Introduction

Prophet’s weeping

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he and his wife Fatima came to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for a visit and found him weeping bitterly. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: “May my parents be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah! (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) what makes you weep? He replied “O ‘Ali, during my night journey to the Heavens, I saw a number of my Ummah being punished in various ways, and I am weeping at the severity of their torment…

1) I saw a women hanging by her hair and her brain boiling;

2) another woman was hanging by her tongue and hot liquid was being poured down her throat;

3) another one was hanging by her breasts;

4) another woman’s feet clung to her breasts and her hands to her forehead;

5) another woman, whose head was that of a pig and whose body was that of a donkey, being tormented in many different ways;

6) and another women was in the form of a dog and fire was entering her mouth and coming out from her rear end, while the angels were hitting her with hammers of fire.2

Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) stood up and said “O Messenger of Allah! (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) what were the deeds of these women for which they suffer such punishment?” he replied “O daughter!

1) As for the one who was hanging by her hair and her brain boiling, she did not cover her hair in front of men;

2) the one who was hanging by her tongue and hot liquid was being poured down her throat, used to annoy her husband;

3) the one hanging by her breast used to defile her husband’s bed (i.e. commit adultery);

4) the one whose feet were tied to her breasts and her hands to her forehead did not wash herself after sexual intercourse or finishing menstruation, and she made fun of prayer;

5) the one with a pig’s head and a donkey’s body used to carry around slanderous tales;

6) And the one in the form of a dog and fire was entering her mouth and coming out from her rear end, used to be envious and to recount her favours to others.”i

i Al Kaba’ir (The Chief Sins). Chapter on: The merits of the obedient wife and the severe torment of the disobedient one. Page: 180

Let’s look and examine them individually: