Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother

Assalam alaikum

I come from a very modern family.Religion meant nothing to me.But after coming in contact with your forum i have realised the seriousness of islam and its deeper meaning. May Allah provide you with all good things in this world and in the here after.

I would like you to clarify my doubts regarding the following;

I have further read on your forum that when the shadow of a spear becomes less than its length prayers should be stopped as this indicates that hell fire is being fed. My qustion is the fuel for the hell fire is supposed to be humans as stated in the quran-e-majid. This happens only on the day of judgement when the actions of each soul are weighed and they are then sent to heaven or hell. So which is this fuel being fed to hell fire everyday.?

your sister

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Fire of hell before day of judgement

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. We humbly hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgive us our shortcomings, and save you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 1.90

The Times in Which the Prayers are Prohibited

Ibn 'Abbas related that he said, "O Prophet of Allah (saws), inform me about the prayers." He (saws) said, "Pray the morning prayer and then abstain from prayer until sunrise and the sun has completely risen, for it rises between the horns of Satan. That is when the unbelievers prostrate to it. Then pray, as your prayer will be witnessed and attended to, until the shadow of a spear becomes less than its length. At that time stop praying, for at that time the hell-fire is fed with fuel. When the shade comes, you may pray, for your prayer will be witnessed and attended (to by angels) until you pray the afternoon prayer. Then abstain from praying until the sun sets, for it sets between the horns of Satan, and that is when the unbelievers make prostrations to it."

(Related by Ahmad and Muslim.)

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 66 Surah Tahreem verse 6:O you who have believed, save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel shall be men and stones; over which shall be appointed fierce and stern angels, who never disobey Allah’s Command, and they only do as they are commanded!

The exact nature of the Hell Fire, when it has been created, when it has been or will be ignited, its exact fuel and degrees of heat, etc. are things of the ‘unseen’ and its exact nature are known to Allah Subhanah Alone. Some of the ‘unseen’ have been related to us for our understanding by Allah and His Messenger (saws).

There are many Aayahs in the Holy Quran and many narrations of the Prophet (saws) which describe some aspects of Hell Fire for the believers to understand its severity, but the full and exact knowledge of this ‘unseen’ phenomena of punishment is known to Allah Subhanah Alone.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 37 Surah Saafaat verses 62-68:

62 Is that the better entertainment or the Tree of Zaqqum?

63 For We have truly made it (as) a trial for the wrongdoers.

64 For it is a tree that springs out of the bottom of Hell Fire:

65 The shoots of its fruit-stalks are like the heads of devils:

66 Truly they will eat thereof and fill their bellies therewith.

67 Then on top of that they will be given a mixture made of boiling water.

68 Then shall their return be to the (Blazing) Fire.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.487 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Your (ordinary) fire is one of 70 parts of the (Hell) Fire." Someone asked, "O Messenger of Allah (saws)! This (ordinary) fire would have been sufficient (to torture the unbelievers)!". The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "The (Hell) Fire has 69 parts more than the ordinary (worldly) fire, each part is as hot as this (worldly) fire."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.512 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "In very hot weather delay the Zuhr prayer till it becomes (a bit) cooler because the severity of heat is from the raging of the Hell-fire. The Hell-fire of Hell complained to its Lord saying: ‘O Lord! My parts are eating (destroying) one another.’ So Allah allowed it to take two breaths, one in the winter and the other in the summer. The breath in the summer is at the time when you feel the severest heat and the breath in the winter is at the time when you feel the severest cold."

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6813 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

We were in the company of Allah's Messenger (saws) and we heard a terrible sound. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Do you know what (sound) is this?” We said: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” Thereupon he (saws) said: “That is a stone which was thrown seventy years before in Hell and it has been constantly slipping down and now it has reached its base.”

When Allah and His Messenger (saws) describe something of the unseen to us, we are to believe in it as described, for we are unable to comprehend the exact nature of this ‘unseen’ phenomena!

Whether the Hell Fire is already ignited and being fed with stones as its fuel every day at a particular time and men will be thrown in on the Day of Judgment, or whether the Hell Fire will be ignited on the Day of Judgement itself, or how can a tree possibly grow at the bottom of the Hell Fire, etc. are from the knowledge of the ‘unseen’ which Allah and His Messenger (saws) have related to us for our understanding. Its exact nature is beyond our comprehension! For the believers, who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day, it should suffice to believe in whatever has been declared by Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan