|
---------
158
When Life Begins --------- ---------
159
When Life Begins ---------
lower path narrowed and took the shape of a ditch. Since we were on
high ground, we could see the scene down below clearly. Angels were
positioned all along the path; they were bringing the convicts, beating
and dragging them in the process.
A little farther on, there was a huge crowd on the narrow path and
in the ditch. Ugly, wretched men and women were jam-packed there
like sardines in a can. They were cruel, lewd sinners whose fate had
already been announced; they were being held there like animals in a
pen prior to being sent to Hell.
Every now and then flames of Hellfire rose and reached skywards.
The impact of these flames had coloured the sky red. Noise of the fire
burning with ferocity was shaking the hearts of these convicts. Every
once a while a stray spark, as big as a palace, would fall in this ditch and
would cause a huge commotion. In order to avoid this ball of fire,
people would run trampling and jumping over others. The frequency of
this increased whenever a major convict was brought towards this
group. A ball of fire would welcome him, enhancing the anguish and
suffering of the sinners.
Saleh pointed in a certain direction and said to me:
“Look there!”
When I looked in that direction, I could suddenly hear the voices
coming from there clearly.
They were leaders and their followers arguing amongst themselves.
The followers said to their leaders, “We opposed the truth at your
behest. You promised to save us if we were to face any punishment in
the Hereafter. Can you now take over some of our punishment from us
or at least show us a way out of it? After all, you were all very intelligent
and had a solution for every problem.”
The leaders replied, “If we knew a way, we would have saved
ourselves first. In addition, we did not say that you must follow us. We
did not force you to do so. You followed ways suggested by us as it was
in your interest. We will have to face the music together.”
On hearing this, the followers said, “O God! These leaders led us
astray. Therefore, make them suffer twice the punishment we receive”.
The leaders replied, “How would cursing us help you?”
Witnessing this, Saleh commented, “There will be double
punishment for all of them as the followers became the leaders of those
that came thereafter and thus lead them astray. Look over there! More
of their followers are arriving.”
When I looked in that direction, I saw that the commotion had
increased. Fervent pushing and shoving had started in the crowd as
more sinners were brought in to the already overcrowded space. The
leaders lamented that the place was already packed and still more of
the wretched and condemned were being brought in.
On receiving such an unwelcome reception, the new comers also
lost their cool. Verbal abuses flew in the air; scuffles ensued soon. It
was not possible for me to truly appreciate the condition of these
miserable people just by watching them and listening to them in this
suffocating environment of kicking, punching, pushing, shoving and
shouting; one had to personally experience such misery to fathom its
true extent. However, I was sure that these people must have been
remembering their previous lives with utmost regret where, they had
every opportunity to strive for paradise but sadly, they chose Hell. They
earned eternal misery just for the sake of a few days of pleasure,
benefits, desires, and prejudices.
Saleh said to me:
“These people have not even been sent to Hell yet. The punishment
over there will be much more severe. They will have a yoke placed
around their necks as a mark of slavery and disgrace. Their clothes will
be inflammable, made from sulphur and coal tar that would catch fire
from a distance. The fire would scald their faces and bodies. They will
writhe in pain but no one will come to their help, nor will anybody have
mercy on them. Their skin, once totally burnt, will be replaced by a new
skin that will develop a severe itch. They will scratch themselves so
strenuously that they will bleed from everywhere but the itch would
neither go nor decrease in severity.
Whenever they are hungry, they will have thorn-covered bushes
and fruit of bitter poisonous Zaqqum trees. For drinking, there will be
pungent and smelly sediment of pus, boiling water and bubbling hot oil.
It will burn the innards of their stomachs and will boil inside their
bellies. The intensity of their thirst would be such that like a camel that
www.inzaar.org
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
