Title:
Narrative regarding God shall Fill Paradise and Hellfire in the Hereafter
Article:
روي أنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:
اختصمت الجنة والنار إلى ربهما. فقالت النار: أوثرت
بالمتكبرين والمتجبرين وقالت الجنة: ما لي لا يدخلني إلا ضعفاء الناس وسقطهم
وعجزهم. قال الله تبارك وتعالى للجنة: أنت رحمتي، أرحم بك من أشاء من عبادي. وقال
للنار: إنما أنت عذابي أعذب بك من أشاء من عبادي. ولكل واحدة منهما ملؤها. فأما
النار فيلقون فيها أهل النار فلا تمتلئ وتقول: هل من مزيد؟ حتى يضع رب العالمين
رجله عليها، فتقول قط قط قط فهنالك تمتلئ ويزوى بعضها إلى بعض، ولا يظلم الله عز
وجل من خلقه أحدا. وأما الجنة فإن الله عز وجل ينشئ لها خلقا.
It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said:
[Once,] paradise and the hellfire presented their case in front of their Lord1:
Hellfire said: I am preferred for the arrogant and the oppressing. Paradise
said: What is wrong with me, no one enters me except the weak among people,
their down trodden and their humble ones. God replied to paradise: You are
[the manifestation of] my mercy. Though you, I bestow mercy upon whom I please2
from amongst my servants. Then, He said to Hellfire: You are only My
punishment. Through you, I punish whom I please from amongst my servants. Each
one of these two shall have their fill3. As for hellfire, people of
deserving of it shall be thrown into it, but it shall not be filled and would
[keep asking for more and] say: Are there any more?4 Till the time
that the Lord of the Universe shall put His foot upon it5 and then it shall cry
out: Enough! Enough! Enough! At this, it would be full to its capacity; its
parts would contract towards each other6. God would not wrong
anyone of His creations [and, thus, would not subject anyone unjustly to the
punishment of hellfire]7. And, on the other hand, as for paradise8,
God shall raise for it many creations9.
***************
General Notes:
-
Such narratives are in fact an
allegorical presentation of an important phenomenon. The prophets of God, as
teachers for their people resort to such allegories to clarify phenomena in
a manner that is most effective and creates a picture of the whole concept
that is being explained in the minds of their addressees.
-
i.e., according to My
all-encompassing knowledge, wisdom, mercy and justice.
-
i.e., on the Day of Judgment,
both the paradise and the hellfire shall be filled with those who deserve to
enter them.
-
i.e., there shall be more than
enough space in hell to accommodate all those who lived a life of
transgression and arrogance.
-
'put his foot upon it' means to close it.
-
This part of the narrative only
implies that even after all those deserving to be thrown in hell are put in
it, there shall still be enough space in it to accommodate more. At this God
would close it down and bring its size down what would be required.
-
i.e., to fill hell to its
capacity, God shall not put anyone in it unjustly.
-
Like hellfire, paradise too
shall continue to have free spaces in it. God shall continuously raise creations
to reside in paradise.
-
The narrative creates an
imagery of hellfire and paradise to teach the following points:
The arrogant and the
oppressing shall be thrown in hellfire;
The weak and the humble
servants of God, who strived to live their lives in submission to God
shall reside blissfully in paradise;
Hellfire and paradise are the
ultimate manifestation of God's punishment and mercy respectively;
Each of the two - hellfire
and paradise - shall be filled with their respective inhabitants on the
Day of Judgment;
God has created both hellfire
and paradise to accommodate many times more the number of people that
shall deserve to enter them respectively. No one should allow oneself to
be deceived by the idea that either of the two shall not be able to
accommodate the number of people that shall deserve to enter it;
God shall not subject anyone
to the punishment of hellfire merely to fill it. On the contrary, when all
those who deserve to be thrown into hell have been thrown into it, God
shall reduce its size - contracting its sides - to only that which is only
sufficient to accommodate its inhabitants;
In contrast to hellfire, because paradise is
a manifestation of God's all-encompassing mercy, its size shall not be
reduced. On the contrary, God shall continuously create new creations to
reside in God's mercy.
Notes on the Text of the Narrative
This narrative or a part of it with some
variations has been reported in Bukhariy (narrative no. 4567, 4568,
4569, 6284, 6949 and 7011); Muslim (narrative no. 2846, 2846, 2846,
2847, 2848 and 2848); Ibn Hibban (narrative no. 268, 7447 and 7477),
Tirmidhi (narrative no. 2557, 2561 and 3272), Nissay's Sunan Al-Kubraa
(narrative no. 7719, 7725, 7740 and 11522), Daarmiy (narrative no.
2849), Ahmad ibn Hanbal (narrative no. 7704, 8149, 8803, 9815, 10596,
11114, 11757, 11771, 12403, 12463, 13426, 13482 and 14000), Abu Ya`laa
(narrative no. 1313, 3140 and 6290) and Abd Al-Razzaq (narrative no.
20893 and 20894). The preferred text is reported in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 4569.
The words
“اختصمت الجنة والنار إلى ربهما”
(i.e., 'paradise and hellfire presented their case in front of their
Lord') have been reported in Bukhariy's narrative no. 7011. In
Bukhariy's narrative no. 4569, these words have been replaced with
“تحاجت الجنة والنار”(i.e.,
'paradise and hellfire argued mutually'); in some narratives, as in
Nissaiy's Sunan al-Kubraa's narrative no. 11522, these words have been
reported as
“احتجت الجنة والنار” (i.e.,
'paradise and hellfire presented arguments'); in some narratives, as in
Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11114, these words have been replaced
with
“افتخرت الجنة والنار” (i.e.,
'paradise and hellfire boasted').
In some narratives, as in Nissaiy's Sunan al-Kubraa's
narrative no. 11522, the words
“أوثرت بالمتكبرين والمتجبرين”
(i.e., 'I am preferred for the arrogant and the oppressing') have been
replaced with
“يا رب، ما لي لا يدخلني إلا الجبارون والمتكبرون”
(i.e., 'My Lord, what is the matter with me that no one enters me except the
oppressing and the arrogant'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 10596, these words have been replaced with
“يا رب، ما لها يدخلها الجبارون والمتكبرون”
(i.e., 'My Lord, what is wrong with it, the oppressing and the arrogant enter
it'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11114,
these words have been reported as
“يا رب يدخلني الجبابرة والمتكبرون والمملوك
والأشراف” (i.e., 'My Lord, the oppressing, the arrogant, the
kings and the nobles enter me'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn
Hanbal's narrative no. 11757, these words have been reported as
“رب يدخلني الجبابرة والمملوك والعظماء والأشراف”
(i.e., 'My Lord, the oppressing, the arrogant, the kings, the greats and the
nobles enter me'); in some narratives, as in Ibn Hibban's narrative no.
7477, these words have been reported as
“ما بالي يدخلني الجبارون والمتكبرون”
(i.e., 'what is the matter with me, the arrogant and the oppressing
enter me'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no.
11771, these words have been reported as
“في الجبارون والمتكبرون” (i.e., 'in
me are the oppressing and the arrogant').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 7011, the words
“قالت الجنة: ما لي لا يدخلني…”
(i.e., 'Paradise said: 'What is wrong with me, no one enters me…') have
been replaced with
“قالت الجنة: ما لها لا يدخلها…”
(i.e., 'Paradise said: What is wrong with it, no one enters it…'); in some
narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 10596, these words
have been reported as
“قالت الجنة: رب، ما لها لا يدخلها…”
(i.e., 'Paradise said: Lord, what is wrong with it, no one enters it…'); in
some narratives, as in Ibn Hibban's narrative no. 7477, these words
have been reported as
“ما بالي
يدخلني…”
(i.e., 'What is the matter with me, people enter me…'); in some narratives, as
in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11771, these words have been
reported as
“في ضعفاء الناس ومساكينهم” (i.e.,
'in me are weak among people and their destitute').
The words
“وعجزهم”
(i.e., 'their humble') have been reported in Muslim's narrative no.
2846; in an alternative reporting in Muslim's narrative no. 2846, these
words have been replaced with
“وغرتهم” (i.e., 'their simple
ones'); in some narratives, as in Nissaiy's Sunan al-Kubraa's narrative
no. .7740, the words
“وعجزهم”
(i.e., 'their humble') have been replaced with a synonym
“وعجزتهم”.
In some narratives, as in Nissaiy's Sunan al-Kubraa's
narrative no. 11522, the words
“ضعفاء الناس وسقطهم وعجزهم”
(i.e., 'the weak among people, their down trodden and their humble
ones') have been replaced with
“فقراء الناس ومساكينهم وسقاطهم”
(i.e., 'the poor among people, their destitute and their down trodden'); in
some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 8149, these
words have been replaced with
“ضعفاء الناس وسفلتهم وغرتهم” (i.e.,
'the weak among people, their low cast and their simple ones'); in some
narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11114, these words
have been reported as
“الضعفاء والفقراء والمساكين” (i.e.,
'the weak, the poor and the destitute').
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 8149, the words
“أنت رحمتي”
(i.e., 'you are my mercy') have been replaced with
“إنما أنت رحمة” (i.e., 'you are
only a mercy'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative
no. 11114, these words have been reported as
“أنت رحمتي وسعت كل شئ” (i.e., 'you
are my mercy which encompasses to all things').
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 10596, the words
“أرحم بك من أشاء من عبادي”
(i.e., 'Though you, I bestow mercy upon whom I please from amongst my
servants') have been reported as
“أصيب بك من أشاء” (i.e., 'Through
you, I target [for my mercy] whomsoever I please'); in some narratives, as in
Tirmidhi's narrative no. these words have been reported as
“أنت رحمتي، أرحم بك من شئت” (i.e.,
'you are my mercy, though you I bestow mercy on upon I have pleased'); in some
narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11771, these words
have been replaced with
“إنك الجنة رحمتي أرحم بك من أشاء”
(i.e., 'you are paradise - My mercy - through you I bestow mercy upon whom I
please').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 7011, the words
“إنما أنت عذابي أعذب بك من أشاء”
(i.e., 'You are only My punishment. Through you, I punish whom I
please') have been replaced with
“أنت عذابي أصيب بك من أشاء” (i.e.,
'You are My punishment, I target for My punishment whomsoever I please'); in
some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 10596, these
words have been reported synonymously as
“أنت عذابي، أصيب منك من أشاء”; in
some narratives, as in Tirmidhi's narrative no. 2561, these words have
been reported as
“أنت عذابي أنتقم بك ممن شئت” (i.e.,
'You are my punishment, through you, I avenge from whomsoever I have
decided'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no.
11771, these words have been reported as
“إنك النار عذابي، أعذب بك من أشاء”
(i.e., 'You are hellfire - My punishment - through you, I punish whom I
please').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 7011, the words
“ولكل واجدة منهما ملؤها”
(i.e., 'Each one of these two shall have their fill') have been
reported as
“ولكل واحدة منكما ملؤها” (i.e.,
'Each one of the both of you shall be filled'); in some narratives, as in
Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 10596, these words have been reported as
“ولكل واحدة منكن ملؤها” (i.e.,
'Each one from among you shall be filled'); in some narratives, as in Ibn
Hibban's narrative no. 7477, these words have been reported as
“لكل واحدة منهن ملؤها” (i.e., 'Each
one of these shall be filled'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn
Hanbal's narrative no. 11771, these words have been reported as
“ولكلاكما على ملؤها” (i.e., 'For
each of the two of you [shall be people], till it is filled').
The words
“ويلقون فيها أهل النار”
(i.e., 'and people of hellfire shall be thrown into it') have been
taken from Nissaiy's Sunan al-Kubraa's narrative no. 11522. Similar
implication has also been reported in Bukhariy's narrative no. 7011.
The words
“وتقول: هل من مزيد؟”
(i.e., 'and it would say: Are there any more?') have been taken from
Nissaiy's Sunan al-Kubraa's narrative no. 11522. Similar implication has
also been reported in Bukhariy's narrative no. 7011.
The words
“عليها”
(i.e., 'on it') after
“يضع رب العالمين رجله”
(i.e., 'the Lord of the Universe would put His foot') have been taken
from Bukhariy's narrative no. 4568. In some narratives, as in
Bukhariy's narrative no. 6949, the words
“عليها”
(i.e., 'on it') have been replaced with
“فيها” (i.e., 'in it').
The words
“رب العالمين”
(i.e., 'Lord of the Universe') have been reported in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 6949.
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 6949, the words
“رجله”
(i.e., 'His foot') have been replaced with a synonym
“قدمه”.
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 11114, the words
“قط قط قط”
(i.e., 'enough, enough, enough') have been replaced with a synonymous
expression
“قدي قدي”.
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 7011, the words
“ويزوى بعضها إلى بعض”
(i.e., 'its parts would contract towards each other') have been
replaced with
“ويرد بعضها إلى بعض” (i.e., 'its
parts would return to each other'); in some narratives, as in Abd al-Razzaq's
narrative no. 20893, these words have been replaced with
“وتنزوي بعضها إلى بعض” (i.e., 'it
would contract its parts towards each other'); in some narratives, as in
Ibn Hibban's narrative no. 7448, these words have been reported as
“وينزوى بعضها إلى بعض” (i.e., 'its
parts would contract towards each other'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad
ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11114, these words have been reported as
“فتزوي” (i.e., 'it would be
satiated').
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 7704, the words
“فأما الجنة، فإن الله ينشئ لها خلقا”
(i.e., 'As for paradise, God shall raise creations to reside in it') have
been reported as
“فإن الله ينشئ لها ما يشاء” (i.e.,
'For indeed God shall raise for it, what He pleases'); in some narratives, as
in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 10596, these words have been
replaced with
“فأما الجنة، فإن الله عز وجل لا يظلم من خلقه أحدا
وإنها ينشئ لها من خلقه ما شاء” (i.e., 'As for paradise, God
shall not wrong anyone from among His creation and He shall raise for it from
His creation whatever He would decide'); in some narratives, as in Ahmad
ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11114, these words have been reported as
“أما الجنة، فيبقى فيها أهلها ما شاء الله أن يبقى
فينشئ الله لها خلقا ما يشاء” (i.e., 'As for paradise, its
inhabitants shall remain in it till God decides that they remain in it, then
God shall also raise for it creations that He decides'); in some narratives,
as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 11757, these words have been
reported as
“أما الجنة، فتبقى ما شاء الله أن تبقى ثم ينشئ
الله لها خلقا بما يشاء” (i.e., 'As for paradise, it shall exist
till God decides for it to exist, then God shall raise for it creations that
He pleases'); in some narratives, as in Abu Ya`laa's narrative no.
1313, these words have been replaced with
“وأما الجنة فيبقى فيها ما شاء الله أن يبقى ثم
ينشئ الله لها خلقا مما يشاء” (i.e., 'As for paradise, people
shall remain in it till God decides for them to remain in it, then God shall
raise for it creations from what He decides').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 7011, the words
“فأما الجنة فإن الله لا يظلم من خلقه أحدا وإنه
ينشئ للنار من يشاء فيلقون فيها” (i.e.,
'As for paradise, [all those who deserve it shall enter it] for God does not
wrong anyone of His creation. And He shall raise for Hellfire whomsoever He
decides then they shall be thrown into it') have been reported, which, in the
light of the other narratives, seems to be a case of a mix up on the part of
some of the narrators of this saying.
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 4568, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said:
لا يزال يلقى في النار ويقال ﴿لجهنم: هل امتلأت؟
فتقول: هل من مزيد؟﴾ فيضع الرب تبارك وتعالى قدمه عليها فتقول قط قط بعزتك
وكرمك. ويزوى بعضها إلى بعض ولا تزال الجنة تفضل حتى ينشئ الله لها خلقا فيسكنهم فضل الجنة.
'People shall be continued to be thrown into
the fire and the hell shall be asked: Have you had your fill? It shall
[continue to] reply: Are there any more? Then the Lord shall put His foot on
it, after which it shall cry out: Enough! Enough! By your honor and your
grace. Its parts shall contract towards each other. And [on the other hand,]
there shall continue to be free space in paradise till God raises another
creation. Then He shall reside them in the free space of paradise.'
The words
“لا يزال يلقى في النار”
(i.e., 'people shall be continued to be thrown into the fire') have
been reported in Bukhariy's narrative no. 6949.
In some narratives, as in Muslim's
narrative no. 2484, the words
“لا يزال يلقى في النار”
(i.e., 'people shall be continued to be thrown into the fire') have
been reported as
“لا تزال جهنم يلقى فيها” (i.e., 'In
hellfire people shall be continued to be thrown'); in some narratives, as in
Tirmidhi's narrative no. 3272, these words have been replaced with
“لا تزال جهنم تقول: هل من مزيد؟”
(i.e., 'Hellfire shall continue to say: Are there any more?'); in some
narratives, as in Daarmiy's narrative no. 2849, these words have been
reported as
“يلقى في النار أهلها” (i.e.,
'People of the fire shall be continued to be thrown into it').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 4567, the portion
“ويقال ﴿لجهنم: هل امتلأت؟ فتقول: هل من مزيد؟﴾”
(i.e., 'and the hell shall be asked: Have you had your fill? It shall
reply: Are there any more?') has been reported as
“وتقول: هل من مزيد؟” (i.e., 'It
shall say: Are there any more?').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 4567, the words
“فيضع الرب تبارك وتعالى قدمه عليها”
(i.e., 'Then the Lord shall put His foot on it') have been reported as
“حتى يضع قدمه” (i.e., 'till he puts
His foot'); in some narratives, as in Tirmidhi's narrative no. 3272,
these words have been reported as
“حتى يضع فيها رب العزة قدمه” (i.e.,
'till the honorable Lord puts His foot in it'); in some narratives, as in
Daarmiy's narrative no. 2849, these words have been reported as
“حتى يأتيها ربها فيضع قدمه عليها”
(i.e., 'till the Lord comes to it and puts His foot on it'); in some
narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 12403,
“فيدلي فيها رب العالمين قدمه”
(i.e., 'the Lord of the Universe hangs His foot in it').
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 6949, the words
“قط قط”
(i.e., 'enough, enough') have been replaced with a synonym expression
“قد قد”.
The phrase
“بعزتك وكرمك”
(i.e., 'By Your honor and Your grace') have been reported in
Bukhariy's narrative no. 6949.
In some narratives, as in Bukhariy's
narrative no. 6949, the words
“ويزوى”
(i.e., 'it shall contract') have been reported as
“فينزوي” (i.e., it shall
contract'); in some narratives, as in Daarmiy's narrative no. 2849,
these words have been reported as
“فتنزوي” (i.e., 'it shall
contract').
The words
“ولا تزال الجنة تفضل حتى ينشئ الله لها خلقا
فيسكنهم فضل الجنة” (i.e., 'And there
shall continue to be extra space in paradise till God raises another creation
to reside them in the blessings of paradise') have been taken from
Bukhariy's narrative no. 6949.
In some narratives, as in Muslim's
narrative no. 2848b, the words
“ولا تزال الجنة تفضل” (i.e.,
'paradise shall continue to have free space') have been reported as
“لا يزال في الجنة فضل” (i.e., 'in
paradise there shall continue to be free space'); in some narratives, as in
Ahmad ibn Hanbal's narrative no. 12463, these words have been reported as
“لا يزال في الجنة فضلا” (i.e., 'in
paradise there shall continue to be free space').
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 12403, the word
“آخر”
(i.e., 'other') has been added after
“ينشئ لها خلقا” (i.e., 'God shall
raise for it other creations').
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 12403, the words
“فيسكنهم فضل الجنة”
(i.e., 'then He shall reside them in the free space of paradise') have
been reported as
“فيسكنه في فضول الجنة” (i.e., 'then
He shall reside it in the free spaces of paradise').
In some narratives, as in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's
narrative no. 8803, besides other things, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to
have said:
يبقى
أهل النار فيطرح منهم فيها فوج فيقال: هل امتلأت؟ فتقول: هل من مزيد؟ ثم يطرح
فيها فوج فيقال: هل امتلأت؟ وتقول: هل من مزيد؟ حتى إذا أوعبوا فيها وضع الرحمن
عز وجل قدمه فيها وزوى بعضها إلى بعض ثم قالت: قط قط قط.
'The people of hellfire shall remain in it,
then another group from among them shall be thrown in it and the hellfire
shall be asked: Have you had your fill? It shall reply: Are there any more?
Then another group shall be cast into it and it shall be asked: Have you had
your fill? And it shall once again reply: Are there any more? Till the time
that they shall all be gathered in it, the Merciful shall put His foot in it
and its parts shall contract towards one another and it shall cry out:
Enough! Enough! Enough!'
(This write-up is prepared by the Hadith
Cell of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi)