Have the number of levels in both Jannat and Jahanum been revealed in either the Qur’an or the Sunnah???
*“Labaik, Allahumma Labaik, Labaik La Sharika Laka Labaik, Innal Hamda Wa N’amata Laka Wal Mulk, La Sharika Lak.” “Here I am at your service, O Allah, here I am. Here I am at your service and no partners do you have. Verily All Praise and All Bounty belong to you, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. No partners do you have.”
*
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Originally posted by Hinna:
**Have the number of levels in both Jannat and Jahanum been revealed in either the Qur'an or the Sunnah?????
**
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yes, in Quran. I'll try to find some ayats.
We oughta be Changez like, don't we?
ok, may not answer your question "Clearly"... but scholars have regarded/considered "samaaa" (skies) as heaven, I'm still trying to find out how they came to this conclusion. from this there are SEVEN levels in HEAVEN.
and people who go to "HEAVEN" will be classified in "3 GROUPS" as indicated in sura Al-Waqi'a (sura 56:ayat 7).
I'll try to find if the jahannum's level are also described in Quran.
We oughta be Changez like, don't we?
The number of levels of Paradise are 100, as explained in the hadeeth of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam):
"Whoever believes in Allaah and His Apostle (peace be upon him), offers prayer perfectly and fasts the month of Ramadaan will rightly be granted Paradise by Allaah, no matter whether he fights in Allaah's cause or remains in the land where he is born." The people said,"Oh Allaah's Apostel! Shall we acquaint the people with this good news?" He said, "Paradise has one hundred grades which Allaah has reserved for the mujaahidoon who fight in His cause, and the distance between each of two grades is like the distance between the Heaven and the earth. So when you ask Allaah [for something], ask for al-Firdaus which is the best highest part of Paradise."[related by Al-Bukhaaree]
And as for the Hellfire, then there is nothing to suggest exactly how many levels it has. However, we know it too has many becuase Allaah (SWT) says after mentioning the people of the Paradise and the people of the Hell:
"For all there will be degrees (or ranks) according to their deeds."[al-An'aam 6:132]
And He (SWT) says:
"Is one who follows the pleasure of Allaah like the one who earns the wrath of Allaah, and whose dwelling is the Fire? A miserable fate! They are in varying grades with Allaah, and Allaah sees all they do."[Aali-Imraan 3:162-163]
... And Allaah knows best.
"No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except the He has willed it."
Hasnain
Your explanation re: Levels of heaven & hell, is it to be considered "allegorically" or "literally" ?
Allergory = Parable, story.
Literal = word for word, verbatim
Literally.
"No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except that He has willed it."
Hasnain, how can you be so sure?
Personally while I don't dispute the words you posted (I don't know any better), I find it hard to compare earthly concepts to matters like jannat and dauzakh. All these words are there in the Quran to make you understand and give you an idea.
Remember the whole population of the world from the first man to the last will be placed in jannat and dauzakh. So obviously these are huge places. But you can't really fit them in earthly concepts like saying Paradise will be 250 acres and hell-fire is 500 acres! This doesn't make sense. Does it?
So, I always thought that all such verses in Quran and hadith are to make you understand and are "ista'ara" and not to be taken literally. So you can't really start assuming that paradise is like a 100-story building, or something like that. Its all ista-ara to make us, human beings understand these concepts.
These are stuff which our minds can not comprehend. Can never comprehend.
That is my opinion, and you can correct me if it is wrong.
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Originally posted by Pristine:
**Hasnain, how can you be so sure?
Personally while I don't dispute the words you posted (I don't know any better), I find it hard to compare earthly concepts to matters like jannat and dauzakh. All these words are there in the Quran to make you understand and give you an idea.
Remember the whole population of the world from the first man to the last will be placed in jannat and dauzakh. So obviously these are huge places. But you can't really fit them in earthly concepts like saying Paradise will be 250 acres and hell-fire is 500 acres! This doesn't make sense. Does it?
So, I always thought that all such verses in Quran and hadith are to make you understand and are "ista'ara" and not to be taken literally. So you can't really start assuming that paradise is like a 100-story building, or something like that. Its all ista-ara to make us, human beings understand these concepts.
These are stuff which our minds can not comprehend. Can never comprehend.
That is my opinion, and you can correct me if it is wrong.**
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I don't see any limits in terms of 'worldy' definitions... the only thing hadith tells us is that distance from one LEVEL to other LEVEL is about the same as from Earth to Heaven... and there are HUNDRED levels. why can't ALL humans fit in this LOOONNGGGG distance? I know there would be BILLIONNSS of them... but think about the ENTIRE UNIVERSE... stars are in billions too, right?
We oughta be Changez like, don't we?
Question #8578
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Answer: Praise be to Allaah.
“The Fire of Hell has many names, which reflect its characteristics.
It is called Jaheem, Jahannam, Lazaa, al-Sa’eer, Saqar, al-Hatamah
and al-Haawiyah, according to its various characteristics. That
which is named is one and the same. The believer is obliged
to believe in and affirm all the names that have been proven
in the Book of Allaah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).”
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen by al-Salmaan, 2/58.
It is called al-Jaheem (fire) because of its blazing fire.
It is called Jahannam (Hell) because of the depth of its pit
– according to al-Qaamoos.
It is called Lazaa (blazing fire) because of its flames.
It is called al-Sa’eer (blazing flame) because it is kindled
and ignited (this word is derived from the root sa’ara meaning
to kindle).
It is called Saqar (Hell) because of the intensity of its heat.
It is called al-Hatamah (broken pieces, debris) because it breaks
and crushes everything that is thrown into it.
It is called al-Haawiyah (chasm, abyss) because the one who
is thrown into it is thrown from top to bottom… and so on.
Some of the scholars, mufassireen (Qur’aan commentators) and
others mentioned other names besides these.
** Some of them said that these names are the names for the various
levels and degrees of Hell, and some of them divided people
into various categories on the basis of these levels. But it
is not correct to divide people in Hell into categories on this
basis, even though the division of people into categories on
the basis of their actions is something that is proven from
the texts – just as it is not correct to name the various levels
of Hell in the manner in which they mentioned. The correct view
is that each of these names which they mentioned is a name for
the whole of Hell, not for a part of it in exclusion of another
part. **
Al-Yawm al-Aakhir (the Last Day) – al-Jannah wa’l-Naar (Paradise
and Hell) by Dr. ‘Umar al-Ashqar, 26. And Allaah knows best.
"I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He has a grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the straight path. (The truth)"
(11:55-56)
Thanx guys. I guess there isn't an EXACT number of levels because I don't think Allah swt has given us the ability to comprehend the depths of heaven and hell.
*"Labaik, Allahumma Labaik, Labaik La Sharika Laka Labaik, Innal Hamda Wa N'amata Laka Wal Mulk, La Sharika Lak." "Here I am at your service, O Allah, here I am. Here I am at your service and no partners do you have. Verily All Praise and All Bounty belong to you, and Yours alone is The Sovereignty. No partners do you have."
*
Prisitine,
May I ask, is there anything to suggest from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah that it is not to be taken literally?
We need to understand as a rule of thumb that, everything from the Qur’aan and Sunnah is to be taken literally unless stated otherwise by the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) or his companions. And this is from the ‘aqeedah of Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jam’aah.
The reasoning behind this is perfectly straight forward. Islaam is not open to interpretations and personal opinions as some religions have become accustomed to over time. If this were the case, then every individual would be bringing forward his/her own understanding based on his/her opinion and there would be millions of theories flying around causing all sorts of confusion. Also, by having our own personal views and opinions, we are suggesting one of two things: either the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did not successfully complete his mission and left certain matters vague and unexplained; or the person who propagates his personal views is claiming to be more knowledgeable than the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions and understands the Religion better than they. And we know, neither of these two hold true.
Allaah explicitly states in the Qur’aan:
“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion.” [Soorah al-Maa’idah 5:3]
So the religion is complete in every aspect and everything has been explained. Whether we are able comprehend it or not is another question.
We cannot take the limitations of the human mind as an excuse to leave the Islamic themes open to discretion. Five hundred years ago, if you were to have announced there are other planets in the solar system besides this, you would have been guilty of insanity and burnt alive on a stake. But today we believe on the contrary. So it does not mean that in order to explain Islamic phenomenon, we bring forth our own understanding based on our limited mental capacity and call it allegorical or metaphorical, simply because our minds cannot imagine or comprehend and decipher a certain state of existence.
This is precisely why we return to the Companions for their explanations, as they were the best of mankind, as Allaah has clearly stated, and their understanding of Islaam is far superior than ours.
It is a grave danger to let our desires dictate the pattern of Islaam. If this were the case, it would not be long before the very existence of Paradise and Hellfire is questioned, because without a doubt the beauty of Paradise and the menace of the Hellfire cannot be comprehended by our intellectual scope. But it does not mean however, that we reject their creation, because by doing so this will have a negative effect on our eemaan as firm recognition of Paradise and Hell are from the articles of faith.
And from the ‘aqeedah of Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jam’aah is that we do not ask ‘how?’ or ‘how can it be?’, whether it is to do with the characteristics of the Hereafter, or whether it is to do with the night of the Prophet’s ascention to the Heavens and the events pertaining to that night, or any other. Our mind cannot comprehend this, but it is in our ‘aqeedah to accept it as given. Such queries would only open the door to Shaytaan, inviting him in to kick off his shoes and nonchalantly mingle with our sense of reasoning. He is always working away hard on our eemaan, trying to put doubts and confusion into our hearts, until we hit rock bottom and begin to reject the articles of faith and other fundamental principles.
So it is of extreme importance that we remain fully aware of the dangers that lie in declaring personal views with regards to the Religion of Allaah. Everything is taken literally, unless stated otherwise by the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) or his companions. Being united upon referring all matters back to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah and the best of generations is what will remove all confusion. And this is from the correct ‘aqeedah of a Muslim.
... And verily Allaah knows Best.
"No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except that He has willed it."
Hinna,
As well as proofs from the Sunnah with resoect to the levels of Paradise, there is also evidence from Saheeh Muslim with regards to the depth of Hell.
Abu Hurayrah - radiallaahu 'anhu - reported:
"We were in the company of Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) when we heard a terrible sound. He (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said : Do you know what (sound) is this? We said: Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) know best. Thereupon he (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: That is a stone which was thrown seventy years before in Hell and it has been constatly slipping down and and now it has reached its base and you heard its sound." [related by Muslim]
wassalaam
"No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except that He has willed it."
Husnain,
Unfortunately it seems that you are twisting the whole argument. Where did I argue that the religion is incomplete or if anyone is superior to the Prophet (SAWW)? Please don't put words in my mouth. Thanks.
Whatever Allah says in the Quran and the Prophet (SAWW) explained is in the context of the capacity of our minds. We human beings, as intelligent as we think ourselves to be, are imperfect, have limited knowledge and even more limited comprehension skills, when it comes to matter of hereafter.
If someone says, how big will be the place where we will all assemble on the Day of Qiyamat, or how long will be the time we will be there. What will you say? The answers provided by Allah , which in turn were forwarded to us by Prophet (SAWW), are in simple terms which we humans can understand. We know hours, days, and years because these are the units we use in our lives. So we are given easy answers. The idea was not that someone will stand there with a stop-watch checking if the whole thing ends in 50,000 years or not. It is just to explain-by-example giving us an idea on how long it will.
On the day of qiyamat, with the sound of Soor the whole earth will crumble and mountains will shake etc. Do you think the sun will survive and if there is no sun, there won't be the thing we call "days" or "years" anymore. So, its best not to try too hard to make sense of it all.
Similarly is the case of levels of heavens and hell.
You are free to take them literally if you wish. My answer was that these are not easy concepts to understand, becasue these stuff is for the hereafter and not for this world and as humans our comprehension is limited. You can find simple answers from Quran and hadith. But these are just clues and the correct answer will only be available to us in the hereafter. There is no point in being pretentious about it.
015.043 And verily, Hell is the promised abode for them all!
015.044 To it are seven gates: for each of those gates is a (special) class (of sinners) assigned.
I hope this helps!!
Pristine,
I don’t mean to sound impertinent, but it seems as though you’ve suddenly gone on the defensive for no reason at all.
With all due respect, firstly, I’m not pointing fingers at anyone in particular, but am making a general observation and analysis by using the first person plural: “We”, rather than the second person singular throughout my post above. This ‘We’ also includes myself, because first and foremost this is a reminder to myself, and then to those who read the post.
Secondly, I’m not twisting the argument at all. On the contrary! Because if the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) explained these concepts to his Companions literally, then why does there need to be another avenue of investigation behind its underlying meaning. Surely, to know that the Companions understood these concepts literally should be enough. But if their mode of understanding is not enough, then it can be said that the Religion is incomplete because questions have been left unanswered by the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam). But they clearly accepted it as given, even if they didn't comprehend it and so should we in the same manner.
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Whatever Allah says in the Quran and the Prophet (SAWW) explained is in the context of the capacity of our minds. We human beings, as intelligent as we think ourselves to be, are imperfect, have limited knowledge and even more limited comprehension skills, when it comes to matter of hereafter.
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I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch what you were saying here. The first sentence seems to contradict the second.
Please, allow me to ask you a question. Can you comprehend and imagine the state of Paradise and Hell as explained in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah? The paradisial beauty and the hell-forming malice? I would be most surprised if anybody can. Our minds simply cannot comprehend it, but as Muslims we must have faith in it. And the Companions took every description of Paradise and Hell literally. Just because they could not comprehend it, and it was far beyond their imaginations, they did not say there had to be another explanation. They accepted it just as they literally accepted the levels of Paradise and Hell without question.
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If someone says, how big will be the place where we will all assemble on the Day of Qiyamat, or how long will be the time we will be there. What will you say?
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The answer to the first question is simple. You say “I don’t know. Allaah knows best.” Nobody knows the answer to everything, not even all the scholars put together. Besides, even if you give your personally calculated answer, what proof is there to suggest that it is correct. Somebody else may come with a totally different answer, and someone else with another answer, and so on and so forth. As for the second question, then this too is simple Insha’Allaah. You just give them the literal answer as stated in the hadeeth with respect to this.
When the question of comprehending comes into play, it no longer remains a question of comprehending, but rather a question of accepting.
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So, its best not to try too hard to make sense of it all.
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Precisely! But in cases where proofs are given from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, we just take them as literally, and as you said, “...not to try too hard to make sense of it all.”
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the correct answer will only be available to us in the hereafter.
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You are absolutely right!
... And Allaah knows best.
Please accept my sincerest apologies brother if I sounded impertinent in anyway. As you know, staring into a monitor and typing words isn’t the easiest way to express ones self ... wassalaam.
"No leaf falls except that He knows of it, and no rain drop forms except that He has willed it."
[This message has been edited by Hasnain (edited September 08, 2001).]