Welcome to this week's episode of the series Let's Know Islam. Today, we continue to discuss hell. As it was said, one of the main features of hell is that its inhabitants are the inmates of Fire. Hell's fire is huge and horrific.

In the 36^th ayah of Surat Fatir in Holy Quran, God notes: "As for the faithless there is for them the fire of hell: they will neither be done away with so that they may die, nor shall its punishment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every ingrate."

So the inmates of Fire do not die, and are not relieved from the suffering that they face in hell.

In the 20^th ayah of Surat al-Balad in Holy Quran God points out: "Imposed upon them will be a closed Fire."

In contrast to worldly fires, who are extinguished after a while, hell's fire never dies out and whenever hell's fire subsides, the blaze is once again intensified.

The 97^th ayah of Surat al-Isra in Holy Quran states: "Whenever it subsides, We shall intensify the blaze for them."

 One of the other features of hell's fire is that it is degrading and the inmates of Fire are humiliated.

The 192^nd ayah of Surat al-Imran in Holy Quran notes: "Our Lord, whoever that You make enter the Fire, will surely have been disgraced by You, and the wrongdoers will have no helpers."

Those, who are prudent are more fearful of the humiliation they would encounter if they enter hell, than the suffering that they have to face if they enter hell due to the intensity of hell's raging fire. Although hell's fire is intense, those who seek dignity consider degradation and humiliation before the one and only creator of the world, God Almighty, and His servants, to be more painful. These prudent individuals hope that their dignity would be maintained on the Day of Resurrection and therefore are careful and cautious about their deeds in the mortal world.

Given that the Day of Resurrection maintains both physical and spiritual aspects, the related punishments and rewards are also physical and spiritual, both. Hence, within the ayahs of Holy Quran, and throughout Islamic hadiths, both kinds of rewards and punishments have been mentioned.

One of the examples of spiritual rewards which is granted to the inhabitants of Heaven, has been mentioned in the 58^th ayah of Surat Yasin of Holy Quran. This ayah states: 'Peace!' – a watchword from the all-merciful Lord.

The wrongdoers who are the inmates of Fire face both physical and spiritual sufferings. These sufferings maintain emotional impacts on the inmates of Fire, such as the humiliation and degradation that the inmates of Fire face as the result of the sins and wrongdoings they have committed in the mortal world.

The inhabitants of hell forgot God in the mortal world and thus committed many major sins and crimes. Hence, on the Day of Resurrection, God forgets sinners and does not pay any attention to their calls for forgiveness.

The 106^th to 108^th ayahs of Surat al-Mu'minun in Holy Quran note: They will say, 'Our Lord! Our wretchedness overcame us, and we were an astray lot. Our Lord! Bring us out of this! Then, if we revert, we will indeed be wrongdoers.' He will say, 'Begone in it, and do not speak to Me!

The 29^th to 32^nd ayahs of Surat al-Mutaffifin in Holy Quran note: "Indeed the guilty used to laugh at the faithful, and when they passed them by they would wink at each other, and when they returned to their folks they would return rejoicing, and when they saw them they would say, 'Indeed those are the astray!'

This fact has been repeated throughout the course of history. Whenever divine prophets have embarked upon the scene, enemies and opponents have made strenuous efforts to somehow degrade them.

Also, given that the faithful were usually individuals who did not maintain a powerful social status and/or a significant wealth; disbelievers were disdainful toward them.

However, everything changes on the Day of Resurrection.

The 34^th and 35^th ayahs of Surat al-Mutaffifin in Holy Quran state: "So today the faithful will laugh at the faithless, observing from couches."

MR/MG