The plight of the People of Hell

Hell has various levels and degrees of torment. In some of them, the
torment and horror is greater than the others. The people who are to
be doomed to enter Hell will be given different levels of punishment
according to the deeds they used to do during their worldly life. The
worse one's deeds were in the worldly life the lowest one's levelwill
be in the Hellfire and the harder one's torment will be.
Ibn Rajabsaid: "Know that the different levels of punishment suffered
by the people of Hell will be according to the levels of their deeds
for which they entered Hell."
He then quoted the evidence for that, such as the words of Ibn
'Abbaas: "The punishment ofthose who were extreme in their disbelief
and spread corruption on earth, calling others to disbelief, will not
be like the punishment of those who did notdo such things."
Then Ibn Rajab said: "Similarly, the punishments of the monotheists in
Hell will be at different levels, according to theirdeeds. The
punishment of those who were guilty of major sins will not be like
that of those whowere guilty of minor sins. The punishment may be
reduced for some of them because of other good deeds, or for whatever
reason Allaah wills..."]At-Takhweef min An-Naar, P.181[
Prophet Muhammad sallaallaahu alayhi wa sallam said concerning the
people of Hell:"There are some whom the Fire will take up to their
ankles, others up to theirknees, others up to their waists, and yet
others up to their collarbones."]Muslim[
In the long narration of Israa')the miraculous Ascension of the
Prophetto heavens(, the Prophetwas reported to haveseen different
scenes of the Hell-dwellers. Among them were:
1- People who used to unjustly eat up the property of the orphans.
They have flews similar to those of camels, swallowing red-hot stones
and then issuing out of their backs.
2- Adulterers offered tasty fatty meat and rotten smelly one but they
make option for the latter. The licentious women were also there
hanging from their breasts.
3- People whose heads were being shattered, then every time they would
return to their original state and be shattered again without delay.
Hesaid:"O Jibreel, who are these people?"He replied: "These are the
people whose heads were too heavy )on their pillows( to get up and
fulfill the prescribed prayers."
4- People who wore loincloths on the fronts and on their backs. They
were roaming the way camels and sheep roam about. They were eating
thistles and Zaqqoom)the fruit of the tree that grows in hell( and
white-hot coals and stones of Fire. Heasked:"Who are these, O
Jibreel?"He replied:"These are the ones who did not pay
Zakaat)obligatory charity( from what they possessed, whereas Allaah
never kept anything from them."
5- People who had in front of them excellent meat disposed in pots and
putrid, foul meat, and they would eat from the foul meat and not touch
the good meat. Hesaid:"What is this, O Jibreel?"He replied: "These are
the men from your Nation who had an excellent, lawful wife at home and
who would goand see a foul woman and spend the night withher )i.e.
have illicit relation(; and the womenwho would leave her excellent,
lawful husbandto go and see a foul man and spend the night withhim."
6- A man swimming in a river of blood and he wasbeing struck in his
mouthwith rocks which he thenswallowed. The Prophetasked:"What is
this, O Jibreel?"He replied: "This is what happens to those who eat
usury."
7- A man who had gathered a stack of woodwhich he could not carry,yet
he was adding more wood to it. Hesaid:"What is this, O Jibreel?"He
replied: "This is a man from your Nation who gets people's trusts
whenhe cannot fulfill them, yethe insists on carrying them."
8- People whose tongues and lips were being sliced with knives. Every
time they were sliced they would return to their original state to be
sliced again without respite. Hesaid:"Who are these, O Jibreel?"He
replied: "These are the preachers from among your Nation who used to
advise others to do what they themselves don't do…"
9- People who had copper nails with which they scratched their own
faces and chests. Heasked:"Who are these, O Jibreel?"He replied:
"These are the ones who ate the flesh of people )i.e., by backbiting(
and tarnished their reputations."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[