“The great Syrian scholar Abu Sulayman ad-Darani once said: “I walk out of my home, and my eyesight doesn’t fall on anything around me except that I see in it either a blessing from Allah or a warning from Him.”
In an edition of the Time magazine it briefly highlights one such sign. The heading reads ‘The Big Chill – The polar vortex left its mark, from the Great Plains to the Atlantic.’ Various photographs taken during the spell of extreme cold are displayed. Across the bottom of the two-page spread, there is a section titled ‘No Escaping the Cold’ which is accompanied by some facts and figures.
Here are a few:
- ‘6,804: Number of flights to or from U.S. airports canceled Jan. 6-7… stranding thousands of passengers.’
- ’12: Approximate number of hours hundreds of passengers were stranded on three Amtrak trains stuck in a Western Illinois snowdrift.’
- ‘An inmate who escaped from a Kentucky prison wearing only a thin jacket and khaki pants turned himself in Jan. 6 rather than brave the frigid temperatures.’
- ‘Minneapolis was a balmy -20 degrees F on Jan. 7, compared with Lake Crane, Minn., where temperatures dropped to -35 degrees F, making it colder than the South Pole.’
- ‘Hell froze over – literally. A small Michigan town called Hell experienced temperatures as low as 3 degrees F on Jan. 6.’
Explanation
Meteorologists have explained the polar vortex phenomenon. But their perspective is a limited one, as Yusuf bin Asbat said: “This world was not created for us just to look at it. Rather, it was created for us to use it to look towards the Hereafter.” In other words, there is more to understanding what is going on around us than what is currently tangible. There is something deeper behind the signs in nature.The mention of the town of Hell is fitting because one of the features of the real Hell is that it indeed contains areas of extreme cold. This may seem counterintuitive, but in an authentic hadith collected by al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad and others, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Hell complained to its Lord. It said: “My Lord! Parts of me have consumed the other parts.” He therefore allowed it two ventilating breaths: one breath in the winter, and one in the summer. So, the extreme heat you experience is from the scorching heat of Hell, and the extreme cold you experience is from the bitter cold of Hell.”Commenting on this hadith in the book ‘Lata’if al-Ma’arif’ (p. 318), the great Iraqi scholar Ibn Rajab al-Hambali said: “There is no doubt that Allah created for His slaves two realms in which He will pay us back for our deeds. These realms are eternal, and we never die in them. He also created an immediate, temporal realm in which those deeds are to be performed. In this realm, we live and die. He tests us in this realm with certain commands and prohibitions. He has also tasked us with believing in things which we cannot see, including the fact that we will be recompensed for our actions, as well as to believe in the two realms He created for this purpose. He has revealed Scripture and sent Messengers, and provided clear proof for the existence of the Unseen which He has commanded us to believe in. He has provided signs which prove the existence of the two realms of recompense. One is of pure pleasure, unblemished by pain. The other is of pure punishment, utterly devoid of comfort.As for this temporary realm in which we currently reside, it is a mix of pleasure and pain. Its pleasure reminds us of the pleasure in Paradise. Its pain reminds us of the pain in Hell. We are reminded of the unseen, delayed, eternal realms through certain things Allah has placed in this realm. For example, certain times and places remind us of Paradise. As for places, Allah has created some regions of Earth – like the lands of ash-Sham (may Allah unite its Mujahidin and hasten their victory) and others – such that they contain foods, beverages, clothing, and other worldly delights which remind us of the pleasures of Paradise. As for times, the pleasant aromas of spring remind you of the pleasures and aromas of Paradise. Also, the coolness you experience in the dawn hours reminds you of the coolness of Paradise.”He continued: “And some things remind you of Hell, as Allah has placed many things in this world to remind us of the Fire which has been prepared for those who rebel against Him. You are reminded of its pain and punishment through various places, times, physical objects, and so on. As for places, there are numerous locations on Earth which are known for their extreme heat and cold. Their extreme cold reminds us of Hell’s extreme cold, and their extreme heat reminds us of Hell’s heat and scorching wind.”As for times, the cold is experienced primarily during the winter season, as Ibn Rajab said: “And from the virtues of winter is that it reminds us of the bitter cold in Hell, and forces us to seek Allah’s protection from it.”