Warnings from the Night of Miraj: The Consequences of Major Sins and the Path to Salvation

The renowned exegete, Ḥakīm al-Ummah, Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رحمة الله عليه states in explanation of this verse, "i.e. Save yourselves from the causes of adultery as well. Thus, the lustful glance, seclusion with a non maḥram woman, and for a woman not to observe proper veil etc. are all prohibited."¹

An adulterer is abased and disgraced in this world and will be subjected to an intensely humiliating punishment in the next world. On the night of Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ observed the punishment of such people.

Putrid Flesh Eating People

It is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ passed a group of people in front of whom were pots of cooked meat of the best kind and pots of raw, putrid, rotten meat. The people were coming to the putrid meat to eat from it, and they were leaving the pure cooked meat untouched. The Prophet asked, "Who are they, O Jibril?" He replied, "This is a man from your Ummah who had a pure lawful wife but left her, went to an evil woman and spent the night with them and this is a woman from your Ummah who despite being married to a pure, lawful husband, went to an evil man and spent the night with him."²

People Hanging Upside Down

The Prophet ﷺ also saw another scene of the punishment of adulterers where some women were being hung from their chests and some from their legs. The Prophet asked, "Who are they, O Jibril?" He replied, "These are the women that would commit adultery and would kill their children."³

¹ Nūr Al-ʿIrfān, part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, Under the verse 32, p. 343
² Tafsir Al-Tabari, Surah Al-Isra', under the verse 1, vol. 8, p. 8, Hadith 22021
³ Ibid, p. 13, Hadith 22023

Rocks of fire in their mouths

On the night of Miʿrāj, the holy Prophet ﷺ saw groups of people whose lips resembled the lips of camels. Their mouths were being pried open by individuals placed over them who were placing large rocks of fire into them that came out again from their posteriors. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "O Jibril! Who are these people?" He replied, "They are those people (then he recited the following verse):"

اَلَّذِيْنَ يَأْكُلُوْنَ اَمْوَالَ الْيَتٰمٰى ظُلْمًا اِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُوْنَ فِيْ بُطُوْنِهِمْ نَارًا

Those who consume the wealth of orphans unjustly; they are actually only filling their bellies with fire.²

Misappropriating the money, possessions, inheritance or any type of wealth or property of orphans has a severe consequence in the afterlife.

Many warnings of grave punishment have come concerning this in the Quranic verses and the Prophetic hadith, as you have just noted. It should be remembered that just as there are warnings of severe punishment in hell concerning devouring the wealth of orphans and treating them badly, there are also glad tidings of safety from the terrifying punishment of hellfire for treating them with softness and kindness and dealing with them with compassion and benevolence. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Oath by the One Who sent me with the truth! Whoever was merciful to an orphan, spoke to him softly, pitied him for his state as an orphan and for his weakness, and was not arrogant over his neighbour due to the virtue of wealth Allah Almighty bestowed upon him, Allah Almighty will not punish him on the Day of Judgement."³

¹ Al-Shariʿah Lil-Aajurri, vol. 3, p. 1532, Hadith 1027
² [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 4, Surah Al-Nisa', verse 10)
³ Al-Muʿjam Al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 296, Hadith 8828

Eating Thorny Grass and Cacti as Punishment

On this night, the Prophet ﷺ passed by such people who had rags hanging at their front and back. They were roaming like livestock eating cacti¹ and heated rocks of hell. He asked, "Who are they, O Jibril?" Angel Jibril replied, "These are the people who did not meet the obligation of paying Zakat from what they possessed, whereas Allah Almighty did not oppress them and Allah Almighty does not oppress His slaves."²

Not paying Zakat despite it being fard is an action that leads a person to hell. Intense punishments are mentioned in the noble Quran and the hadith regarding this. Sayyidunā Abū Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever Allah Almighty bestowed wealth upon and he did not pay its Zakat, then on the Day of Judgement, his wealth will be given the form of a bald serpent upon whose eyes will be two black spots. It will wrap like a necklace around his neck, and it will take hold of him in its jaws and say, "I am your wealth and your treasure."³

Terrifying Punishment for Not Paying Zakat

Take heed! Who is it that can endure such a terrifying punishment on the Day of Judgement? Oath by Allah Almighty! No one has the strength to bear such a frightful punishment, and it is not restricted to just this form, rather many other punishments are mentioned in the hadith.

The reviver of Islam, the Imām of Ahl al-Sunnah, Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رحمة الله عليه mentioning them briefly, states, "The summary is that if Zakat is not paid on gold and silver, then it will be heated in the fire and their foreheads, sides and backs will be branded with it. The heated rock of hell will be placed on their heads and chests such that it will breach the chest and exit from the shoulders. It will be placed on the shoulder blades such that it will rupture the bones exiting from the chest, tearing through the back it will exit from the flank, and ripping through the nape it will rise up from the forehead.

¹ A thorny, poisonous plant with green leaves and flowers that are multi-coloured. It has nearly 100 varieties.
² Al-Targhib wal-Tarhib: 15
³ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1403

That wealth upon which Zakat is not given will come on the Day of Judgement in the form of an old, malevolent, bloodthirsty serpent and chase the person. He will try to stop it with his hand, but it will devour his hand. It will then become like a collar around his neck and taking his mouth in its mouth, it will bite him (saying that), "I am your wealth, I am your treasure." Then it will bite his entire body. وَالْعِيَاذُبِاللّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِيْن We seek refuge with Allah Almighty.¹

Repent!

Reflect on these punishments and then look at your weakness and incapacity. Ah! The state of our weaknesses is such that a minor cold or fever puts us in anguish. How will it be possible for us to endure the agonizing punishments of the Hereafter?

For this reason, time is still at hand, fear, and whomever despite it being fard upon him has not fulfilled his Zakat in the past should first repent and then calculate the Zakat he owes and pay it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if this opportunity slips through one's hands, and death arrives before repentance, there will be no further chance.

¹ Fatawa Razawiyyah, vol. 10, p. 153

Kar le toba Rabb ki rahmat hai bari
Qabar men warna saza ho gi kari

Repent! For vast is the mercy of your Lord, most dear
Otherwise, the punishment in the grave will be severe

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْب صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد

---

Who is honourable?

Sayyidunā Mūsā Kalimullah عليه السلام said, "O my Lord, the Most High عَزَّوَجَلَّ! Who is the most honourable of people in Your Court?" Allah Almighty replied, "He who pardons, despite being able to take retribution."²

Learning a verse from the Book of Allah is better than 100 nawafil

Sayyidunā Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī رضی اللہ عنہ narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said to me, "O Abū Dharr! That you learn one verse from the Book of Allah Almighty in the morning is better for you than offering 100 nawafil."³

Giving Legal Verdicts Without Knowledge

The admonishing statement of the master of the Prophets ﷺ is, "Whoever passed a legal judgement without knowledge, then the sin of it is upon the one who issued it."⁴

¹ Wasa'il-e-Bakhshish, p. 667
² Shu'ab al-Īmān: 8327
³ Sunan Ibn Mājah: 219
⁴ Sunan Abī Dawūd: 3657

Warnings from Miraj: Repentance, Filial Piety, and the Punishments for Major Sins (Recommended)

فَارْجِعْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا إِنَّا مُوْقِنُوْنَ

So send us back in order that we do good deeds; we are (now) convinced.¹

Then you will be told, 'O ignoramus! You are coming from that very place.' Cultivate aspiration in your soul, strive against your nafs and consider death very close to yourself, because your destination is the grave and the people of the graveYard are awaiting your arrival in every moment asking when you will arrive to them. Be warned! Fear, lest you reach them without any provision for the path!"²

The end of an idle preacher

Take lesson from another noble hadith describing the end of an idle preacher that causes one to tremble. The Prophet ﷺ mentions that on the Day of Judgement, a person will be brought and placed into hell as a result of which his intestines will come out. He will go around them the way a donkey travels around a millstone. The dwellers of hell will come around him and will ask, "O such and such! What happened to you? Did you not invite the people to good and forbid them from evil?" He will reply, "Yes indeed! I used to command people with good but did not act upon it myself. I used to forbid people from evil but I used to do it myself."³

There is no effect in the invitation of preachers who do not make themselves an example for encouraging others and do not bring themselves out of the dark closet of idleness whilst trying to make others active in good action. In contrast to this, the word which issues from the mouth of a preacher who is active in good becomes an effective arrow that embeds in the heart of the one he is calling and compels him to become a living embodiment of the Sunnah. Let us learn about a faith reviving statement of a preacher who is active in good whilst calling towards righteousness and let us manifest the desire to do good actions within ourselves.

¹ [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 21, Surah Al-Sajdah, verse 12)
² Ayyuha Al-Walad, p. 12
³ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2989

The Repentance of a Qādiyānī Professor

It is mentioned on page 10 of the 49-page pamphlet, "Tazkirah-e-Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat," published by Dawat-e-Islami's publishing department, Maktaba-tul-Madinah, "In around 2003, a letter reached Ameer of Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَة in which a professor had written words to the effect that, "I am associated with the Qādiyānī religion and hold a high position amongst them. Up until now, I have misguided 70 Muslims and made them become Qādiyānī. I took part in the (Dawat e Islami) ijtimaʿ in Sardarabad (Faisalabad) with a skeptical mind but after listening to your sermon, my world was turned upside down. After this, a preacher gave me some cassettes of your speeches. The state of my heart had changed after listening just one speech but after listening to the other cassettes, I began to shudder and wept all night. What shall I do now?"

Without delay, exerting individual effort, the Ameer of Ahl al-Sunnah penned a reply and sent it off telling the man to repent immediately and enter Islam and also to find a way of returning however many Muslims he had مَعَاذَاللّٰه led into apostasy back to Islam.

Upon this letter reaching that professor, he answered the call of the Ameer of Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَة and immediately repented and became a Muslim. The father and family members of this brother then treated him with intense severity, but he remained firm. اَلْحَمْدُلِلّٰه through the blessings of listening to the speech of the Amer of Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَتْ بَرَكَاتُهُمُ الْعَالِيَة, his entire family was eventually saved from the Qādiyānī religion and entered into Islam.¹

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْب صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد

People Hanging from Branches of Fire

On the night of Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ saw some people in hell hanging from branches of fire. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "O Jibril! Who are these people?" He replied, "These are those people who swore at their parents in the world."²

Remember! Annoying one's parents and harming them is an action that leads a person to the hellfire. In the Quran, Allah Almighty has forbidden chiding and even saying 'Uff' to one's parents:

فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيْمًا

So, do not say (even) 'Ugh' to them and do not scold them, and speak to them words of respect.³

¹ Tazkirah e Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, vol. 1, p. 10
² Al-Zawajir, vol. 2, p. 125
³ [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, verse 23)

There is other worldly punishment for disobedience and causing harm to parents. However, one has to face dreadful punishment in this world also. It is seen repeatedly that those who annoy and harm their parents spend their lives humiliated and disgraced by their own children in turn. Sayyidunā Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضی اللّٰہ عنہ narrates that our beloved Prophet ﷺ stated, "Allah Almighty forgives whichever sin He wills for whichever person, but He does not forgive disobedience and causing of harm to parents, rather he punishes such a person in this worldly life before his death."¹

Dil duKhāna chor day maan baap ka
Warna hai is mayn khasara aap ka

Kar lay toba Rabb ki rahmat hai bari
Qabr mayn warna saza ho gi kari

Give up ḥurting your mother and father
Otherwise, there is great loss for you

Repent! For vast is the mercy of your Lord, most dear
Otherwise, the punishment in the grave will be severe

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْب صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد

Three Punishments of Adulterers and Fornicators

Adultery is an extremely sinful and degraded sin. There are many emphases on avoiding adultery in the noble Quran and hadith and they mention intense punishments for those that commit such an act. It is stated in the noble Quran:

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَىٰ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيْلًا

And do not even go near Zina (fornication/adultery i.e. unlawful intercourse); it is indeed shamelessness, and a very evil way.⁴

¹ Shuʿab al-Īmān: 7890
² Wasaʾil-e-Bakhshish, p. 228
³ Wasaʾil-e-Bakhshish, p. 227
⁴ [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 15, Surah Bani Isra'il, verse 32)

The Night of Miraj: Inspiring Lessons on Faith, Worship, and Accountability

People hanging from their chests

According to another narration, on the night of Miʿrāj, the Prophet ﷺ passed by such men and women that were hanging from their chests. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "O Jibril! Who are these people?" He replied, "These are the people that would slander people and speak badly about them behind their backs, and Allah Almighty states concerning them:"¹

وَيْلٌ لِّكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُّمَزَةٍ

Destruction is for every open slanderer, backbiter.²

Finger nails of copper

In Sunan Abī Dawūd, it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, "On the night of Miʿrāj, I passed by people who were scratching their own faces with copper nails. I asked, 'Who are they, O Jibrīl?' He replied, 'They are the ones who ate the flesh of and tarnished their reputations."³

Women Backbite More

The renowned exegete, Ḥakīm al-Ummah, Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رحمة الله عليه states under this hadith, "They were afflicted with the punishment of itching and had fingernails of copper that were pointed and sharp. They would scratch their faces and chests with them and wound themselves. May Allah Almighty save us! This is an intense punishment and this will occur after the Day of Judgement. The Prophet ﷺ saw it with his own eyes. He further mentions, "These people would backbite Muslims and tarnish their reputations. Women do this more and they should take admonition from this."⁴

Reflect on how destructive the punishment of backbiting is and how painful the punishments are that the backbiters will have to face on the Day of Judgement. Just picturing it is enough to make one shake. Take heed! If having backbitten, we die without having repented and one of these painful punishments is set upon us, how will we be able to endure it? For this reason, after having broken ties through backbiting, tale telling and sinful acts, let us now mend ties through commendation and praise. Stay engrossed in the dhikr of Allah Almighty in every moment and send salat and salam in abundance upon the beloved Prophet ﷺ.

¹ Shuʿab al-Īmān: 675
² [Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 30, Surah Al-Humazah, verse 1)
³ Sunan Abī Dawūd: 4878
⁴ Mirʾaat Al-Manajih, Bāb Chupay 'uyob ki talash, vol. 6, p. 619

Gunahon say mujhko bacha Ya Ilahi
Buri 'adatayn bhi chūra Ya Ilahi

Mujhay gheebat-o-Chughli-o-badgumani
Ki afaat say tu bacha Ya Ilahi

Tujhay wasita saray Nabiyon ka Maula
Mayri bakhsh day har khata Ya Ilahi

Save me from sins, O my Lord
Help me leave bad habits, O my Lord ¹

Save me from the calamities of tale telling and bad opinion, O my Lord
I ask you by the intermediation of all the Prophets, O my Lord
Forgive my every sin, O my Lord.

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْب صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد

Two Punishments for Consuming Usury

Just like backbiting, consuming interest is also a fatal and extremely destructive illness that terminates the desire to do good to other Muslims in a person's heart. On the night of Miʿrāj, from amongst the people, the Prophet ﷺ saw being subjected to punishment were those who were being punished for consuming usury.

¹ Wasaʾil-e-Bakhshish, p. 79

A Person Swallowing Stones

Sayyidunā Samurah رضی اللہ عنہ narrates that the noble Messenger ﷺ said, "On the night of Miʿrāj, I saw a person swimming in a river whilst he was swallowing rocks. I asked, 'Who is this.' I was informed that he was a consumer of usury."¹

Snakes in the Stomach

Imām Ibn Mājah reports that Sayyidunā Abū Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ narrates that the beloved Prophet ﷺ said, "On the night of Miʿrāj, I came upon some people who had bellies as large as houses, filled with snakes, which could be seen through their skins. I asked, 'O Jibril, who are they?' He replied, 'They are those who consumed usury.'"²

1 ShuꜤab al-Īmān: 9121 - 2 Sunan Ibn Mājah: 2273

Explanation of the Hadith

The renowned exegete, Ḥakīm al-Ummah, Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī رحمة الله عليه, explaining this hadith, states, "The consumer of usury is greedy, he consumes a little but has great avarice. For this reason, their stomachs will truly be like houses. The wealth of people that they appropriated oppressively will be as snakes and scorpions. In this world, if a small worm develops in one's stomach, one's well-being deteriorates and a person becomes perturbed. Think then! What will be the state of a person when his stomach is full of snakes and scorpions and what will be his state of distress and discomfort? May Allah protect us!¹

Lesson of admonishment

Those people who give and take usury should take a lesson of admonishment from these narrations. Just imagine! If Allah Almighty becomes displeased by this act of disobedience and a person became tormented with these painful punishments for the devourers of usury, with snakes and scorpions filling his stomach, what will he do? At that time, this usurious profit will not avail him at all.

Therefore, an intelligent person should ensure that he never ever makes himself deserving of the terrifying punishment of the grave and the afterlife for the sake of some lowly transient benefit.

Punishment of Crushing of the Head

The Quran and hadith are filled with the importance of prayer, the virtues of establishing each prayer punctually in its appointed time, and the intense punishments for falling short in them without a Sharʿī excuse.

On the night of Miʿrāj, our beloved Prophet ﷺ saw people that were caught in punishments due to laziness concerning their prayers. Let us reflect and make a mind-set of becoming punctual in our prayers.

¹ Mirʾaat Al-Manajih, vol. 4, p. 259

It is mentioned in narrations that the Prophet ﷺ passed such people whose heads were being crushed by rocks. Each time they would be crushed, they would return to their original states and be crushed again. They were given no respite in this affair. The Prophet ﷺ asked Sayyidunā Jibril عليه السلام, "Who are these people?" He said, "These are those people whose heads found prayer burdensome."¹

Scissors of Fire

On the night of Miʿrāj, the final Prophet ﷺ passed by some other people whose lips were being cut by scissors of fire and would return to normal after each cutting. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "O Jibril! Who are these people?" He replied, "They are the sermon givers of your Ummah. They did not act upon that which they preached and they would recite the Book of Allah Almighty (the Quran) but they would not act upon it."²

Those callers and preachers who invite others to piety, encourage them towards prayer, fasting, Zakat and Hajj, forbid them from Ḥarām acts like lies, backbiting, tale telling, envy, arrogance etc., but forget about themselves should take a lesson from this. They do not even sense that on the Day of Judgement, they too will be judged, and they too will be asked about their deeds.

The proof of Islam, Imām Muḥammad al-Ghazālī رحمة الله عليه said, advising one of his students, "O my beloved son! Knowledge without action is not less than madness and foolishness and action without knowledge is impossible. Remember! That knowledge which, up until today, could not keep you away from sins and could not bring about love of obedience to Allah Almighty, will not be able to save you from the raging fire of hell tomorrow on the Day of Judgement. If you do not act righteously today and make up for that time which has already passed, then tomorrow on the Day of the Day of Judgement, you will have only one cry:

¹ Majmaʿ al-Zawaʾid: 235
² Shuʿab al-Īmān: 1773