Allāh, Most High, says,
“Fear a Fire whose fuel is men and stones made ready for the disbelievers.”[1]
“Have fear of the Fire which has been prepared for the disbelievers.”[2]
“I have warned you of a raging Fire.”[3]
“They will have awnings of Fire above them and awnings below them. By that Allāh strikes fear into His slaves: ‘So have taqwa, My slaves, of Me!’”[4]
“…this is nothing but a reminder to man. No indeed! By the moon and the night when it withdraws and the dawn when it grows bright, it truly is one of the greatest of all things, a warning to man: for any of you who want to go forward or hang back.”[5]
“You who have faith! Safeguard yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is men and stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge of it who do not disobey Allāh in respect of any order He gives them and carry out what they are ordered to do.”[6]
Concerning His saying, “it truly is one of the greatest things,” Qatadah said, ‘i.e. the Fire.’ In commentary to His saying, “a warning to man,” al-Ḥasan said, ‘By Allāh, the servants have not been warned by anything more calamitous than it!’[7]
Simak b. Harb said, ‘I heard Nuʿmān b. Bashir giving a sermon and saying, “I heard the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) saying, ‘I warn you of the Fire! I warn you of the Fire!’ so loudly that a person in the marketplace could have heard him from where I am standing. He said this with such vigour that the khamīsah he was wearing over his shoulder fell to his feet.”‘[8]
In another narration, also on the authority of Nuʿman, ‘The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “I warn you of the Fire! I warn you of the Fire!” so loudly that a person in the furthest part of the market could have heard him and the people of the market heard him despite his standing on the pulpit.’
In another narration, on the authority of Simak, ‘I heard Nuʿman giving a sermon while wearing a khamīsah and he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) saying, ‘I warn you of the Fire! I warn you of the Fire!’ and even if a person were in such-and-such a place, he would have heard him.’”
Bukhārī and Muslim record on the authority of ʿAdi b. Hatim that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Save yourselves from the Fire!” Then he turned away and said, “Save yourselves from the Fire!” Then he averted his gaze and turned away three times till we thought that he was actually looking at it. Then he said, “Save yourselves from the Fire even if it be with half a date and if you cannot find that then a goodly word.”
Bayhaqi records with an isnad that contains a majhul narrator on the authority of Anas that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Gathering of Muslims! Seek that which Allāh has encouraged you to do, beware of that which Allāh has warned you from, and fear that which Allāh has told you to fear of His punishment and retribution and Hell. If a drop of Paradise were with you in your world which you are currently in, the whole world would become sweet and pleasant. If a drop of the Fire were with you in your world which you are currently in, the whole would become filthy and polluted.”
Bukhārī and Muslim record on the authority of Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The likeness of me and the likeness of my nation is of a man who kindled a fire in which animals and moths started falling. You are plunging headlong into it while I am grabbing onto the knots of your lower garments to prevent you from falling therein.”
The version of Muslim has, “My likeness is that of a man who kindled a fire and when it had alighted all that was around it, moths and animals began falling into it. He tried to grab them to prevent them falling therein but they were too many for him and they plunged headlong into it.”
The version of Aḥmad has, “My likeness and your likeness, O nation, is that of a man who kindled a fire at night. Moths and butterflies are attracted to it and he tries to ward them off but they are too many for him and they plunge headlong into it. I am grabbing onto the knots of your lower garments calling you to Paradise but you are too many for me and are plunging headlong into the Fire.”
Aḥmad records on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh has not prohibited anything except that He knew that some of you would fall into it. Indeed I am holding onto the knots of your lower garments to prevent you from falling into the Fire in the same way that moths, butterflies or locusts do.”
Bazzar and Tabarani record on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “I am holding onto the knots of your lower garments, so save yourselves from the Fire! Save yourselves from the Fire! Save yourselves from the prescribed punishments! When I die, I will leave you but I will precede you to the Pond. Whoever drinks from it will be successful. A group of people will be brought and taken to the left and I would say, ‘Lord, my nation!’ He will say, ‘After you, they apostated from the religion.’”
The version of al-Bazzar has, “I am holding onto the knots of your lower garments saying, ‘Beware of Hell! Beware of Hell! Beware of Hell! Beware of the prescribed punishments! Beware of Hell! Beware of the prescribed punishments!’” The remainder of the ḥadīth is the same.
Muslim records on the authority of Abū Hurayrah who said, ‘When the verse, “Warn your near relatives,”[9] was revealed the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) called the Quraysh and they gathered. He first addressed them generally and then addressed each specifically saying, “Bani Kaʿb b. Lu’ayy, save yourselves from the Fire. Bani Murrah b. Kaʿb, save yourselves from the Fire. Bani ʿAbd Shams, save yourselves from the Fire. Bani ʿAnd Manaf, save yourselves from the Fire. Fāṭimah, daughter of Muḥammad, save yourself from the Fire for I have no power to protect you from Allāh in anything except that I would sustain the ties of kinship with you.’”
Tabarani records via the route of Yaʿla b. al-Ashdaq on the authority of Kulayb b. Huzn who said that he heard the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) saying, “Seek Paradise with all your strength and flee from the Fire with all your strength. The Hereafter is surrounded by difficult matters and the world is surrounded by delights and lusts yet do not let it distract you from the Hereafter.”
This ḥadīth is also reported via the route of Yaʿla b. al-Ashdaq on the authority of ʿAbdullāh b. Jarrad. The ḥadīths of Yaʿla b. al-Ashdaq are bātil and munkar.
Tirmidhi records the ḥadīth of Yaḥyā b. ʿAbdullāh; on the authority of his father; on the authority Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “I have not seen the likes of the Fire, the one who is at war with it sleeps; and I have not seen the likes of Paradise, the one who desires it also sleeps!”
A similar ḥadīth is recorded by Tabarani with an isnad that is problematic on the authority of Anas. The same ḥadīth is also recorded by Ibn ʿAdi on the authority of ʿUmar with a Daʿif isnad.
Yūsuf b. ʿAtiyyah states on the authority of Maʿla b. Ziyad that Haram b. Hayyan used to go out some nights and shout at the top of his voice, ‘I am amazed that the desirer of Paradise sleeps and I am amazed that the one at war with the Fire sleeps!’ Then he would recite,
“Do the people of the cities feel secure against Our violent force coming down on them in the night while they are asleep?”[10]
Aḥmad, al-Zuhd records that Abū al-Jawzaʿ said, ‘Were I given authority over people I would order that a signpost be erected in the main road and I would appoint people to stand there and cry out, “Beware of the Fire! Beware of the Fire!”’
His son also records in the same book with his isnad to Malik b. Dinar that he said, ‘If I found helpers I would cry out from the signpost of Basrah during the night, “Beware of the Fire! Beware of the Fire!”’ Then he said, ‘If I found helpers I would distribute them amongst all the signposts of the world and have them cry out, “O People! Beware of the Fire! Beware of the Fire!”’
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Source: www.islam21c.com
Notes: al-Takhwif min al-Nar by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali. Translation by Abu Rumaysah.
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[2] Al-Qur’ān, 3:131
[3] Al-Qur’ān, 92:14
[4] Al-Qur’ān, 39:16
[5] Al-Qur’ān, 74:31-37
[6] Al-Qur’ān, 66:6
[7] Tabarani #35460-35467 Recorded by Ibn Abī Hatim
[8] Aḥmad
[9] Al-Qur’ān: 26:214
[10] Al-Qur’ān 7:97
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