Hell is repeatedly described as a bad place in the Qur’an, and its punishments are frightening and gruesome. But these are necessary and deserved torments, representing the impact of the Good on hitherto unpunished crime and ingratitude. It is particularly hard on those who had no conscience – the very worst of humanity – or who thought they could dispense with it or ignore it. The Fire of GOD is painful for the same reason as our pangs of conscience are painful; they touch sore spots that must not be left untouched. If the whole heart is diseased, then the act of healing must be correspondingly, and entirely, severe. It is the dosage, not the medicine, that will be unprecedented and intolerable.
By calling something, such as the Fire, of GOD, AL-LAH is clearly indicating that there is an attribute of it which is greater than sheer loss and destruction. If Hell had no merit whatsoever, then the references to fire in the Qur’an and the ahadith would all be negative . . . but they are not.
From ‘Ubadah (may GOD be pleased with him), from the Prophet (may GOD bless him and give him peace), who said, “AL-LAH will cause whoever testifies that there is no god but AL-LAH, the One without partners, and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger, and that ‘Isa is the Slave of AL-LAH and His Messenger and His Word bestowed on Maryam and a Spirit from Him, and that the Garden is true, and that the Fire is true, to enter Paradise with whatever he had of deeds.” (Sahihul-Bukhari, Book 60, Hadith 106)
عَنْ عُبَادَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ مَنْ شَهِدَ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَأَنَّ عِيسَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ وَكَلِمَتُهُ، أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ، وَرُوحٌ مِنْهُ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، أَدْخَلَهُ اللَّهُ الْجَنَّةَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ
The Garden and the Fire are given equal billing, so to speak, as true, but with the Garden taking its natural precedence.
From Abi Hurairah, who said “The Messenger of AL-LAH (may GOD bless him and give him peace) said, ‘Your Lord prescribed for Himself by His Own Hand, before He created the creation: “My Mercy precedes My Wrath.” (Sunanub-ni Majah, Book 1, Hadith 194)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ” كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِيَدِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ الْخَلْقَ رَحْمَتِي سَبَقَتْ غَضَبِي ”
We tend to regard GOD’s Mercy and His Wrath as abstract emotions that have nothing to do with us. The Garden and the Fire exist to make us realize that those descriptions of Divine Pleasure and Displeasure are not mere literary terms, however symbolic of an incomprehensibly intense reality they may be, and have everything to do with us. In this life, our pangs of conscience could be considered echoes of the Wrath of GOD, transmitted to our hearts from beyond our own graves. Since GOD’s Mercy, however, according to a similar hadith (Jami’ut-Tirmidhi, Book 48, Hadith 174), overcomes My Wrath, fire can be mitigated or reversed. We see this in the story of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
They said, “Burn him and support your gods if you are bent on doing it.” / We spoke, “O Fire, be cool and safe for Ibrahim.” (Q21:68-69)
قَالُوا حَرِّقُوهُ وَانصُرُوا آلِهَتَكُمْ إِنْ كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلاَمًا عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ
An even more positive connotation of fire is evident in the story of Musa (peace be upon him).
And [take heed] when Musa told his household, “Verily I see a fire. I shall bring you some report from it, or bring a burning firebrand that you may warm yourselves.” / But when he came to it, a voice was heard: “Blessed is the one within the fire and the one around it, and transcendent is AL-LAH, the Master of the worlds.” (Q27:7-8)
ِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى ِلأَهْلِهِ إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا سَآتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِخَبَرٍ أَوْ آتِيكُمْ بِشِهَابٍ قَبَسٍ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَصْطَلُونَ
فَلَمَّا جَاءَهَا نُودِيَ أَنْ بُورِكَ مَنْ فِي النَّارِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Fire (nar in Arabic) is a source of light (nur) and information, a provider of warmth, a means of communication, and, in this story, a locus of blessing, glorification, and enlightenment.
Then we have what is commonly known as the Light Verse (Q24:35). The main part of it that concerns us here is:
AL-LAH is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The likeness of His Light is of a niche, wherein there is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a pearly star, ignited from a blessed olive tree, not of the east nor of the west. Its oil is almost luminous, though fire does not touch it. Light on Light! (Q24:35)
للَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونِةٍ لاَ شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلاَ غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ
There is, it seems, more to fire than what meets the skin. When something as commonly understood to be negative in the Qur’an as the Fire positively glows with associations such as these, we need to take a second look at Hell from the point of view of Light.
The GOD You Already Know 