jahannam

Glossaries

Term	Definition
jahannam	Jahannam is the Qur’anic term for hell, a place of punishment in the afterlife for those who reject faith and commit grave injustices. Jahannam (Arabic: جهنم) refers to hell in Islamic belief—a realm of posthumous punishment for disbelievers, hypocrites, and evildoers. It is mentioned frequently in the Qur’an, often contrasted with Janna (paradise). Jahannam is depicted with striking imagery: blazing fire, burning fuel made of people and stones (Qur’an 66:6), chains, boiling drinks, and repeated torments. These descriptions are meant as moral warnings rather than precise depictions. Some verses describe Jahannam as having multiple levels (Qur’an 4:145, 15:44), reflecting degrees of sin. In some theological traditions, hell is not eternal for all: sinners may be purified and eventually enter paradise through God’s mercy. Jahannam has inspired elements of religious discourse, mystical visions, and eschatological architecture, but is best understood as a spiritual and ethical construct, emphasizing divine justice.

Term

Definition

Jahannam is the Qur’anic term for hell, a place of punishment in the afterlife for those who reject faith and commit grave injustices.

Jahannam (Arabic: جهنم) refers to hell in Islamic belief—a realm of posthumous punishment for disbelievers, hypocrites, and evildoers. It is mentioned frequently in the Qur’an, often contrasted with Janna (paradise).

Jahannam is depicted with striking imagery: blazing fire, burning fuel made of people and stones (Qur’an 66:6), chains, boiling drinks, and repeated torments. These descriptions are meant as moral warnings rather than precise depictions.

Some verses describe Jahannam as having multiple levels (Qur’an 4:145, 15:44), reflecting degrees of sin. In some theological traditions, hell is not eternal for all: sinners may be purified and eventually enter paradise through God’s mercy.

Jahannam has inspired elements of religious discourse, mystical visions, and eschatological architecture, but is best understood as a spiritual and ethical construct, emphasizing divine justice.