Ya Laytani – Futile Blame and Regretful Conversation in the Hell Fire

(Ah! This is a thought-provoking topic. Exploring regretful conversations in Hellfire from an Islamic perspective yields profound lessons. This topic delves into Quranic verses and hadith depicting the inhabitants of Hell blaming each other for their misguidance. It underscores the futility of such exchanges, as each individual is ultimately accountable to Allah. The article examines how these conversations expose a rejection of personal responsibility, even when facing eternal consequences.) To emphasise and make people realise the importance of Tawhid, and the consequences of shirk and kufr, Allah has already given samples of regretful conversations taking place among the painful situations by the people in the hellfire.

And they all shall appear before Allah; then the weak will say to those who were arrogant, “Verily, we were following you; can you avail us anything against Allah’s torment?” They will say, “Had Allah guided us, we would have guided you. It makes no difference to us (now) whether we rage, or bear (these torments) with patience; there is no place of refuge for us.” [Surah Ibrahim: 21]

The Leaders of Misguidance Will Not Take Any Responsibility in the Hellfire Before being sent to Paradise or thrown into Hellfire, Everyone, all the creatures, the wicked and the righteous among them, will appear before Allah the One, the Irresistible. They will be gathered on a flat plain that does not have anything can be used for cover for those present. From here, the wretched ones will be dragged to Hellfire, and the fortunate will be welcomed to Paradise. The above verse from the Quran gives a few examples of regretful conversations centered around the allurements and deceptions of deviated leaders that led individuals astray. These unfortunate weak followers will discuss how they were blinded in following or pressured by their power, or fleeting pleasures, only to realise their worthlessness in the face of eternal torment. Allah gives a sample of their regrets,

And, when they will dispute in the Fire, the weak will say to those who were arrogant, “Verily, we followed you, can you then take from us some portion of the Fire?” Those who were arrogant will say, “We are all (together) in this (Fire)! Verily, Allah has judged between (His) servants!” [Surah Al Ghafir: 47-48]

The above verse highlights a few essential lessons for every human, including the Muslims:

1. The weak followers will dispute with their strong and arrogant leaders, but to no avail. Had they questioned them in the worldly life, it would have benefited them.
2. Do not follow anyone blindly, no matter how powerful or tempting the caller is, if he is on the path of deviation.
3. Such leaders will be useless in the end, and they will throw up their hands, offering no help.
4. The regrets in hellfire will be of no use, so it is better to remain cautious before you die.

We Did Not Prevent You From Guidance, But… Allah says,

Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant, “Had it not been for you, we certainly would have been believers!” And those who were arrogant will say to those who were deemed weak, “Did we keep you back from guidance after it had come to you Nay, but you were wrongdoers.” Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant, “Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day: when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!” [Surah Saba: 31-33]

There are two important points to be noted in the above verse:

1. The leaders will disassociate themselves from their followers by saying, “Did we keep you back from guidance? No, but you were the wrongdoers.”
2. Shirk is a planned strategy which is promoted through tempting words, mesmerising lectures, crafty books and imaginary stories which makes it a delicious serving as the accusation goes, “No, but it was your plotting by day and night.”

Blaming Each Other Allah says,

(Allah) will say, “Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of men and Jinn, into the Fire.” Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before) until they will be gathered all together in the Fire. The last of them will say to the first of them, “Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire.” He will say, “For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.” The first of them will say to the last of them, “You were not better than us, so taste the torment for what you used to earn.” [Surah Al Araf: 38-39]

The blamers will not only blame their leaders who misguided them but also the previous nations for coming out with new fake ideologies, passing them to new generations who were destroyed before them. The Quran has already mentioned the sins and the results of the previous nations, yet if anyone follows them, the responsibility squarely falls on them. Note the last part of the above verse, “Your were not better than us.” Even Iblis Will Not Take Responsibility Allah narrates to us what Iblis will say to his followers after Allah finishes with the judgement between His servants, sending the believers to the gardens of Paradise and the disbelievers to the lows (of the Fire). Ibn Kathir notes a few words concerning Iblis. “Iblis, may Allah curse him, will stand and address the latter, in order to add depression to their depression, sorrow to their sorrow and grief to their grief.”

And when Our judgment has been passed, Satan will say, “The fact is that the promises Allah had made with you. They were all true. I, too, made some promises with you, but I failed to keep any of them. Yet I had no power over you; I did nothing but invite you to my way, and you accepted my invitation.” [Surah Ibrahim: 22]

Allah has issued a cautionary notice in the above verse exposing the Devil’s plan:

1. He will confess that his promises were weak and fake.
2. He had no power over humans nor can he force people to commit shirk and kufr.
3. His capacity is only to invite. The invitation is never forced but is a psychological temptation to which many people fall.

It appears that this part of the verse narrates the speech that Satan will deliver to the people of the Fire after they enter it, as stated. (See Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Surah Ibrahim: 22) The People of Hellfire will Plead To The Gatekeepers of Hell Allah says,

And those in the Fire will cry out to the keepers of Hell, “Pray to your Lord to lighten the torment for us (even) for one day!” The keepers will reply, “Did your messengers not constantly come to you with clear proofs?” They will say, “Yes they did.” The keepers will say, “Then pray! Though the prayer of the disbelievers is only in vain.” [Surah Al Ghafir: 49,50]

The verse reminds us of a few things that should cause us to have fear and apply caution:

1. The pleading of the inmates of the Hellfire to reduce their punishment even for one day will not be accepted.
2. In Hellfire, prayers will not benefit.
3. The warnings of the Messengers mentioned in the Quran should be taken seriously.

Do Not Let Yourself Be One of Them Allah says,

About criminals (and they will ask them),  “What has caused you to enter Hell?” They will say, “We were not of those who used to offer the Salah, Nor did we feed the poor; And we used to speak falsehood with vain speakers. And we used to deny the Day of Recompense until Al-Yaqin came to us.” [Surah Mudassir: 41-47]

In his explanation of this verse, Ibn Abbas says that the people of Paradise will discuss the sinners, and they will see them in the depths of Hellfire. This conversation will take place between the people of Paradise and the people of the Hellfire. (Tafseer Ibn Kathir: Surah Mudassir: 38) Scholars have said that even a heedless Muslim may fall in this category of punishment if he ignores the call to prayer, lives a life of a miser, and becomes attracted to vain speakers, whom the Prophet termed as “callers to the Fire.” This conversation, as a forecast, should serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of prioritising the Hereafter over temporary worldly gains and following the wrong people through theologies, methodologies, books, and lectures.