Page 132 - The Truth of the Life of This World

There is life in hell. Yet it is a life in which every moment is full of tor-
ture and anguish. Every type of physical, mental and psychological tor-
ment, various types of torture and disgrace rage in that life. To compare it
to any distress in the world is impossible.
People in hell perceive pain through all five senses. Their eyes see dis-
gusting and terrible images; their ears hear frightening screams, roars and
cries; their noses fill with terrible and acrid smells; their tongues taste the
most unbearable, vile tastes. They feel hell deep in their cells; this is a mad-
deningly severe pain that is difficult to imagine in this world. Their skin,
their internal organs and their whole body are wracked and they writhe in
pain.
The people of hell are very resistant to pain and they can never die.
Hence, they can never save themselves from torture. In the Qur'an, this
pain is described as follows: "What boldness (they show) for hell!" (Surat
al-Baqarah: 175) Their skins are mended as they burn; the same torture

continues for all eternity; the intensity of torture never decreases. Allah
says in the Qur'an: "Burn you therein. The same is it to you whether you
bear it with patience, or not." (Surat at-Tur: 16)
No less than physical pain, mental pain is also severe in hell. People in
hell regret deeply, fall into hopelessness, feel desperate and spend ages in
despair. Every corner, every place in hell is designed to give mental suf-
fering. The suffering is eternal; if it were to end after millions or billions
years, even such a long-term possibility could arouse fervent hopes and
remain a strong reason for happiness and joy. Yet, the eternity of torture
will inspire a kind of hopelessness that cannot be compared to any simi-
lar feeling in this world.
According to the description of the Qur'an, hell is a place where
extreme pain is experienced: disgusting smells; it is narrow, noisy, smoky
and gloomy, injecting feelings of insecurity into human soul; fires burning
deep in the heart; nasty food and drink; garments of fire and liquid pitch.
These are the basic characteristics of hell. There is a life going on in
this terrible environment, however. The people of hell have sharp sens-
es. They hear, talk and argue, and they try to escape from suffering. They

130 Man's True Abode: Hereafter