The Quran about punishment in Hell

In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful

The result of the life of every person on earth will be the Day of Debt. The most terrible result of this day will be the road to Hell.

Indeed, those who deny Our signs and are arrogant toward them – the gates of heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter the gardens until a camel enters into the eye of a needle. And thus do We recompense the criminals! They will have from Hell a bed and over them coverings [of fire]. And thus do We recompense the obscurantists! (7:40-41)

And whoever God guides – he is the guided. And whoever He sends astray – you will never find for them patron besides Him!

We will gather them on the day of standing before God upon their faces, blind, dumb and deaf. Their refuge is Hell. Every time it subsides We increase them in blazing fire! (17:97)

 

Hell is the place of punishment prepared for sinners. God, describing these terrible punishments, gives us a chance to rethink, repent, accept His laws and live according to them. The described tortures will be caused in different ways.

The most famous form of punishment is the punishment by fire:

Punishment by fire

Indeed, those who closed themselves from Our signs – We will drive them into a fire. Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, God is ever Exalted in Might and Wise! (4:56)

As for those who will be wretched, they will be in the Fire. For them therein is groaning and sighing. (11:106)

And say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him close himself.” Indeed, We have prepared for the obscurantists a fire whose walls will surround them!… (18:29)

The fire will sear their faces, and they therein will have taut smiles! (23:104)

But they have denied the hour, and We have prepared for those who deny the hour a blaze! When the Hellfire sees them from a distant place, they will hear its fury and roaring. And when they are thrown into a narrow place therein bound in chains, they will cry out thereupon for destruction! (25:11-13)

But as for those who were apostates, their refuge is the fire! Every time they wish to emerge from it, they will be returned to it while it is said to them, “Taste the punishment of the fire which you used to deny!” (32:20)

Indeed, God has cursed the closed ones and prepared for them a blaze. Abiding therein forever, they will not find a patron or a helper! (33:64-65)

And for those who closed themselves will be the fire of Hell! [Death] is not decreed for them so they may die, nor will its torment be lightened for them. Thus do we recompense every closed one! (35:36)

That is the recompense of the enemies of God – the Fire. For them therein is the home of abiding as recompense for what they, of Our signs, were rejecting. (41:28)

No! Indeed, it is the flame, ripping off scalps! (70:15-16)

 

Just get burned, a man makes a scream, and when he is in the flame of a fire, he hysterically yells and calls for help. Such behavior will not change in Hell as well, but the help to the people there will be special:

Punishment with boiling water

…And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces! Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place! (18:29)

These are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord. But those who closed themselves will have cut out for them garments of fire. Poured upon their heads will be scalding water By which is melted that within their bellies and [their] skins. And for [striking] them are maces of iron. Every time they want to get out of Hellfire from anguish, they will be returned to it, and [it will be said], “Taste the punishment of the burning fire!” (22:19-22)

Those who deny the Prescription and that with which We sent Our messengers – they are going to know, When the shackles are around their necks and the chains; they will be dragged In boiling water; then in the fire they will be filled [with flame]! (40:70-72)

…like [that of] those who abide in the fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines? (47:15)

This is Hell, which the criminals deny. They will go around between it and scalding water, heated [to the utmost degree]. (55:43-44)

Then [for him is] accommodation of scalding water And burning in hellfire! (56:93-94)

When they are thrown into it, they hear from it a [dreadful] inhaling while it boils up! (67:7)

Has there reached you the report of the Overwhelming [event]?

Faces, that day, will be humbled, working [hard] and exhausted!

They will [enter to] burn in an intensely hot fire!

They will be given drink from a boiling spring. For them there will be no food except from a poisonous, thorny plant Which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger! (88:1-7)

 

And all these terrible torments will be accompanied by an equally terrible wind:

Sultry wind

They will be in a sultry wind and scalding water and a shade of black smoke, neither cool nor beneficial! (56:42-44)

 

In this eternal hopelessness, in punishment there will be a great sense of hunger, which will lead to even more sophisticated kinds of torment:

A tree that makes you swallow

Is this food better or the tree that makes you swallow? Indeed, We have made it a temptation for the obscurantists. Indeed, it is a tree issuing from the bottom of the hellfire! Its emerging fruit as if it was heads of the disobedient ones! And indeed, they will eat from it and fill with it their bellies. Then indeed, they will have after it a mixture of scalding water. Then indeed, their return will be to the hellfire! (37:62-68)

Indeed, the tree that makes you swallow is food for the sinful. Like murky oil, it boils within bellies like the boiling of scalding water!

God will command, “Seize him and drag him into the midst of the Hellfire! Then pour over his head from the torment of scalding water!” (44:43-48)

 

The feeling of incredible hunger will inevitably be accompanied by an unquenchable thirst, which also will not ease the condition of people in Hell:

Punishment by purulence and filth:

Before him is Hell, and he will be given a drink of purulent water! He will gulp it but will hardly [be able to] swallow it! And death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not to die! And before him is a massive punishment! (14:16-17)

Hell, which they will [enter to] burn, and wretched is the resting place! This – so let them taste it – is scalding water and purulence. (38:56-57)

Nor any food except from the filth! (69:36)

They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink Except scalding water and purulence! (78:24-25)

 

According to tradition, Hell will exist endlessly. However, in the Qur’an there is the following passage:

As for those who will be wretched, they will be in the Fire. For them therein is groaning and sighing. They will be abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except what your Lord should will. Indeed, your Lord is an effecter of what He intends! (11:106-107)

 

We are presented with information that Hell will exist for a certain period – as long as heaven and earth exist. Every creature has its ending. It can take quite a long time until the end of existence, but still the ending is inevitable.