49. Is hell a place of torment?

In the Bible hell is a place of eternal torment. In 2 Peter 2 verse 4 it is recorded that ‘God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness reserved for judgement.’ Mark 9 verse 43 describes hell as ‘a place of unquenchable fire.’ In Revelation 20 verse 14 it states that ‘death and hell are cast into the lake of fire.’

In the Qur’an surah ’Abasa 80 ayat 40-42 it states that: ‘And other faces on that Day will be dust stained, blackness will cover them: Such will be the Rejectors of Allâh, the Doers of Iniquity.’ In surah 81 ayat 10-12 it describes hell as a place where ‘When the Scrolls are laid open; when the World on High is unveiled, when the blazing fire is kindled to fierce heat.’ In surah 82 ayat 3-6 it states that: ‘And when the graves are turned upside down, when the oceans are suffered to burst forth, then each should will know what it has sent forward and what it hath kept back, O Man what has seduced you from the Lord Most Beneficent?’ In ayah 14 it states that ‘The Wicked, they will be in the Fire, which they will enter until the Day of Judgement.’ Surah 83 has the same theme. In surah 85 ayat 7-8 it states that: ‘Those who illtreated the Believers for no other reason than that they believed in Allâh, Exalted in Power, Worthy of all Praise …..and in ayah 10 it states: ‘Those who persecute the Believers, men and women and do not turn in repentance, will have the Penalty of Hell: they will have the Penalty of the Burning Fire.’