Since references to hell abound throughout the Holy Qur’an...

Since references to hell abound throughout the Holy Qur’an, we ought to stop here to review some traditions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and the Imams (as) describing the horrors of the place called hell, a place as intense in heat as it is in chillness, a place whose fire is fed by sulphur pieces each one of which is as large as the largest of the earth’s mountains. Equally large are the areas where those being tormented are taken to be chilled after being charred by its fire.

In other words, they are taken from one extreme to another. There are on our planet ice mountains as well as volcanoes spewing rivers of molten or fluid rocks as lava; so is the case with hell: it contains both heat and chilliness. On p. 309 of Ibrahim al-Selek’s book The Divine Traditions, a compilation of Qudsi ahadith, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is quoted saying that hell complained to its Lord saying, "O Lord!

[Even] my parts are consuming one another!" whereupon the Almighty permitted it to take two breaths, one in the winter and one in the summer, hence the severe heat of the summer and the bitter cold of the winter. Had it been pennitted to take more than two, no life would have become possible on earth.

While the lucky ones are enjoying the fruits of Paradise, the residents of hell will be eating thorn-like ‘food" that will reach their throats and halt there; it neither reaches their stomachs, nor does it enable them to vomit. This is one of the foods on hell’s "menu." Another type is prepared for them from the pus of the wounds of those being tortured in hell, then boiled to a degree that will split their bowels. The Prophet of Islam (pbuh) is quoted on p. 145, Vol.

1, of al-Zamakhshari’s Rabee’ al-Abrar as having asked Archangel Gabriel (as), "Why have I never seen [archangel] Michael smiling?" Gabriel (as) answered, "Michael never smiled since hell was created." Anas, may Allah be merciful to his soul, is quoted by al-Zamakhshari saying that the least degree of torture in hell are two pairs of shoes made for someone in it from the heat of which his brain boils.