Experiencing Jahannam.. Abu Mathur
It is the Day of Judgment, and your life flashes before your eyes. You reminisce about the life you lived on Earth; all the sins you committed, and suddenly feel a deep remorse. Not only did you ignore the preaching of friends and family, you constantly missed prayers, disrespected your parents and lived a life identical to that of the kufar. You search your head for any dua that help you repent for the mistakes you made, but it is too late. You turned your back on Allah, and waiting until this day to turn around was the biggest mistake of your life. As you pass the gates of Jahannam, reality sinks in; you are in Hell…literally.
After taking your first few steps, you hear the cries of the dwellers that, similarly to you, made mistakes and did not repent. They call out for Allah, begging for second chances they will never be granted. Bloodcurdling screams of fear echo through the infinite space as the bodies suffer the ultimate torture. Knowing that Allah has rejected you, you turn to the gatekeepers of Hell. You say to them “Call upon your Lord to lighten for us the torment for a day!’” (Quran 40:49), aware that they are your last hope. Unfortunately, the answer they give you is not what you hoped for. “Did you not have a messenger who warned you about this place?” they will ask. A feeling of guilt creeps over you as you hear the guardian of Hell taunting you and reminding you of the sins you committed, telling you to “taste the fire”. At this time, you wish, more than ever, for your hearing to become impaired because the sounds in Jahannam are unbearable.
Everywhere you look, tears of blood stream like rivers down the faces of countless amounts of people; Muslims who were convinced they would never enter Jahannam and those who knew that they would one day enter, but never imagined it and non-Muslims who refused to take the preachings of Islam seriously. The size of Jahannam alone is enough to torment anyone in it. AbuSa’id al-Khudri May Allah be pleased with him narrated that The Prophet(SAW) May Allah’s peace and praise be on him said, “The awnings of Hell have four thick walls, each wall a distance of forty years.” As you wander deeper through, you notice a tall menacing tree; it is the tree of Zaqqum, bearing repulsive fruit shaped as the heads of devils. Surah Dukhan refers to Zaqqum as “the tree of deadly fruit” (Quran 44:43). Looking around, you see everyone, including yourself, dressed in the garments of fire tailored especially for each person. Allah says, “…But those who disbelieved will have cut out for them garments of fire. Poured upon their heads will be scalding water.” (Quran 22:19). As you wander aimlessly through the vast infinite area of Jahannam, not only do you wish for impaired hearing, but blindness too. The sights of Jahannam only add to the immense torment of hearing its sounds. No matter what direction you turn to, you will be faced with a displeasing sight.
On the verge of tears, you return to the tree of Zaqqum hungry and famished. Forced to eat from it, you bring the fruit to your mouth and instantly feel the excruciating pain. Before the fruit even enters your mouth, your lips begin to burn. On top of that, when you try to swallow, they thorn-like pieces rip away your flesh and insides. Before settling in the stomach, the fruit burns through the flesh and leaves the body. Not only did eating the fruit bring upon you more pain, it also made you even hungrier than you were before. Everything people used to use to cool themselves in the Dunya – clean air, water, shade – is non-existent for you to utilize in Hell. The air of Hell is hot and the wind and the water are boiling. The shade is not comforting or cooling, the shade in Hell will be the shadow of black smoke as mentioned in the verse: “And shadow of black smoke.” (Quran 56:43). You wince as the fire of Jahannam reaches deep into your bones, melting the contents of the stomach, leaping up to the hearts, and exposing your vital organs, and nothing can stop its destruction. You desperately search for a cool drink, but the only drinks available for you are extremely hot water, flowing puss from the skin of a disbeliever or a drink like boiling oil described by the Prophet (SAW) as: “It is like boiling oil, when it is brought near a person’s face, the skin of the face falls off into it.” The pain of Jahannam is unlike anything you’ve ever felt before; nothing could have prepared you for this. As much as you wished to lose your hearing and sight, you now wish above all to be oblivious to the severe pain of Hell.
Overwhelmed, you again repent for all of the sins you committed. You know that Allah is not listening, but there is nothing else you can do. Tears have been pouring down your face for so long that you begin crying out blood. In here, it’s like a nightmare you will never awake from. You will be subjected to milleniums of torture and misery for the lifetime you wasted on Earth. No mercy or forgiveness will be showered on you, but rather torment and agony. Just like the rest of the Jahannamiyoon, you beg for a chance to redeem yourself. The vivid recollections of your experience with Jahannam so far plague your mind and there is no escape. Welcome, to your final resting place.
