A Summer Reminder

Allaah Almighty reminds His slaves of the heat of Hell by making them
experience very high temperatures during the summer.
The Prophetinformed us that Hell has two breaths: it inhales during
our winter and exhales during our summer; healso stated that the
extreme heat people experience during the summer is due to this
exhalation. This information from the Prophetis a reminder to us of
the Hellfire.
The narration of the Prophetregarding this is not a figurative one;
rather, it is unambiguous and veryreal. The Prophetsaid:"When the heat
reaches an excessive level then )delay the( prayer until it cools, as
extreme heat comes from the vehement raging of Hell."]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[ This was said because if people wereto pray during such a very
hot time, then they would be distracted from their prayers and lose
their submissiveness and humility in it.
Abu Hurayrahreported that the Prophetsaid:"The)Hell( Fire complained
to its Lord saying: 'O my Lord! My different parts consume each other,
so allow me to breathe.' Therefore He)i.e., Allaah( allowed it to take
two breaths, one in the winter and the other in summer, and this is
the reason for the severe heat andthe bitter cold you find)in
weather(."]Al-Bukhaari[
As believers we are commanded to believein this as it is from the
unseen, even though we may not perceive it or understand exactly how
it could occur. We fully believe in it regardless, because it was
narrated to us via the truthful, trustworthy Prophet ofAllaah. It is
therefore the duty of the believer to protect himself from the
punishment of Hell.
The punishment of Hellin the grave
The punishment of Hellis not limited to the Hereafter; rather, part of
it touches the person who deserves itin his grave, just as parts of it
touch all people in this worldly life in the form of extreme heat in
the summer and bitter cold in the winter.
Al-Baraa' bin 'Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the
Prophetwas once at the funeralof one of the Ansaarwhen he began
informing some of his companions who werepresent of the situations of
the believer, the disbeliever and the sinner upon their burial in
their graves. After mentioning the situation of the believer,
headdressed that of the sinner and the disbeliever, saying:"…And two
angels come to him and ask him to sit; they say: 'Who is your Lord?'
He answers: 'Haah, Haah, Ido not know.' They ask: 'What is your
religion?' He answers: 'Haah, Haah, I do not know.' Then, a voice says
from Heaven that My slave is not telling the truth, so make his
clothing and furnishing that of fire, and open a gate of fire towards
him so as to make him smell )its terrible stench( and suffer its
scorching wind. His grave is then made so tight that his bones
intertwine. A voice then says: `Spread his grave with the fire )of
Hell( and dress him with the fire)of Hell( and open a gate towards him
fromHell, so that he may feel its heat.' Then a blind and mute
creature will appear with an iron rod in his hand, and if a mountain
were to be struck with this rod it would turn into dust;)the creature(
would strike him with this rod and cause him to make such a piercing
scream that it could be heard in the farthest parts )of the earth(,
east and west, and everything will hear his cry except Jinn and
mankind. Then a man of evil complexion and horrid smell visits him.The
buried slave man asks him: 'Who are you?' and adds: 'You have a
threatening andwretched face.' The man answers: 'I am your evil deeds
comingto you with the bad news'…." ]Ahmad & Abu Daawood[This is how
hewould admonish and remind his companions.
Allaah Says )what means(:"Not equal are the blind and the seeing. Nor
are the darknesses and the light. Nor are the shade and the
heat."]Quran 35: 19-21[ HereAllaah highlights that opposites are not
necessarily equal: faithis not equal to disbelief; those who follow
the Sunnah are not equal to those whoinnovate in the religion; and,
the religious person is not equal to the dissolute; Allaah Says )what
means(:"The example of the two parties is like the blind and the deaf,
and the seeing and hearing. Are they equal in comparison?..."]Quran
11: 24[
Paradise has shade that never decreases or disappears, unlike that of
this worldly life which is dependant on the movement of the sun. But
how is the shade in Hell? It is a 'shade' of hot black smoke that
neither shades nor protects from any heat; rather, it only adds to it.
Also, the drink of the people of hell is water that is so hot that it
slashes the intestines and doesnot quench thirst in the least.
Ways to protect oneself against the heat of the Hellfire
Allaah gives us reminders so that we may take heed and consider. The
following are some means to protect oneself against the Hellfire:
Seeking refuge in Allaah from its heat:The Prophetdirected us to seek
refuge in Allaah as a means of protecting ourselves from the Hellfire.
Abu Hurayrahreported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"When any one of
you has completed his Tashahhud during prayer, he should seek refuge
in Allaah from four things, saying:"Allaahumma inni a`oothubika min
`athaabi jahannam, wa min `athaabil-qabr, wa min fitnatil-mahya
wal-mamaat, wa min sharri fitnatil-maseehid-dajjaal )i.e., 'O Allaah!
I seek refuge in You from the torment of Hell, from the torment of the
grave,from the trials of life and death, and from the mischief of
Al-Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal )i.e., the Antichrist('."]Muslim[
Fasting:Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudrireported: "The Prophetsaid:"He who
observes fasting for a day in the Cause of Allaah, Allaah will
distance his face from the Hellfire for a distance equivalent to
seventy years of travel, as a reward for fasting that
day."]An-Nasaa'i[ Due to this narration, Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudriwould
select the hottest and longest days for fasting in.
Jihaad )i.e. fighting, struggle( for the sake of Allaah:This is one of
the greatest means with which one can protect himself from the heat of
Hellfire, even if it entails fighting on the hottest of summer days.
The summer heat is what made the hypocrites refrain from Jihaad, as
Allaah Says )what means(:"…And they]i.e., the hypocrites[ said: 'Do
not go forth in the heat ]i.e. for Jihaad[.'…"]Quran 9: 81[ Allaah
responded to this at the end of thevery same verse, Saying )what
means(:"Say: 'The fire of Hell is more intense in heat.'…"]Quran 9:
81[ Jihaad is the act of worship that enables the slave to attain the
highest rewards; it is thus a protection from Hellfire and its heat.
Spending in charity:Charity is another means by which the slave can
protect himself from the heat of the Hellfire. `Adiyy bin
Haatimreported: "I heard the Prophetsaying:"Protect yourself from the
)Hell( Fire, even )if( by giving half a date)in charity(."]Al-Bukhaari
& Muslim[ We ask Allaah to protect us all from the Hellfire.
Fever is a reminder of the Hellfire
One of the things that remind a person of the heat of Hellfire is
beingstruck by fever. The Prophetinformed usthat its heat is from the
vehemence of the Hellfire. `Aa'ishahnarrated that the
Prophetsaid:"Fever comes from the vehement raging of Hellfire, so cool
it with water."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
This is proof that there is a real connection between fever and the
Hellfire, and that fever is not merely caused by other physical
factors as some peoplebelieve, based on their limited view in how to
judge matters.
Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudrireported: "I enteredinto the presence of the
Prophetwhile he was sick and placed my hand upon him andcould feel the
heat of his body from above the blanket. I said: `O Prophet of Allaah!
You are afflicted with a very difficult fever.` Heresponded:"This is
how the case is with usProphets; we get multiples of the hardship and
thus receive multiples of reward."I asked: `O Prophet of Allaah!
Whoare the one's facing thetoughest hardships and trials?`
Heresponded:"Those who face the toughest trials and hardships are the
Prophets."I asked: `Then who?' Hereplied:"Then those who are the most
pious )after them(. Oneof them would be afflicted with poverty to the
point that he canfind only a single garment with which tocover
himself. Such a person would rejoice upon receiving a hardship just
like one of you rejoices at being eased of one.""]An-Nasaa'i[
Imaam Al-Bayhaqireported the following story about fever: "Once Abu
Bakrhad a very bad fever and `Aa'ishahconveyed the news to the
Prophetwho said:"O Allaah! Make Madeenah as beloved to us as Makkah
and even more so. Make its climate clear and bless our Saa' and Modd
)i.e. measures of weight forfood(, and move its fever to the area of
Juhfah"Allaah responded to the supplication of the Prophetand fever,
which was one of the famous diseases of Madeenah, shifted to the area
of Juhfah."
One should not curse fever, as it is man's share of Hell and is a
means by which Allaahexpiates sins. The Prophetforbade cursing it,
saying:"Do not curse it, as it expiates sins."
Incidentally, Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyimmentioned that fever is to be treated
by means of cold water for three consecutive days just before dawn,
and this is also a well known method of treatment in modern medicine.
Being wary of our odour during hot seasons
A Muslim must be heedful of his fellow Muslims and ensure that he does
not get a bad odour as a result of the summer heat. During the summer
it is likelier for a person to sweat and thus develop a very bad smell
if he fails to wash himself and change his clothes regularly.
'Ikrimahnarrated: "A group of people from Iraq came to Madeenah and
questioned Ibn 'Abbaas, saying: `O Ibn 'Abbaas! Do you rule the Ghusl
)i.e. ritual bath( on the day of Friday )before the sermon( as
mandatory?` Heresponded: `No, but it is purity and is)therefore(
better for the one who performs it. I will tell you how the
legislation of Ghuslcame about: The poor inhabitants of Madeenah would
wearwoollen clothes and toil very hard. The mosque was very smallwith
a low ceiling made of tree branches.One hot day, the Prophetcame out
while these people were sweating profusely due to the type of clothes
they were wearing and a very bad smell emanated from them, to the
extent that it offended others. When the Prophetsmelt this, he said:"O
people!On this day )i.e. Friday( you need to perform Ghusl and each of
you should use the best perfume he has."`"
Based on the above narration, some of the scholars ruled that
performing a Ghusl on the day of Friday )i.e. before the sermon( is
mandatory upon those who have a bad smell emanating from them,
otherwise they will be sinning. Others hold the opinion that it is
mandatory upon everybody who will attend the Friday prayer and sermon.