A series of moral, doctrinal, and social statements from the esteemed religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Shirazi, may his shadow remain (Words of Wisdom, episode number 2)
"Lessons from the Stories of History"
A hadith from Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) has been narrated repeatedly in various books. It states that one day, Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and some of his companions passed through a village. Despite the village being standing and inhabited, the people there were lying on the ground in various places—inside houses, shops, and alleys—dead. The state of the bodies and their freshness indicated that not much time had passed since their death; otherwise, their bodies would have been decayed and their bones would have rotted, becoming prey to insects and animals.
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) turned to his companions and said: "It is clear that they did not die of natural causes, but have been afflicted by a widespread punishment." His companions asked: "How so?" Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) replied: "If they had died of natural causes, they would have died one after another, and the living would have buried the dead. In that case, they would not all have fallen to the ground in the streets and houses at once. So, it is evident that a punishment has descended upon them, causing all of them to die."
News from the Unseen
Since one of the miracles of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was speaking with the dead, his companions asked him to speak with those who had died and inquire about the reason for their death. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) called out to them, and one of the deceased responded. The Prophet asked, "How is it that you all died together?" The deceased replied, "On that day, we were all healthy in the morning and had no problems. But when night fell, a widespread punishment (Hawiyah) was sent down upon us."
Hawiyah is a punishment that descends suddenly and takes the lives of everyone. This punishment could have been a fierce wind or a contagious and deadly disease or microbe that afflicted them and caused their death. Allah, the Almighty, knows best about its nature and how it occurs.
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) asked him, "What is Hawiyah that you are experiencing?" The person replied, "Seas of fire with fiery mountains within them."
The difference between seas and mountains of fire, and their combined presence, is a matter worthy of reflection. Narrations describing the fire of Hell depict entities that are not filthy and are light. In Hell—God forbid—there are massive bodies of fire, such as: chains of fire, not iron chains in fire as often mentioned in narrations. This means that fire itself has become corporeal and is chained. The phrase "Jibal min Nar" (mountains of fire) also falls into this category; mountains made of fire. Additionally, narrations mention snakes and scorpions in Hell, described with expressions like "Aqarab kalbighal" (scorpions like donkeys) and "Hayat kalatlal" (snakes like mounds), which are so large that they resemble mountains and are twisted out of anger. Some narrations state that these snakes and scorpions are from the fire itself, not like worldly snakes and scorpions made of flesh and similar materials. In other words, the fire in Hell manifests as snakes and scorpions; unlike worldly fire, which is insubstantial, the fire of Hell becomes embodied and takes on these forms, becoming filthy and heavy.
Anyway, the deceased told Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) that Hawiyah is a sea of fire with mountains of fire within it. The Prophet then asked, "How is it that you were healthy and well in the morning, but by night you fell into the fire? Why did this calamity befall you?" The person replied, "For two reasons: one is love of the worldly life, and the other is obedience to the tyrant."
Severe Punishment
"Taghut" (tyrant or oppressive ruler) is an exaggerated term for rebellion, and it is not only applied to an unjust ruler. Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran: "Indeed, man transgresses Because he sees himself self-sufficient."
Many ordinary people, even in areas like marriage, buying and selling, apprenticeship, and teaching, can fall into rebellion and be considered "taghut," to the extent that even spouses or children and parents might be considered "taghut" towards each other. The noble verse above encompasses all these types and points to all of them. It speaks of a rebellion accompanied by a kind of "self-sufficiency," which is a detailed topic requiring extensive discussion beyond this brief explanation.
Love of worldly possessions is similar and has multiple levels. Sometimes, love of the world leads a person to commit a minor sin; other times, a greater sin. It can even involve trampling on small or large rights—though all sins, big or small, involve injustice—potentially leading to acts like murder, explosions, and mass killings. The root of all these is love of the world.
The narration continues with the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) asking a person: "How was your love of the world and obedience to "taghut" among you?" The person replied: "Our obedience to "taghut" was such that we accepted and carried out whatever he commanded."
"Taghut" issues unjust commands—ordering torture, imprisonment, confiscation of property, and even violating people's rights. It seizes assets and may even abuse individuals. His followers obey these commands, and thus "taghut" is worshipped.
A narration states that one of the officials of the Umayyad dynasty came to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) seeking repentance. The Imam's response was that if they, the officials of Bani Umayyah, had not been there, the Umayyads could not have usurped our rights or oppressed us in this way. Therefore, each of these officials bears a share of the injustice. How many are the Umayyads, and what power do they have? But when you all gathered around them and obeyed their commands, you created a large movement that committed great injustices.
Then, Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) asked the person why, among all those who have been killed and entered Hell, he was the one who responded. The person replied: "The rest have their mouths sealed with fire, and they cannot speak."
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A Description of Hell
One of the characteristics of Hell, which is frequently mentioned in narrations, is that the inhabitants of Hell are not granted the ability to speak in order to discuss the injustices they committed in this world or to express remorse. The permission referred to in this narration can be both natural (takwini) and legislative (tashri’i), and perhaps both. Naturally, when a person has a bridle in their mouth, they cannot speak; and in this case, the bridle is made of fire—its components are fire, not a metallic bridle that has been heated in fire. Various narrations mention that the "bridle is from fire; a mouth strap of fire." In any case, such a person, even if their consciousness and understanding remain intact, cannot speak.
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) asked him: "Why do you not have a bridle in your mouth?" He replied: "The injustice they committed, I did not do, and I was not obedient to the tyrant in all matters. Still, my love for the worldly life has not driven me to do everything they did, nor was I like them or at their level." Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) asked: "Nevertheless, how is your punishment?" Some narrations mention that he responded: "I am hanging by a hair, and I fear that I might fall into the fire at any moment."
Such a state is vividly depicted in the Qur'anic verses and narrations. This condition indicates a kind of suspension; the person has not yet fallen into Hell but is suspended—though this suspension has levels and is not uniform. Regardless, a suspended person will undoubtedly not be safe from the heat of Hellfire. The fire described in narrations is said to reach a person from a distance of five hundred years’ travel. Imagining such a distance and such intense heat is not simple. The worldly fire, even if insignificant, cannot be approached within a few centimeters, and if the fire is large and widespread, one cannot get closer than a few meters. However, even a large and intense fire can often be approached within a few meters.
For example, consider blast furnaces used for melting iron and steel, which can reach temperatures of 800 or 1000 degrees Celsius. Humans can approach them from several meters away. To get a minimal understanding of the narrations that admit the fire of Hell reaches a person from a distance of five hundred years’ travel, think about the distance involved—if this distance is measured in time, space, or both, and even in the slowest possible manner, what does that journey encompass? For instance, if someone walks or rides a camel along this path entirely on land, how many times would they circle the Earth during this period? Moreover, those suspended above Hellfire are reached by the heat from farther distances, and this heat is less intense—meaning the actual fire of Hell is far more intense.
The difference between these two states can be likened to a human standing one meter away from fire and a person who has plunged their hand into the fire. All of this reflects the intensity and grandeur of Hellfire. It is clear that this narration is not limited to the time of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). In every era and in every corner of the world, if a tyrant arises and calls others to obey him, and people, driven by worldly desires, gather around him and obey his commands, they will be included in this noble narration. As mentioned earlier, the scope of the term "tyrant" (taghut) is very broad and does not only include oppressive rulers; it extends even to small groups like families.
It is quite possible that among a husband and wife, one may be a tyrant, and the other, for various reasons, may submit to his commands and desires. The extent of love for worldly possessions is also as vast as the world itself. Human material desires and their level of greed are not the same. Similarly, the differences in human inclinations, sins, and injustices committed by mankind vary. Some follow wealth, some follow lust, some seek status, and others pursue honor and glory. Each of these desires can create a foundation for oppression and wrongdoing, even leading to murder and bloodshed. Among these sins, some are forgiven through repentance and seeking forgiveness before God, but many sins are unforgivable, and those who commit them will ruin themselves in this world and the Hereafter. Someone who kills an innocent person cannot easily make amends for their deed, let alone repent and feel remorse, such as those who carry out explosions and kill many people.
In conclusion, we should learn lessons from such stories and reflections, contemplating them to avoid falling into such calamities, and to prevent being caught in sins and their disastrous consequences in this world and the Hereafter due to love of worldly life and following tyrants.
May Allah send blessings upon our master Muhammad and his pure family.
