Two eternal abodes — and why they must be known
Belief in the Last Day is one of the six articles of faith, and at its heart stand two real, created, everlasting places: al-Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (the Fire). They are not symbols or states of mind. The Prophet ﷺ saw both with his own eyes — during the eclipse prayer, and on the Night Journey. Every person alive is travelling toward one of them, and knowing them is what turns the heart from heedlessness to hope and fear.
فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُمُّهُۥ هَاوِيَةٌ
"Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds], he will be in a pleasant life. But as for one whose scales are light, his refuge will be an abyss (Hāwiyah)."
Quran 101:6–9 (Al-Qāriʿah)
Both are described throughout the Book by several names, each opening a window onto what they are. Here they are together.
Paradise and the Fire are each called by several names in the Quran — every one a proof-text.
The names of the two abodes in the Quran. Paradise (al-Jannah) is called: al-Firdaws, the highest Paradise, Quran 18:107 and 23:11; Jannat Adn, gardens of perpetual residence, Quran 9:72; Jannat al-Naeem, gardens of delight, Quran 56:12; Jannat al-Mawa, the garden of refuge, Quran 32:19; Dar al-Salam, the abode of peace, Quran 6:127; Dar al-Muqamah, the home of permanent stay, Quran 35:35; Maqad Sidq, the seat of honour, Quran 54:55; al-Ghurfah, the lofty chambers, Quran 25:75. The Fire (Jahannam) is called: Jahannam, Hell, the most common name; al-Nar, the Fire; al-Jaheem, the blazing fire, Quran 82:14; al-Saeer, the blaze, Quran 67:5; Saqar, Quran 74:26; Laza, the flame, Quran 70:15; al-Hutamah, the crusher, Quran 104:4; al-Hawiyah, the abyss, Quran 101:9. Affirmed in the authentic Sunnah: al-Firdaws is the highest part of Paradise, beneath the Throne of the Most Merciful, Bukhari 7423; Paradise has eight gates and the Fire has seven gates, Quran 15:44. Honest note: the popular claim that the Fire's names are seven levels in a fixed order is a later scholarly arrangement, not established by an authentic hadith; what the texts affirm is the names and the seven gates.
Affirmed in the ṣaḥīḥ Sunnah: al-Firdaws is the highest part of Paradise, beneath the Throne of the Most Merciful (Bukhari 7423); Paradise has eight gates (Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 459 (Kitāb aṭ-Ṭahārah)), the Fire seven (Quran 15:44). Honest note: the popular claim that the Fire's names are "seven levels in a fixed order" is a later scholarly arrangement — not established by an authentic hadith. What the texts affirm is the names above and the seven gates.
Paradise — a delight beyond description
The believers will be driven to Paradise in honour, its gates thrown open in welcome:
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَٱدْخُلُوهَا خَـٰلِدِينَ
"And those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups, until they reach it and its gates are opened, and its keepers say, 'Peace be upon you; you have become pure, so enter it to abide eternally.'"
Quran 39:73 (Az-Zumar)
Its delights are beyond anything the mind can picture:
"Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah said, "I have prepared for My Pious slaves things which have never been seen by an eye, or heard by an ear, or imagined by a human being." If you wish, you can recite this Verse from the Holy Qur'an:--"No soul knows what is kept hidden for them, of joy as a reward for what they used to do"
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah — Sahih al-Bukhari 3244 & Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 6955 (Kitāb al-Jannah)
Its levels are a hundred, and the highest is al-Firdaws:
"Paradise has one-hundred grades which Allah has reserved for the Mujahidin who fight in His Cause, and the distance between each of two grades is like the distance between the Heaven and the Earth. So, when you ask Allah (for something), ask for Al-firdaus which is the best and highest part of Paradise… Above it (i.e. Al-Firdaus) is the Throne of Beneficent (i.e. Allah), and from it originate the rivers of Paradise."
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah — Sahih al-Bukhari 2790 & 7423
The greatest joy of all is not the rivers, the gardens, or the mansions — it is to look upon the Face of Allah: "For those who did good is the best [reward] and more (ziyādah)" (10:26). The Prophet ﷺ explained the "more" as the vision of Allah — and said the believers will see their Lord "as you see this moon and you will have no trouble in seeing Him" (Sahih al-Bukhari 554; Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 1329 (Kitāb al-Masājid); on the "more", Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 354 (Kitāb al-Īmān)). Even the lowest person in Paradise will be given the like of the whole world and ten times over (Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 366 (Kitāb al-Īmān)).
The Fire — a warning of mercy
Allah describes the Fire so that we would flee to Him before we ever reach it. Its heat is not the heat we know:
"Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Your (ordinary) fire is one of 70 parts of the (Hell) Fire." Someone asked, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) This (ordinary) fire would have been sufficient (to torture the unbelievers)," Allah's Apostle said, "The (Hell) Fire has 69 parts more than the ordinary (worldly) fire, each part is as hot as this (worldly) fire"
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah — Sahih al-Bukhari 3265 & Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 6986 (Kitāb al-Jannah)
The Fire has seven gates — "It has seven gates; for each gate is a portion [of them] assigned" (15:44) — and its fuel is the rejecters and their idols: "Fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers" (2:24). On the Day of Judgement it will be brought forth restrained:
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Hell would be brought on that day (the Day of Judgment) with seventy thousand bridles, and seventy thousand angels dragging each bridle."
Narrated by Ibn Masʿūd — Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 6985 (Kitāb al-Jannah)
Yet even in warning there is mercy: the least punished — a person for whom the Fire is the lightest — will wear two sandals of fire that make his brain boil (Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 420 (Kitāb al-Īmān)), while he thinks no one is punished more severely than him. It is a reality worth any effort to escape.
The deeds that lead to each
The destinations are not arbitrary — the Prophet ﷺ named the roads to both, plainly. The heaviest thing on the scale is tawḥīd and good character; the surest ruin is shirk and arrogance.
The road to Paradise
- Dying upon tawḥīd — "He who dies without associating anyone with Allah would (necessarily) enter Paradise" (Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 175 (Kitāb al-Īmān))
- The five daily prayers, fasting Ramaḍān, zakāt, ḥajj
- Good character — the heaviest thing on the scale (Tirmidhi 2002, ṣaḥīḥ)
- Guarding the tongue and private parts (Sahih al-Bukhari 6474)
- Truthfulness, mercy, restraining anger, and love for Allah's sake
The road to the Fire
- Shirk — the one sin unforgiven if died upon (4:48)
- Arrogance — "He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise" (Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 171 (Kitāb al-Īmān))
- The seven destructive sins (Sahih al-Bukhari 2766)
- Injustice (ẓulm), consuming ribā and the orphan's wealth
- An unbridled tongue — what most casts people into the Fire (Tirmidhi 2616, ṣaḥīḥ)
And the mercy that overarches it all: the people of tawḥīd who enter the Fire for their sins do not remain in it forever. By Allah's mercy and the intercession, whoever "has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of an atom will be taken out of Hell" (Sahih al-Bukhari 44; Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 384 (Kitāb al-Īmān)). Only rejection of Allah earns the eternity of the Fire.
Frequently asked questions
Do Paradise and the Fire already exist now?
Yes. This is the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah: both are created and existing at this moment. Paradise is "prepared for the righteous" (3:133) and the Fire "prepared for the disbelievers" (3:131) — prepared, in the past tense. The Prophet ﷺ saw both during the eclipse prayer and on the Night Journey (Sahih al-Bukhari 1052). They are not created only on the Day of Judgement.
Are they both truly eternal — and does a sinful Muslim stay in the Fire forever?
Both are everlasting abodes. But a believer who dies upon tawḥīd, even if punished in the Fire for major sins, does not abide there forever: by Allah's mercy and intercession, everyone with even an atom of faith is taken out (Bukhari 44). Eternity in the Fire is only for those who died upon disbelief or shirk (4:48, 2:39).
Are the seven names of Hell seven separate levels in order?
What the Quran affirms is that the Fire has seven gates (15:44), and that it is called by several names — Jahannam, Jaḥīm, Saʿīr, Saqar, Laẓā, Ḥuṭamah, Hāwiyah. The popular scheme that lists these as "seven descending levels in a fixed order" is a later arrangement in some books of tafsīr; it is not established by an authentic hadith. On the way of the Salaf, we affirm the names and the seven gates, and do not assert an ordering the texts do not give.
Will the believers really see Allah in Paradise?
Yes — and it is the greatest of all the delights. The Prophet ﷺ said the believers will see their Lord "as you see this moon and you will have no trouble in seeing Him" (Sahih al-Bukhari 554; Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 1329 (Kitāb al-Masājid)). Affirming the vision of Allah (ru'yah) in the Hereafter is the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah; the sects that denied it opposed clear, authentic texts (see Ahl as-Sunnah).
Take the full guide with you
The two eternal abodes — their names, gates and levels, the delights and the torment, and the deeds that lead to each — every claim cited to the Quran and authentic Sunnah, in one PDF.
- The names of Paradise & the Fire
- The levels, gates & the vision of Allah
- The reality of the Fire, honestly
- The roads to each — and the mercy over all
Related: The Hereafter · The Six Articles of Faith · Tawḥīd · Shirk & Khurafat · Signs of the Hour.
