The End Times: Islam vs. the Bible: Part 9: The Hellfire

The End Times: Islam vs. the Bible: Part 9: The Hellfire
Monday, June 30, 2025 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / Scripture discussion / Spiritual deception / Spiritual warfare / The church / Thought for Today

Islamic hellfire. If ever there was a clear difference between Christianity and Islam, it concerns hell, and how to avoid it.

Islam’s description of the hellfire and its punishments has more in common with Dante’s “Inferno” than it does with Scripture. Both the Qur’an and the hadith go into lurid detail. Unlike the Bible, where Jesus tells us some pointed things about the misery of hell and leaves it at that, coupled with a few other descriptions mostly in Revelation, Islam goes on and on and on and on about hellfire. It seems that the author of the Qur’an, coupled with what is revealed through the hadiths—unlike the author of the Old and New Testaments—delights in describing torment and instilling terrifying fear. For one thing, the hellfire will be seventy times hotter than fire on earth. For another, it has been alight for three thousand years so that it turned black and dark. And remember, in Islam, escaping the hellfire is all on us, there is no Savior, each person is responsible for making sure they have paid for their sins by doing more good deeds than evil ones. Is there any way to know that for sure? No.

According to the Qur’an, 44:43–50, the food of those in the hellfire will be the tree of Zaqqoom, like the boiling of scalding water in their bellies. They will be dragged to the middle of the fire, where boiling water will be poured over their heads. They will be told that this is the proof of what they used to doubt while on earth. Elsewhere, the Qur’an speaks of food that is the filth of the washing of wounds.

The Qur’an, 88:2–7, speaks about how Jews and Christians will be humiliated in the hellfire, that they will have nothing but water from a boiling spring to drink, and a poisonous plant for food that will neither nourish nor diminish their physical hunger.

The mildest punishment will be to wear shoes of fire—or lumps of coal under one’s feet—that will make brains boil. People’s bodies will be huge in hell: even people’s skin will be forty arm-spans thick, their two shoulders five days distant for a speedy rider. Why the massive increase in size? It increases the person’s suffering and torment.

Why does the Qur’an contain such lurid descriptions? Why does Allah speak so much of hell? Qur’an 39:16 tells us, first, that those in hell will have coverings of fire above them and beneath them. Why? So that Allah can frighten his slaves into fearing him. Allah will also send rain to hell: iron collars that will fasten around people’s necks, chains that will be added to the existing chains, and hot coals to heat the fires. This all sounds luridly demonic, doesn’t it? Biblically, perfect love casts out all fear, perfect fear casts out all love. What do we see from Allah: love or fear? Fear.

Much more could be said. To cite one more example: according to some schools of Islamic thought, those who listened to female singers will have molten lead poured in their ears.

For professing Muslims in the hellfire, Islam teaches that there is hope. The angels Muhammad, and saintly Muslims will intercede for them. At some point Allah will free at least some of them from the hellfire and allow them to enter Paradise (not unlike the false teachings that have developed within the church, that salvation after death is possible).

Thus Islamic hellfire. Jesus has tough things to say about the biblical hell. But, note the contrast. Allah: I’ve created all this misery so you will fear me, and obey me as my slave, for that is all you are. What did God do? As Romans 5:8 tells us, God so loved us that while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us.

Hell exists, and it will be terrible, but out of love for us, God provides us with the way out. We need to choose wisely: Allah, who instills the terror of hell in us so that we will fear him and submit, but even then, no guarantee—how do we know that the balance of the scale will be in our favor?—or God, who loves us, and provides a way of escape through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins.

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