A Cold Breath of Jahannam

A Cold Breath of Jahannam

Here the weather is pretty cool
but in some part of the world as we speak it is extremely cold… cold beyond imagination.
When the arctic wind blew, it cut through to the bone. It hit across the face & numb whatever it touches.
when we see these below-freezing temperatures, we should think of Jahannam.
Yes, Jahannam.
Now, why would we remember Jahannam, one might ask, in this cold weather
Isn’t Jahannam fiery, burning & hot?
Yes. But, although Jahannam is a place known for its unimaginable heat, scorching blazes & sweltering fires, there are also places within it that are extremely cold, frigid & chilling.
So frigid are these places that it would burn & scorch & torture a person just as the severest fire would & worse.
And this extreme state of coldness in Jahannam is called Zamhareer.
The state of the Hell of Zamhareer is a suffering of extreme coldness, of blizzards & freeze for the people who will enter Jahannam. (May Allaah protect us from it).
Yet its coldness is not a pleasure or a relief to the sinners. Rather it is a severe punishment & burning torture which no one would ever be able to bear.
Ibnul Qayyim said about the following Ayah:

“Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink. Except boiling water, & Ghassaaqaa.”
[Al Naba: 24-25]

It is Zamhareer; it burns them with its extreme cold just as it burns them with its heat.
It was also stated by Mujaahid & Muqaatil that it is the peak of coldness. (Badaai al Fawaa-id)
Allaah mentions this Zamhareer when he talks about the rewards of the people of Jannaah & how they are saved from its cold torture, its extreme frigidity & biting frost.

”They will recline on thrones. They will not see the excessive heat of the sun, nor the extreme bitterness of cold (Zamhareer).”
(Surah Insan:13)

And the Prophet (sallallahu alayhee wa aalehee waslaam) said:

“The Fire says: Master, some of me eats other parts, so grant me a breath (respite). Thus (the Fire) was granted a breath in the summer & a breath in the winter. So whatever you find of bitter cold or Zamhareer, thus it is from a breath of Jahannam, & whatever you find of heat or Haruur, thus it is from a breath of Jahannam.” (Muslim)

So what did the righteous people do when they experienced extreme cold winters & low temperatures?
They remembered this hadeeth & asked Allaah to protect them from Jahannam & its bitter cold as well as its severe heat.
Ibn Rajab said:

“And from the virtues of winter is that it reminds one of the extreme cold of Hell & pushes one to seek refuge from it…”

So when winter comes along & the arctic wind blows & temperatures drop, use it as a reminder for the Aakhirah.
When your fingers & toes are so cold & numb, that you can no longer feel them & when your shake & shiver in the frigid weather, remember Zamhareer & its bitter coldness.
These winds, these extremes of temperatures, this ice & snow are signs amongst the signs of Allaah. They are reminders of our life to come & of the Aakhirah.
So seek refuge in Allaah from Jahannam & its heat & its coldness. Do all you can to stay away from it & do all you can to protect yourself from it.
And never forget the Day when you will stand in front of Him & give account of all that you said & did.
The famous worshipper Raabiah said:

“I have never heard the Adhaan except that I remember the caller who will announce the Day of Resurrection, & I never see the falling snow except that I imagine the flying pages of the records of peoples deeds (on that day), & I never see swarms of locusts except that I think about the Great Gathering on the Last Day.”
(Sifah Al-Safwah)

And Sufyaan ibn Uyaynah said that Ibraheem at-Taymee said:
“I imagined myself in the Hellfire with its iron chains & blazing fire eating from Zaqqoom (a tree in hell with exceedingly bitter fruit), & drinking from its Zamhareer (a bitterly cold drink), so I said:
‘O my soul what do you long for?’
It replied:
‘To return to the world & perform a righteous action by which I will be saved form this punishment.”
I also imagined myself in Paradise with its Hoor dressed in silken garments (of Paradise) with gold embroidery.
I said:
‘O my soul! What do you long for?’
It said:
‘To return to the world & perform a righteous action by which this reward will increase.’
So I said to myself:
‘You are in the world & (surrounded by) aspirations.’”

O Allaah, we seek Your refuge from the torment of Jahannam, from its Zamhareer (coldness) as well as Haruur (heat). Ameen.