He (Allah) has made it (the Qur'an) straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward. (Surat al-Kahf: 2)
 The verses that warn humanity about Hell's torment are one of the Qur'an's most important attributes. Those who are warned fully understand how to discriminate between right and wrong, good and evil. This attribute is related as follows:
He (Allah) has made it (the Qur'an) straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward. (Surat al-Kahf: 2)
We have made it (the Qur'an) easy on your tongue so that you can give good news to those who have fear, and warn stubbornly hostile people by it. (Surah Maryam: 97)
As the verse suggests in: "This Qur'an has been revealed to me so that I may warn you by it, and anyone else it reaches" (Surat al-An'am: 19), our Prophet (saas) assumed the responsibility of warning everyone he could reach. In another verse, Allah states that He revealed the Qur'an to our Prophet (saas) so that he could warn people:
Accordingly We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur'an so that you may warn the Mother of Cities and those around it, and give warning of the Day of Gathering, about which there is no doubt: one group in the Garden, the other in the Blazing Fire. (Surat ash-Shura: 7)
As the verses maintain, in the Qur'an Allah describes the moment of death, how angels will remove the deceased person's soul, how humanity will be gathered together, how the reckoning will take place, events related to the Day of Judgment, how people will be driven to Hell in companies after the reckoning, what each soul will experience on that day, eternal torment in Hell, the spiritual and material torment and pain that its inhabitants will suffer there as well as the unprecedented beauty of the blessings in Paradise, and warns people about the Day of Judgment.
Indeed, many verses describe how the people in Hell talk to each other, their social life, and how they will continue to argue despite all of their suffering. Some verses even mention their arguments, as follows:
Warn mankind of the Day when the punishment will reach them. Those who did wrong will say: "Our Lord, reprieve us for a short time. We will respond to Your call and follow the Messengers." (It will be said to them) "But did you not swear to Me before that you would never meet your downfall?" (Surah Ibrahim: 44)
He (Allah) will say: "Do not argue in My Presence. Indeed, I gave you advance warning of the Threat. My Word, once given, is not subject to change, and I do not wrong My servants." On the Day He says to Hell: "Are you full?" It will ask: "Are there no more to come?" (Surah Qaf: 28-30)
Those who disbelieve say: "We will never believe in this Qur'an, nor in what came before it." If only you could see when the wrongdoers, standing in the presence of their Lord, cast accusations back and forth at one another! Those deemed weak will say to those deemed great, "Were it not for you, we would have been believers!" (Surah Saba: 31)
Once they are engulfed by torment, there will be no salvation for those who turned their faces from the Qur'an's admonitions. They will repent when they see the Angels of Death coming for them. However, such a great regret will not benefit them, for these people chose the path of disbelief when the Messengers communicated Allah's message. One verse reads:
They will shout out in it: "Our Lord! Take us out! We will act rightly, differently from the way we used to act!" Did We not let you live long enough for anyone who was going to pay heed to pay heed? And did not the Warner come to you? Taste it then! There is no helper for the wrongdoers. (Surah Fatir: 37)
Believers who spend every moment of their lives to earn Allah's good pleasure and mercy, and who lead a life in compliance with their conscience, are rewarded with Paradise in the Hereafter. The Qur'an relates that the Angels of Death will take the souls of such virtuous people to Paradise in groups in the following manner:
Gardens of Eden that they enter, with rivers flowing under them, where they have whatever they desire. That is how Allah repays those who guard against evil, those whom the angels take in a virtuous state. They (the angels) say: "Peace be upon you! Enter the Garden for what you did." (Surat an-Nahl: 31-32)
 The Qur'an also conveys the speech of believers, who are granted a honorable and superior rank in Paradise. They always exalt Allah in their conversations, which are always based upon themes of beauty, love, peace, and goodness:
They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has removed all sadness from us. Truly our Lord is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful. He Who has lodged us, out of His Favor, in the Abode of Permanence, where no weariness or fatigue affect us." (Surah Fatir: 34-35)
They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this land, letting us settle in the Garden wherever we want. How excellent is the wage of those who work!" (Surat az-Zumar: 74)
They will say: "Beforehand we used to live in fear among our families. But Allah was gracious to us and safeguarded us from the punishment of the searing wind. Beforehand we certainly used to call upon Him, because He is the All-Good, the Most Merciful." (Surah Tur: 26-28)
As these verses make clear, believers are aware that they can attain this happy end only by Allah's Will and Mercy. Given their understanding that only Allah's Mercy and protection can guide them to the true path, believers always thank Allah in Paradise, just as they do in this life.Apr 18, 2009
|
Books
Articles