hell, fire, boiling, punish, agony, pain, burn, perdition, doom, torment, suffer, woe, awful, terrible, horrible, scourge, warn, fear, retribution.I found 1,027 unique verses each containing at least one of the above-italicized words. The Quran totals 6,220 verses (give or take ten or fifteen, depending on which of the five counting methods you use). I estimate that of the 1,027 verses linked below, about 500 to 600 contain threats of hell and divine punishment. Another 150 to 200 do not specifically mention divine punishment, but advise fear of Allah, or warn of Allah. And the remaining 250 or so (about 1 in 4 of the verses listed below) have little or nothing to do with divine punishment. (These numbers are extrapolations based on random sampling.)
If the estimate of 550 verses with distinct threats of hell/divine punishment is correct, that would mean the ratio of such verses to all other verses in the Quran is about one in eleven. When we consider that this ratio would go to one in nine if we add the 150 or so verses that do not mention punishment but warn of Allah or advise fear of Allah, and when we recall that the roughly 550 "hell threat" verses are not islands unto themselves, but involve preceding and following verses, it becomes apparent that a quite substantial portion of the Quran is concerned with threats of punishments in hell.
Here is an example of one of the more explicit (and sadistic) warnings:
From the USC-MSA triple translation of the Quran, Chapter 22, Verses 19, 20, 21, and 22:
(PICKTHAL version):The Quran's threats of hell usually do not go into this kind of sadistic detail. Instead we read again and again brief phrases referring to a "grievous and enduring punishment" after death, or to burning in "hell-fire" and so on.
These twain (the believers and the disbelievers) are two opponents who contend concerning their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them; boiling fluid will be poured down on their heads,
Whereby that which is in their bellies, and their skins too, will be melted;
And for them are hooked rods of iron.
Whenever, in their anguish, they would go forth from thence they are driven back therein and (it is said unto them): Taste the doom of burning.
What kind of doctrine is it that once in every eleven verses (on average) speaks of divine punishment or of hell? Are we to be good mainly because we are terrified of what someone will do to us if we are not good? Isn't it oddly crude of "God" to rely so strongly on this 'carrot and stick' (with a lot of stick) approach? Are we nothing more than animals to be controlled with the threat of pain and the promise of pleasure? (The Quran also speaks of beautiful couches, delicious food and drink, and gorgeous virgins for the righteous Muslim male after death.) What about the nobler possibilities within us? Our deepest desire, though we often lose touch with it, is to love and learn. Is it God who would drive us with whips and physical pleasures as if we were slaves or subhuman? Sounds more diabolical than divine. And what about 'love'? (I'll look into the Quran's statements on that subject in a future post.)
Here are links to the 1,027 verses I culled (through a database search for all verses with one or more of the words in the italicized word group at the top of this post) from the Quran's total of about 6,220 verses. Of the 1,027 below, I estimate about 500 to 600 contain distinct threats of hell/divine punishment, another 150 to 200 warn of Allah or advise fear of Allah, and the remaining 250 or so have nothing to do with hell/divine punishment:
002.002 002.006 002.007 002.010 002.017 002.019 002.024 002.038 002.039 002.040 002.041 002.049 002.057 002.062 002.063 002.066 002.074 002.079 002.080 002.081 002.085 002.090 002.096 002.104 002.112 002.114 002.119 002.126 002.150 002.155 002.162 002.165 002.166 002.167 002.174 002.175 002.176 002.177 002.178 002.189 002.194 002.195 002.196 002.197 002.201 002.203 002.206 002.217 002.221 002.223 002.229 002.231 002.233 002.239 002.243 002.257 002.262 002.266 002.274 002.275 002.277 002.278 002.279 002.281 002.282 002.283 002.284 002.286 003.004 003.010 003.012 003.016 003.021 003.024 003.028 003.030 003.050 003.056 003.073 003.077 003.088 003.091 003.102 003.103 003.105 003.116 003.123 003.128 003.130 003.131 003.138 003.151 003.162 003.170 003.173 003.175 003.176 003.177 003.178 003.181 003.183 003.185 003.188 003.191 003.192 003.195 003.197 003.198 003.200 004.003 004.009 004.010 004.014 004.016 004.018 004.025 004.030 004.034 004.035 004.037 004.039 004.055 004.056 004.077 004.083 004.093 004.097 004.101 004.104 004.113 004.115 004.119 004.121 004.131 004.138 004.140 004.145 004.151 004.161 004.169 004.173 005.002 005.003 005.004 005.007 005.008 005.010 005.011 005.018 005.028 005.029 005.031 005.033 005.036 005.037 005.041 005.044 005.046 005.049 005.052 005.054 005.057 005.060 005.064 005.069 005.072 005.073 005.080 005.088 005.094 005.095 005.096 005.100 005.108 005.112 005.115 005.118 006.015 006.016 006.019 006.027 006.030 006.031 006.048 006.049 006.051 006.063 006.069 006.070 006.072 006.080 006.081 006.092 006.093 006.128 006.139 006.148 006.151 006.157 007.002 007.009 007.012 007.018 007.034 007.035 007.036 007.038 007.039 007.041 007.044 007.047 007.049 007.050 007.056 007.059 007.063 007.065 007.069 007.073 007.100 007.127 007.136 007.141 007.154 007.164 007.167 007.170 007.171 007.179 007.185 007.201 008.001 008.002 008.011 008.012 008.014 008.016 008.025 008.026 008.029 008.032 008.033 008.034 008.035 008.036 008.037 008.048 008.050 008.056 008.057 008.058 008.068 008.069 009.003 009.013 009.014 009.017 009.018 009.020 009.024 009.028 009.034 009.035 009.039 009.040 009.049 009.052 009.055 009.061 009.063 009.064 009.066 009.068 009.073 009.074 009.079 009.081 009.085 009.086 009.090 009.095 009.101 009.106 009.109 009.113 009.115 009.119 009.120 009.122 009.123 010.002 010.004 010.006 010.008 010.011 010.015 010.027 010.050 010.052 010.054 010.062 010.070 010.083 010.088 010.097 010.098 011.002 011.003 011.008 011.012 011.015 011.016 011.017 011.020 011.026 011.039 011.048 011.058 011.063 011.064 011.067 011.070 011.072 011.074 011.076 011.078 011.083 011.084 011.089 011.093 011.094 011.095 011.098 011.101 011.103 011.106 011.113 011.115 011.116 011.119 012.013 012.025 012.056 012.075 012.090 012.092 013.005 013.012 013.017 013.018 013.021 013.025 013.032 013.034 013.035 013.041 014.002 014.006 014.007 014.014 014.016 014.017 014.021 014.022 014.028 014.029 014.030 014.043 014.044 014.047 014.050 015.005 015.018 015.027 015.043 015.050 015.053 015.069 015.073 015.079 015.083 016.002 016.026 016.029 016.033 016.045 016.047 016.050 016.051 016.052 016.061 016.062 016.063 016.077 016.085 016.088 016.094 016.104 016.106 016.112 016.113 016.117 016.126 017.005 017.008 017.010 017.015 017.016 017.018 017.031 017.039 017.040 017.054 017.057 017.058 017.059 017.060 017.063 017.082 017.097 017.098 017.099 017.100 017.102 017.105 018.002 018.004 018.006 018.029 018.030 018.042 018.049 018.052 018.053 018.055 018.058 018.086 018.087 018.096 018.100 018.102 018.106 019.005 019.018 019.037 019.039 019.045 019.059 019.068 019.075 019.079 019.086 019.097 020.003 020.010 020.011 020.021 020.044 020.045 020.046 020.047 020.048 020.061 020.067 020.068 020.074 020.077 020.087 020.088 020.097 020.112 020.113 020.119 020.127 021.014 021.018 021.028 021.029 021.039 021.045 021.046 021.049 021.068 021.069 021.087 021.090 021.097 021.098 021.102 022.001 022.002 022.004 022.009 022.018 022.019 022.021 022.022 022.025 022.035 022.044 022.047 022.048 022.051 022.055 022.057 022.060 022.072 023.023 023.032 023.041 023.043 023.052 023.057 023.060 023.103 023.104 024.002 024.004 024.011 024.014 024.016 024.023 024.034 024.035 024.037 024.050 024.052 024.055 024.057 025.011 025.015 025.018 025.019 025.021 025.028 025.034 025.037 025.040 025.042 025.065 025.069 026.011 026.012 026.014 026.091 026.094 026.106 026.108 026.110 026.115 026.124 026.126 026.131 026.132 026.135 026.142 026.144 026.150 026.156 026.158 026.161 026.163 026.177 026.179 026.184 026.189 026.201 026.204 026.214 027.007 027.008 027.010 027.021 027.087 027.089 027.090 028.007 028.018 028.021 028.025 028.029 028.030 028.031 028.032 028.033 028.034 028.038 028.041 028.046 028.061 028.064 028.080 029.010 029.016 029.023 029.024 029.025 029.029 029.033 029.036 029.040 029.053 029.054 029.055 029.068 030.016 030.024 030.028 030.031 030.044 030.047 031.006 031.007 031.021 031.024 031.033 032.003 032.013 032.014 032.016 032.020 032.022 033.001 033.008 033.019 033.024 033.032 033.037 033.039 033.055 033.057 033.061 033.064 033.066 033.068 033.070 033.073 034.005 034.008 034.012 034.014 034.017 034.023 034.033 034.038 034.042 034.045 034.046 035.006 035.007 035.010 035.018 035.026 035.028 035.032 035.036 035.045 036.006 036.010 036.011 036.045 036.052 036.063 036.064 036.070 036.080 037.009 037.010 037.020 037.023 037.031 037.033 037.038 037.039 037.047 037.055 037.056 037.057 037.063 037.064 037.067 037.068 037.097 037.101 037.123 037.124 037.127 037.133 037.139 037.163 037.171 037.176 037.181 038.008 038.014 038.022 038.026 038.027 038.041 038.056 038.057 038.058 038.059 038.061 038.064 038.076 038.085 039.008 039.010 039.013 039.016 039.019 039.020 039.022 039.023 039.024 039.025 039.026 039.032 039.037 039.040 039.047 039.054 039.055 039.056 039.058 039.060 039.071 039.072 040.003 040.005 040.006 040.007 040.010 040.015 040.018 040.022 040.025 040.026 040.030 040.032 040.037 040.041 040.043 040.045 040.046 040.047 040.048 040.049 040.060 040.072 040.076 040.084 040.085 041.006 041.013 041.016 041.017 041.019 041.020 041.023 041.024 041.027 041.028 041.030 041.040 041.043 042.007 042.016 042.018 042.021 042.022 042.026 042.042 042.044 042.045 043.025 043.039 043.041 043.048 043.050 043.055 043.063 043.065 043.068 043.074 044.003 044.011 044.012 044.015 044.016 044.030 044.045 044.046 044.047 044.048 044.056 045.007 045.008 045.009 045.010 045.011 045.014 045.034 046.012 046.013 046.015 046.017 046.020 046.021 046.024 046.029 046.031 046.034 046.035 047.004 047.008 047.012 047.015 047.020 048.006 048.013 048.016 048.017 048.027 049.001 049.010 049.012 050.019 050.024 050.026 050.030 050.042 050.045 051.010 051.013 051.014 051.028 051.037 051.055 051.060 052.007 052.009 052.010 052.011 052.013 052.014 052.016 052.018 052.026 052.027 052.029 054.006 054.016 054.018 054.021 054.030 054.036 054.046 054.048 055.015 055.035 055.043 055.044 055.046 056.005 056.019 056.042 056.046 056.054 056.071 056.072 056.093 056.094 057.013 057.015 057.019 057.028 058.004 058.005 058.008 058.009 058.013 058.015 058.016 058.017 059.007 059.013 059.016 059.017 059.018 059.020 059.021 060.011 061.010 064.005 064.010 064.016 065.001 065.002 065.004 065.009 065.010 066.006 066.009 066.010 067.005 067.006 067.007 067.010 067.011 067.012 067.017 067.018 067.026 067.028 068.027 068.031 068.044 068.048 069.005 069.031 070.001 070.015 070.027 070.028 071.001 071.003 071.013 071.025 071.028 072.009 072.013 072.015 072.017 072.023 073.012 073.013 074.002 074.017 074.019 074.020 074.026 074.027 074.031 074.035 074.042 074.053 074.056 075.029 075.034 075.035 076.004 076.007 076.010 076.031 077.006 077.012 077.015 077.019 077.024 077.028 077.029 077.034 077.037 077.040 077.045 077.047 077.049 078.002 078.021 078.025 078.027 078.030 078.040 079.019 079.025 079.036 079.039 079.040 079.045 080.009 080.017 081.006 081.012 082.014 082.015 083.001 083.005 083.010 083.016 084.002 084.005 084.011 084.012 084.024 085.004 085.005 085.006 085.010 087.010 087.012 088.004 088.005 088.024 089.013 089.023 089.025 090.020 091.015 092.014 096.018 098.006 098.008 100.002 101.001 101.002 101.003 101.011 102.006 104.001 104.006 106.004 107.004 111.001 111.003
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