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| Conversation between the Inmates of Paradise and the Denizens of Hell |
When all the people of Heaven shall have been settled in their abodes, they will meet with each other and say to one another : “‘Such and such a hellish man used to dispute with us over righteous matters. We knownot what condition is hein now ? Hence a window shall be thrown open and eyesight will be strengthened. That hellish person will cry bitterly, and ask for the viands and water of Paradise.”” The people of Heaven shall reply, ‘God has ordained all delights of Paradise unlawful for you. But tell us, did you find the promises of God true or not ? On our part we have found the promises of God valid and true in all respects, neither more nor less.” That man will appear much ashamed and humble. Afterwards the people of Paradise will close the window.
The conversation between the inmates of Paradise (Heaven) and the denizens of Hell is described in detail in the Qur'an, the central religious text of Islam. The dialogue is mentioned in several chapters (Surahs), most notably in Surah Al-A'raf (The Heights, Chapter 7) and Surah As-Saffat (The Ranks, Chapter 37).
Key Exchanges in the Qur'an
The Qur'an details several exchanges, which serve as admonitions to the living:
Recognition and Reflection: The people of Paradise call out to the people of Hell, having found God's promise to them to be true, and ask if the people of Hell have found their Lord's promise to be true as well. The denizens of Hell confirm that they have.
A Plea for Water: The people of Hell call to the people of Paradise, begging for water or some of the provisions God has provided to them. The people of Paradise reply that God has forbidden both to the disbelievers.
Dialogue Among the Damned: The dwellers of Hell also converse among themselves and with the angels guarding Hell, expressing regret and recognizing their past mistakes, such as not praying or feeding the poor, or following falsehoods.
Personal Admonition: In Surah As-Saffat, a believer in Paradise looks down and sees an old companion who has been a disbeliever in the world in the midst of Hell. The believer addresses the companion, noting that he had nearly ruined him and that it was only by the grace of God that he was saved from the same fate.
Other Texts
A similar concept appears in the Christian Bible, in the New Testament Gospel of Luke, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), where the rich man in Hell (Hades) can see and communicate with Abraham and Lazarus in Heaven (or "Abraham's side") across a "great chasm".
In the Qur'an
The Qur'an depicts the people of Paradise and the people of Hell as being able to see and communicate with one another across a barrier.
Initial greeting/acknowledgment (Quran 7:44): The people of Paradise call out to the people of the Fire, saying, "We have already found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?" They will reply, "Yes". An announcer then proclaims that the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers.
Plea for water (Quran 7:50): The inhabitants of the Fire call out to the inhabitants of Paradise, "Pour some water on us or some of what Allah has provided you!". The people of Paradise respond by saying, "Indeed, Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers".
Discussion among individuals (Quran 37:55-57): In another instance, a believer in Paradise looks down and recognizes a former friend in the midst of Hellfire. The believer recounts how the friend nearly led him astray in their worldly life and expresses gratitude to God for saving him.
Inquiring about the past (Quran 74:39-42): The people in Paradise also question the guilty, asking, "What has caused you to enter Hell?". The inhabitants of Hell list their failures, such as not offering prayers, not feeding the poor, engaging in vain talk, and denying the Day of Recompense.
In Hadith
The conversations are also referenced in the Hadith (sayings and traditions of Prophet Muhammad).
Conversations in Paradise and Hell - 2 | About Islam
Description of Hell (Jahannam) in the Quran
The Concepts of Paradise (Jannah) and Hell (Jahannam) in Islam
One hadith describes a conversation where a person from Hell who had a life of ease on Earth was dipped in the Fire once and made to forget all comfort, while a person who had a miserable life on Earth but was in Paradise was dipped once in Paradise and made to forget all hardship.
The purpose of these descriptions is to emphasize divine justice, serve as a warning of the consequences of disbelief, and reassure believers of their reward.
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