How can be saved from jahannam? Who does not burn in the fire of hell?
Those who believe in the creed of Islam are saved from eternal punishment of the hell Fire. However, there are some from the believers who Allah will punish because of their major sins. Those believers are saved from it by divine forgiveness, or intercession of other believers or after their punishment has finished. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) informs us of this process in the following hadith:
“By One in whose hand is my life, there will be none among you more eager to claim a right than the believers on the Day of Resurrection for brethren in the Fire who would say:
“O our Lord, they were fasting along with us, and praying and performing pilgrimage. It will be said to them: Take out those whom you recognise. Then their people will be forbidden to the Fire and they will take out a large number of people who had been overtaken by the Fire up to the middle of the shank or up to the knees. They will then say: O our Lord not one of those about whom Thou didst give us command over remains in it. He will then say: Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find good of the weight of a dinar then they will take out a large number of people. Then they would say: O our Lord! We have not left anyone about whom You commanded us. He will then say: Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as half a dinar of good.
Then they will take out a large number of people, and would say: O our Lord! Not one of those about whom You commanded us we have left in it. Then He will say: Go back and in whose heart you find good to the weight of a particle bring him out. They would bring out a large number of people and will then say: O our Lord, now we have not left anyone in it (Hell) having any good in him. Abu Sa’id Khudri said: If you don’t testify me in this hadith, then recite if you like:” Surely Allah wrongs not the weight of an atom and if it is a good deed. He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward” (al-Qur’an, iv. 40).
Then Allah, Exalted and Great, will say: The angels have interceded, the Messengers have interceded and the believers have interceded and no one remains (to grant pardon) but the Most Merciful of the merciful. He will then take a handful from the Fire and bring out from it people who never did any good and who had been turned into charcoal and will cast them into a river called the river of life, on the outskirts of the Garden. They will come out as a seed comes cut from the silt carried by a flood. You see it near the stone or near the tree. That which is exposed to the sun is yellowish or greenish and which is under the shade is white. They said: Messenger of Allah! It seems as if you had been tending a flock in the jungle. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: They will come forth like pearls with seals on their necks. The inhabitants of the Garden will recognise them and say: ‘Those who have been set free by the Compassionate One. Who has admitted them into the Garden without any good deed that they did or any good that they sent in advance’, then He will say: ‘Enter the Garden; whatever you see in it is yours. They will say:
“O Lord, You have placed a favour upon us that You have not granted upon anyone else in the world”. He will say:
“There is with Me a favour for you better than this.” They will say:
“O our Lord! Which thing is better than this?” He will say:
“It is My pleasure. I will never be angry with you after this”. (Muslim, Iman, 302)
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) informs about the last man who will emerge out of Hell to go to the Garden:
“…when Allah has finished the judgments among His slaves and decides to take out of the Fire whoever He wishes to take out from among those who used to testify that none had the right to be worshipped but Allah. We will order the angels to take them out and the angels will know them by the mark of the traces of prostration on their foreheads for Allah banned the Fire to consume the traces of prostration on the body of any of the children of Adam (peace be upon him). So they will take them out and by then they will have become burnt like coal and then Ma’ul Hayat (water of life) will be poured on them and they will spring out like a seed springs out on the bank of a rainwater stream and there will remain one man who will be facing the Fire and will say, ‘O Lord! Its vapour has poisoned and smoked me and its flame has burnt me; please turn my face away from the Fire.’
He will keep on invoking Allah till Allah says, ‘Perhaps, if I will give you what you want, you will ask for another thing?’ The man will say, ‘No, by Your Power, I will not ask you for anything else.’ Then Allah will turn his face away from the Fire. The man will say after that, ‘O Lord, bring me near the gates of The Garden.’ Allah will say to him, ‘Didn’t you promise not to ask for anything else? Woe to you, O son of Adam! How treacherous you are!’
The man will keep on invoking Allah until Allah says, ‘But if I give you that, you may ask me for something else.’ The man will say, ‘No, by Your Power. I will not ask for anything else.’ He will promise not to ask for anything else after that. So Allah will bring him near to the gates of the Garden and when he sees what is in it, he will remain silent as long as Allah wills and then he will say, ‘O Lord! Let me enter the Garden.’ Allah will say, ‘Didn’t you promise that you would not ask Me for anything other than that? Woe to you, O son of Adam! How treacherous you are!’ On that, the man will say, ‘O Lord! Do not make me the most wretched of Your creation,’ and will keep on invoking Allah until Allah smiles and when Allah smiles because of him, then He will allow him to enter the Garden and when he will enter the Garden, he will be addressed, ‘Wish from so-and-so.’ He will wish till all his wishes will be fulfilled, then Allah will say, all this (i.e. what you have wished for) and as much again are for you.’ ” Abu Hurayra added: That man will be the last of the people of the Garden to enter it. (Bukhari, Rikak, 52)
In another narration the Muslims who are destined to hell will suffer an amount time in Hell and after some time will die so as to not suffer too much. After that they will be totally burnt into charcoal, after they stay in the Hell as long as Allah wills, then they will leave the Fire due to intercession. Then they will be thrown into the rivers of the Garden until they are given a new life and body.[1]
[1] Bkz. Muslim, Iman, 306; Ibn Majar, Zuhd, 37.
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş , Journey To Eternity, Erkam Publications
