Why Hellfire's Punishment Mirrors Your Actions

We would get a particular image of the hellfire, its descriptions, all of its descriptions from the Quran. That is one understanding. Okay. However, the context in which these verses are found gives another reflection and another understanding as well. So for instance in this chapter Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions four descriptions of the hellfire. He mentions number one which are restraints. Number two he mentions alahim that it is raging. It's a furious place. Number three, he mentions that it is food that is very difficult to swallow, sticks in the throat, doesn't go up, doesn't go down once it enters the body. And the fourth, he mentions a very painful punishment. Now if we were to compare these four descriptions to the context of the chapter, what is the context of the chapter? The context of the chapter is standing in prayer, humility to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that a person recite the Quran and accept all that Allah has sent down in the Quran. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions these four attributes of the hellfire which reflect the context of the chapter. We have a principle that is agreed upon amongst all of the scholars of Islam and that is this principle is so important in understanding the judgment of Allah. They say memorize this principle and that is that recompense comes from the nature of the offense or from the nature of the action. If I recompense someone, if I reward them or punish them for something, the consequences of something, those consequences are der derivative of the act itself. We can take a few examples on that. For instance, what is the reward for someone who builds a masid? Who knows? Huh? Yes.

[Arabic recitation]

So what did this person do? What was the action? He built a house and he said this is designated to Allah. This belongs to Allah. And so Allah recompenses him. He rewards him with building him a house where in paradise this house is specific to this person. So we see that the reward reflects what? Reflects the act. The act itself. We look on the contract contra the converse of that. What is the reward for those who consume the rights of orphans? They steal their money and they consume th that money that wealth of orphans. What what is their recompense? Huh? He says, "Those who eat consume the wealth of an orphan without right to do so, they are really just consuming hellfire into their bellies." Now look at the recompense. The consequences is that a person is made to eat fire and that recompense reflects what reflects the act itself. It has it is derivative of the act that it is a consequence of and that is that they consumed the rights of a helpless orphan. Now they will be helpless and made to consume those rights. Again this pattern is found all through the Quran and Sunnah. Any punishment that punishment is derivative of the action. Any reward that reward is derivative of the action. In Ahmed the prophet sallall.aii Wasam said, he said, "The arrogant and boastful on the earth today will be brought before Allah in the size of ants, in the images of men and people will trample them with their feet. This is a this is what this is a recompense for an action. What was the action? Arrogance. What is arrogance? Arrogance is a person having a bloated feeling of selfworth. The prophet sallallah.aii wasallam tells us that what is the definition of arrogance? that arrogance is rejection of truth and belittlement of others. This person in the dunya saw other people ants, cockroaches, like insects, right? So on the day of judgment, they will be brought forth as what? as little ants, insects trampled under the feet of those people that they look down upon in the dunya, right? And so on and so forth it goes. Any reward you find in paradise, it is a mirror image of the actions that led to that consequence in the dunya. And any punishment you find in the hereafter, it is a mirror image and reflection of what? The action that led to that consequence. If you understand that principle, we can see that that principle is not only in the hereafter but also in the judgment of the dunya. Correct? A person who steals, they use their hand to steal, what happens? They get the hand cut off. Right? This hand that was used to offend is now the target of offense and that is a repercussion of the act. It's a reflection of the act itself. When we look at these descriptions Allah gives us here, he says tells us two main two main punishments. The first punishment is restraint. They will be restrained in the hellfire. Right? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in other in another chapter Right? Meaning tied up and bound these binds that they will be given in the hellfire to where they can't move. It's a reflection of their transgression. What was the transgression? What's the opposite of movement? What's excuse me, what is the opposite of stillness? Not being able to move. The opposite of it is what? Moving and going wherever you want. How did they live their lives? Nobody could tell me what to do. I wake up when I want to. I sleep when I want to. I say what I want. I eat what I want. I lay down with whoever I want. I put on my body whatever I want. I do with my body whatever I want. I can take my own life. I can give my own life. I I am a sovereign human being. I can do anything I want. That overemphasis and overex exercise of free will turns into what in the hereafter? Extreme restraints to where you can't even move a millimeter now because you're addicted to movement. Right here is the exact opposite because they abused their freedom. We look at the next the next description Allah gives us the next main description. He says that they will have food that is unestable. When they get it into their throats, it just passes their mouths. It sticks in their throat every time. They can't get it out. They can't get it down. And this is a reflection of what? This is a reflection of their arrogance and the fact that they couldn't quite swallow the truth. They couldn't swallow the truth of the Quran. They just couldn't swallow it. They couldn't get it out either because once they were introduced to it, they never had a good night's sleep after that. Do we know the story of the the dream that Pharaoh had before he met MS? Has anyone heard of this before? Yeah. Well, let's hear. You never talk. I want to hear you talk this time. Thought you were going to write it down on a paper for me to read.

[Arabic recitation]

Child is going to be born and destroy his kingdom?

[Arabic recitation]

That a young boy would be born that a young boy would be born amongst Beni that would usher in the end of his reign. It's said that he never enjoyed a sleep or a party after that day. Never. And what did he do to try to counter that? Kill all the newborn boys. Any newborn boy, kill him from Ben to the point that Musam was put in a what? for his by his mother in a basket and put in the river. That was a desperate attempt. It was a lastditch effort. Instead of certain death for this child,.1% chance of of surviving threw him into the Nile River, right? Nothing but a prayer and a basket. And so we see that when the truth comes to these tyrants, they're never going to enjoy life again the way it was. It's never it was again. They can't get it out of their system again. Once they hear the Quran, do you think Abu Jah from the moment he heard from the moment he heard that he ever got a good night's sleep after that? Do you think Obeyb Abdullahb the leader of the in Medina from the moment the prophet Muhammad arrived in Medina sam he never had a good night's sleep again never again that's all he thought about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that this is one of the signs of the truth the truth the truth when it comes you can't dismiss it it's impossible possible to dismiss. You can't ignore it and act it never happened. Once you come in contact with the truth, you will either become a better person or a worse person. But things are never the same again after that. And this is why Allah refers to the Quran as what? Right? What does mean in Arabic? Huh? Is it dye? There's a dye that you used to dye your clothing with, right? Do you have to soak the clothing and dye for for 24 hours to make it change color? Or is it as soon as the dye is introduced to the fabric immediately? It sucks it up. And if you try to remove that dye again, is the fabric ever the same again after that? Never. That is the difference between the truth and falsehood. In the same chapter, Allah refers to the falsehood of the calf. What is the the the calf? They didn't take to it immediately because it's falsehood meaning that they had to their hearts had to be exposed to it for a very long time for it finally to damage their hearts. However, the truth it's a dye. It's a dye to fabric. As soon as you hear the words of the Quran, you're never the same again after that. It's never going to be the same again. You can never enjoy the bliss of ignorance, as they say, ever again, whether you whether it is Pharaoh or Abu Jahel or the guy down the road. And so these people they have in the hellfire, food that when they get it into their throats, it refuses to go down and it refuses to come back up. This is an analogy for what? For the truth, the Quran that they were unable to vomit up, nor were they unable to swallow it and accept it. It's a mirror image of the action, the act of rejecting the truth. This now is a recompense. This is the results of that action. And so the principle in understanding the judgments and punishments of the Quran or the rewards of paradise is that that consequences rewards recompense punishment. It is derivative of the act that led to it. And this is why these two descriptions or one of the reasons why these two descriptions are mentioned in this chapter aside from all other descriptions of the hellfire because the context of most the this these descriptions are most appropriate for the context of now when we get into the next verse Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says says the verse after next. So when he gives an analogy of the Quran, he says, "Indeed, we have sent to you all a messenger as a witness upon you all as we have to before. for.

[Silence]

Allah Subhanahu.

[Silence]

He speaks.