even more, and among them was a man from the people of the Fire; if he merely breathed and his breath reached them, it would burn the mosque and everyone in it.” This is a very strange ḥadith (1).

A discussion of the remoteness of Hell’s depth, its vast expanse, and the enormous stature of its inhabitants—may Allah protect us from it:
“Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest pit of the Fire, and you will never find for them any helper.” (145) [al-Nisāʾ 4:145]

“But as for him whose scales are light (8), his refuge will be the abyss (9). And what will make you know what it is? (10) A blazing Fire.” [al-Qāriʿah 101:8-11]

“For them, from Hell, will be a bed, and above them coverings; thus do We repay the wrongdoers.” [al-Aʿrāf 7:41]

“The Day they are shoved toward the Fire of Hell with a violent shove (13): ‘This is the Fire that you used to deny!’” [al-Ṭūr 52:13-14]

“Throw, both of you, into Hell every stubborn disbeliever (24), a withholder of good, a transgressor, a doubter (25), who set up with Allah another god. So throw him into the severe punishment (26). His companion will say, ‘Our Lord, I did not make him transgress; rather, he was in deep error’ (27). He (Allah) will say, ‘Do not dispute before Me; I had already sent you the warning (28). My word is never changed in My presence, and I am not unjust to the servants (29).’ On that Day We will say to Hell, ‘Are you filled?’ and it will say, ‘Is there any more?’ (30).” [Qāf 50:24-30]

It is authentically established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs through several chains that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Hell will go on receiving its denizens while it says, ‘Are there any more?’ until the Lord of Might places His foot upon it, whereupon some of it will draw into the rest, and it will say: ‘Enough, enough (2), by Your might (3).’”

Muslim narrated—from Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿUmar al-Makkī, from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Darāwardī, from Yazīd ibn al-Hād, from Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm, from ʿĪsā ibn Ṭalḥah, from Abū Hurayrah—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “A servant may utter a word, unaware of what it really contains, and because of it he will plunge into the Fire farther than the distance between the east and the west.” Al-Bukhārī transmitted it from Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥamzah from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz with a similar wording, but his version states: “he slips into the Fire farther than the distance between the east” and does not mention “and the west” (4).

ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak said: Zuhayr ibn Saʿīd narrated to us, from Ṣafwān ibn Sulaym, from ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār, from Abū Hurayrah, from the Prophet ﷺ who said: “A man may speak a word to make his companions laugh, and because of it he will fall deeper than the Pleiades.” This is gharīb, and in it al-Zubayr is weak (5).