits the wrong doers and disbelievers.
About this life, Allaah says:
"And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion" [26:77-81]
And Is it not the case today, that so many of us Muslims have given in to following our desires and have turned away from following the true religion of Islaam, deluded by the temporary enjoyment of this world? It is not surprising then, that we find so many of us Muslims openly sinning without regret and remorse, and so many of us not realising that what we are doing is even wrong.
Allah says in the Quran
"And on the Day when those who disbelieve are exposed to the Fire (they will be asked): "Is this not the truth?" They will say: Yes, by our Lord!. (Allaah) will say: Then taste the Punishment, because you disbelieved." [al-Ahqaf:34]
So now what if we knew the consequences for the wrong that we do, the punishment of Allaah for those who do wrong and disbelieve in Allaah? Often we will find that, when people fear something, or know the consequences of doing something wrong, they think twice about doing it.
Allah (SWT) says in the Quran:
"O You who believe, save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are set angels, ruthless, violent. Who do not flinch (from executing) the commands of Allaah, but do so (precisely) what they are commanded." [at-Tahreem:6]
And He warns us of the Fire, when He says:
"Therefore I have warned you of the Flaming Fire" [92:14]
We all know there are many warnings in Islaam about Allaah's punishment. And we should also know, that whilst we are still alive, we have the opportunity to change for the better, to obey Allaah and worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped, before the appointed time arrives, before death comes to us, after which, there will be no more chances to do good, or to repent for our sins.
Allaah has Promised in the Quran, whether you are ready for it or not, that:
"Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall make a trial of you with evil and good, and to Us you will be returned" [21:35]
and He the Most High also says:
"O You who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allaah; whoever does that, they are the losers. And spend of that which We have provided you, before death comes to one of you and he says. "My Lord! If only You would defer me for a little while, then I should give sadaqah and be among the righteous." But Allaah defers no soul when its appointed term arrives. Allaah is well acquainted with all that you do" [63:9-11]
So brothers and sisters, what will tell you what the Fire of Hell is and what awaits therein for those whose good deeds are not enough when the death comes to them, and for those who disbelieved? Allaah the Most High describes it with a description that is so powerful, so eloquent and fear-inspiring so as to render fear into one's heart and make one's flesh creep, and to give one insight into it.
The Fire of Hell is a place where one part of it consumes others, a canopy, all enveloping, similar to a confinement in a large tent with walls covering everything. In it people will burn, an evil resting place. In it is boiling water and a bitter cold drink. (Those already in the Fire will say): No word of welcome for them. Indeed, they will roast in the Fire [38:53-59]
Wallaahi O Muslims, the Fire will throw up sparks (huge) as castles [77:32].
And Allah says about the people therein:
"Sighing and wailing will be there portion there, abiding there so long as the heavens and earth endure save that which your Lord wills, Indeed! Your Lord is doer of what He wills. [11:106-107]
Allah says:
"Indeed We have prepared for Unbelievers chains and neck irons and a raging Fire" [76:4]
"When the irons are around their necks, and chains, they are dragged through boiling waters; therein they are thrust into the Fire [40:71-72]
"(It will be said): Seize him and chain him, and burn him in Hellfire. And then march him in a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits." [69:30-32]
Allah says about those who deny:
"Leave me to deal with the deniers, lords of ease and comfort (in this life); and bear with them for a while. Indeed with us are heavy chains and a raging fire; And food that chokes and a painful doom." [73:13]
and what will they eat? These inhabitants of the Fire?
"Indeed the tree of zaqqoom, the food of the sinner! Like molten brass it will boil in their insides, like the boiling of scalding water. (A voice will say): Take him and drag him into the midst of Hell, then pour over his head the torment of boiling water (saying): Taste! Truly you were mighty, noble!" [44:43-49]
and you should know O Muslims, that if one drop of this zaqqoom was dropped onto the earth, it would destroy it, so imagine having it as a source of food in the Hellfire!.
The inhabitants of the Fire will drink as Allaah has described, like diseased camels, raging with thirst. They will be given boiling water to drink which, when drank, will cut up their bowels (to pieces)
If they ask for showers therein, they will be showered with water like molten lead which burns their faces.
We should also know, that in the Hereafter, there will be no more death. As the Prophet (saw) said:
"When the people of Paradise have entered paradise, and the people of Hellfire have entered Hellfire, death will be brought (in the form of a ram) and will be placed between the Fire and paradise, and then it will be slaughtered, and a call will be made: O People of Paradise, no (more) death! O people of the Fire, no (more) death! So the people of Paradise will have happiness added to their (previous) happiness, and the people of the Fire will have sorrow added to their (previous) sorrow. [Bukhari & Muslim]
So, we know of some of the punishments in the Fire, and we know of that the
inhabitants will never die, so what will be their condition thereafter?
In one hadith, the prophet (saw) said, the molar tooth of a kafir (disbeliever) or the canine tooth of a kafir, will be like 'Uhud (a mountain in saudi arabia) and the thickness of his skin (the distance of) a three day journey. {Muslim]
The distance of his shoulders will be a three day journey for a swift rider. His skin will be forty two times fore-arms thick, and his seat in Hell will be like the distance between makkah and Madinah.
And speaking of their skin, Allaah says:
"Truly, those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall fling into the fire: As often as their skins are roasted through, We shall exchange them for fresh skins, that they may taste the punishment.." [4:56]
Indeed the people in the Fire will have 'extreme remorse until one is fatigued from repenting: similar to fatigue which increases during a long journey".
And the Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
"Truly the people of the Fire will cry to the extent that a ship could sail on their tears, and they will cry tears of blood" [al-Hakim]
And what will their cries be, O Muslims?, they will cry out to the dwellers of the Garden (Paradise): Pour on us some water or anything that Allaah has provided for you. They will say: Verily, Allaah has forbidden both to unbelievers who took their faith as a sport and pastime and were deceived by the life of the world. So this day we have forgotten them just as they forgot the meeting of this day and as they used to reject Our signs. [22:19-22]
So How many of us today have become deceived by this life and forgotten our meeting with our Lord on a Day as Hasan al Basri, one of our pious predecessors (rahimahullaah) described as, when he said
"What do you think of a day when people will stand up on their feet for 50,000 years without having a bite to eat, a drop to drink, until their necks break from thirst and their stomach will burn of hunger?"
And Wallahi, these people, once they have been thrown into the Fire, will desire much to come out of it, they will say: Our Lord! Our evil fortune conquered us, and we became a people astray, Our Lord! Oh bring us out of this: If ever we return (to evil) then indeed we shall be wrongdoers.
How these people will beg of Allaah to be removed from this great torment, how they will ask Allaah to give them another chance, but in reply, what will Allaah say to these people?
"He will say: begone therein and speak not to Me! [23:106-108].
Wallahi, they will not utter a word after that except moaning and sobbing in the Fire of Hell with a sound similar to that of donkeys, firstly with their moans and lastly with their sobs.
So Brothers and Sisters know, that Allaah does not burden a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for whatever good he earns and is punished for whatever evil he earns. Allaah says:
"..We did no injustice; But they have been unjust to themselves" [43:74-78]
The people of the Fire will: ".cry aloud for help there (saying) "Our Lord! Release us; We will do right, not the wrong that we used to do".
And Allaah will Say to them [and take heed of this ayah]
"Did not We grant you a life long enough for him who reflected to reflect therein? And (moreover) the Warner came to you. Now taste (the fruits of your deeds), for the astray there is no helper." [35:37]
So let us take heed of Allaah's punishments and His warnings, and let us strive heard to learn His religion and implement it, for indeed, the Coming of the Hour, the Day of Judgement, is but very close.
So we need to now come to terms with the fact, that the only way to save ourselves from the Hellfire is to obey Allaah and Worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped. We need to understand that this life is nothing but a test for the believers, and that everything we do in our lives, we will be asked about it, and judged accordingly.
We should know that the entire religion is based upon two things:
That we should not worship anything except Allaah, and that we should not worship Him except in the manner that He has prescribed for us in the sharee'ah, (the islamic law), and that we should not worship Him by means of reprehensible innovations (bid'ah)
As Allaah says:
"..whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner." [al-Kahf:110]
This is the realisation of the shahadatayn, the witness that there is no God except Allaah, and that Muhammed is the messenger of Allaah. The first part tells us that we should worship none but Him, and the second part tells us that Muhammed is His messenger who conveyed the Message from Him, so we must believe what he has told us and obey what he has told us to do.
The Prophet (saw) has explained how we should worship Allaah, and has forbidden us from doing newly invented things, which he has told us are a going astray. Allaah says:
" Nay - whoever submits his whole self to Allaah and is a doer of good - he will get his reward with his Lord: on such shall be no fear nor shall they grieve." [2:112]
Now just as we are commanded not to fear anything except Allaah, not to put our trust in anything except Allaah, not to turn to anything except Allaah, not to seek the help of anything except Allaah and not to worship anything except Allaah, so we are also commanded to follow and obey the Messenger and to take him as our example. The Halaal is that which he has permitted and the Haraam is that which he has forbidden. The religion is that which he has prescribed. As Allaah says:
"If only they had been content with what Allaah and His Messenger gave them, and had said, 'Sufficient unto us is Allaah! Allaah and His Messenger will soon give us of His bounty: To Allaah do we turn our hopes!' (That would have been the right course)."
Allaah and His Messenger are and should be, for all of us, the point of reference, since Allaah says:
"So take what the Messenger gives to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you.." [59:7]
And we should also put our trust in Allaah alone, as regards everything, for Allaah says:
"[if only they had been content with what Allaah and His Messenger gave them,
and had said, 'Sufficient unto us is Allaah"[9:59]
"O Prophet! Sufficient unto you is Allaah - (unto you) and unto those who follow you among the believers." [8:64]
"Is not Allaah enough for His slave?.." [39:36]
Allaah says:
"'To Allaah do we turn our hopes!'" [9:59]
So our hope should be placed in Allaah, alone, as Allaah says:
"Therefore, when you are free (from your immediate task), still labour hard, and to your Lord, turn (all) your attention." [94:7-8]
The Prophet (saw) said to Ibn 'Abbas:
"If you ask, then ask from Allaah, and if you seek help, seek help from Allaah." [Ahmad & al-Tirmidhi]
The Quran also says the same thing in several places.
Worship, fear and piety are only for Allaah, but obedience and love are for Allaah and His Messenger. Prophet Nuh said to his people:
"'that you should worship Allaah, fear Him and obey me,'" [71:3]
Allaah says in the Quran:
"It is such as obey Allaah and His Messenger, and fear Allaah and do right, that will win (in the end)." [24:52]
So, Brothers and Sisters, know that the Messengers of Allaah commanded people to worship Allaah alone, to focus only on Him, to put their trust only in Him, but to obey Him and them. Shaytaan led the Christians and others astray, so that they associated partners with Allaah and disobeyed His messenger. They took their priests and anchorites, and the Messiah son of Maryam, as lords instead of Allaah, and started to turn to them and put their trust in them, asking them for things whilst disobeying their commandments and going against their examples. Allaah guided the believers who are sincere towards Him, the followers of the Straight Path, who know the truth and follow it, so they are not those whose portion is wrath or those who go astray.
So they submitted sincerely to Allaah and turned to their Lord, loving Him, putting their hope in Him, fearing Him and asking from Him, focusing all their attention on Him and delegating all their affairs to Him, putting their trust in Him, and they obeyed and honoured His Messengers, taking them as their friends, following them and adhering to their teachings and guidance.
This is the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent all his Messengers, earlier and later alike. And Know, O Brothers and Sisters, that this is the only religion which Allaah will accept, and it is true worship of the Lord of the Worlds.
We ask Allaah Almighty to help us to be steadfast and perfect in following His religion, and to cause us and all our Muslims brothers and sisters to die in a state of Islaam. Allaahumma sali 'Ala Allaahum baraki 'Ala