In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All prayers and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَمَّ SAS). Glory and praise be to Allah, He who has guided me to start a series of articles on our journey to Paradise. I pray to Him, Allah, glorified and exalted be He (سبحانه وتعالى SWT), to grant me sincerity and patience through this journey. I also pray to Him that these few words come from my heart and reach your kind hearts. I will do my best, with the help of Allah (SWT), to make these articles simple, concise, and straight forward.

Overview
The human journey to Paradise includes different phases: life, life in the grave, the Day of Judgement, Al-Sirat, and finally, Paradise or Hellfire. In between these phases, there are several stops or events: death, resurrection, the perfect scale, and the spring (Al-Hawdh). It is necessary to write about these phases of life, stops or events for several reasons. Firstly, there is a lack of literature in English and other languages that discuss such phases and events. Secondly, discussing such topics is motivational because it makes the final destination and the purpose of life clear. Thirdly, knowledge on these topics increases our faith, repentance and closeness to Allah (SWT). It improves the quality of our worship (i.e. Prayer, Fasting, Charity, Pilgrimage, etc), and helps us be good citizens in the societies we live in. Fourthly, generations of raised Muslims, mainly in the West with lack of available Islamic-based authentic references, have plenty of questions about these unseen phases and events. Lastly, there is a necessity to have such material in English and other languages to be available as non-biased authentic sources of true information for interested seekers of knowledge in the community at large.

The series of articles on the human journey to Paradise will cover the aforementioned phases and events in detail, based on Islamic traditions and references using two authentic sources of information: (1) Quran, the Words of Allah (SWT) and (2) Narrations (Hadith) of the Prophet Mohammad (SAS). The series will include encyclopedia of thousands of Quran verses and hundreds of authentic narrations on each phase and event. This encyclopedia will nurture the future in-depth research works by those interested in this domain. Due to the large number of verses and narrations in the various topics, I will only highlight the concluded remarks of each verse or narration to reduce the length of each article. This generates future opportunities of in-depth analogy in each topic.

Article 1 represents the introduction to the series of articles. It covers the human journey in the mind of Muslims, a brief knowledge of final destinations, i.e. Paradise and Hellfire, to attract the reader’s attention, the delicate balance between “Hope” to be granted Paradise and “Fear” of being thrown into Hellfire, and then, a brief on the different periods of human life. Finally, it ends with a recommendation to implement in your daily life activities.

The human journey to Paradise is like a train ride; begins from the first stop and ends at the final destination. The train passes through various stops throughout the journey; once it starts, it does not stop until the intended destination. Similarly, the human journey to Paradise starts primarily at birth and continues until the final destination; either Paradise or Hellfire. We pray that Allah SWT makes our final destination Paradise. The differences between the human journey to Paradise and the train ride is that the duration between stops are known or can be estimated for the train; however, they are unknown for the human journey. They are only known to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى SWT). This is indeed what Allah (SWT) indicated in the Quran, the Words of Allah (SWT), that no one knows about the duration of the human journey’s phases except Him in the following sample of verses:
                                                                    وَعِندَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ ۚ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُّبِينٍ (59) سورة الأنعام

There are several stops in the human journey to Paradise. We assume that the journey starts at birth, going through the life phase, then, the death stop to change to a different phase of life in the grave, which ends with the resurrection. Being resurrected, the human will pass to the Day of Judgement and be held accountable before Allah (SWT) for his/her actions during their life. Weighing human deeds (i.e. good or bad) on the perfect scale, with the highest precision, is a critical stop in this phase. This judgement impacts the human’s subsequent journey directions or trends. If the human deserves the mercy of Allah, the subsequent phases and stops will be easy, simple and lead to Paradise. If the human did not believe in Allah and committed bad deeds, the subsequent phases and stops will be hard with severe consequences leading to Hellfire as the final destination. This is a summary of the Islamic belief on the human’s journey to Paradise. This understanding is clearly stated in many places in the Quran. Let me refer you to only two places where the Quran indicates that all human beings will return to Allah and everyone will be compensated for his/her actions:
It is quite clear from the above verses that the human will be compensated for what he earned and did during his/her life. If he/she follows the commands of Allah and avoids disobeying Him, he/she will be granted Paradise and vice versa. The following verses describe these explicit facts.

We heard about Paradise and Hellfire since childhood. However, did we stop one day to think about each destination and feel them deeply in our hearts? The following sections will go through verses from the Quran and narrations by our beloved Prophet Mohamed (SAS) that describe these destinations.

Allah (SWT) describes Paradise in many verses of the Quran to show the types of pleasures that exist in this final destination. In one citation, He (SWT) shows the different types of rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey. In another citation, He (SWT) indicates that the righteous will enjoy drinking sealed wine while sitting on decorated couches. He (SWT) continues describing that believers will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearl, and their garments will be made of silk. There are hundreds of other places in the Quran where Allah (SWT) says that He will grant Paradise to the believer, him and his kinship, who will be exceptionally delighted. Circulated among them will be plates and bowls of gold. And they will see whatever the soul’s desire and what delight the eyes for eternal life. All of the above and more are described in the following sample of verses:
مَّثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ ۖ فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِّن مَّاءٍ غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ خَمْرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ كَمَنْ هُوَ خَالِدٌ فِي النَّارِ وَسُقُوا مَاءً حَمِيمًا فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَاءَهُمْ (15) سورة محمد
Chapter Muhammad (15) Is the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord, like [that of] those who abide eternally in the Fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?
إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ لَفِي نَعِيمٍ (22) عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنظُرُونَ (23) تَعْرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ نَضْرَةَ النَّعِيمِ (24) يُسْقَوْنَ مِن رَّحِيقٍ مَّخْتُومٍ (25) خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ ۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ (26) وَمِزَاجُهُ مِن تَسْنِيمٍ (27) عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا الْمُقَرَّبُونَ (28) سورة المطففين
Chapter Al-Mutafifeen (22) Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure (23) On adorned couches, observing. (24) You will recognize in their faces the radiance of pleasure. (25) They will be given to drink [pure] wine [which was] sealed. (26) The last of it is musk. So for this let the competitors compete. (27) And its mixture is of Tasneem, (28) A spring from which those near [to Allah] drink.
                                                                                  إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ يُحَلَّوْنَ فِيهَا مِنْ أَسَاوِرَ مِن ذَهَبٍ وَلُؤْلُؤًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُهُمْ فِيهَا حَرِيرٌ (23) سورة الحج
Chapter Al-Haj (23) Indeed, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow. They will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearl, and their garments therein will be silk.
يَا عِبَادِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ وَلَا أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ (68) الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَكَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ (69) ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ أَنتُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ تُحْبَرُونَ (70) يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِصِحَافٍ مِّن ذَهَبٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ ۖ وَفِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِيهِ الْأَنفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ الْأَعْيُنُ ۖ وَأَنتُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ (71) وَتِلْكَ الْجَنَّةُ الَّتِي أُورِثْتُمُوهَا بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (72) لَكُمْ فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ كَثِيرَةٌ مِّنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ (73) سورة الزخرف
Chapter Al-Zokhruf (68) [To whom Allah will say], "O My servants, no fear will there be concerning you this Day, nor will you grieve, (69) [You] who believed in Our verses and were Muslims. (70) Enter Paradise, you and your kinds, delighted." (71) Circulated among them will be plates and vessels of gold. And therein is whatever the souls desire and [what] delights the eyes, and you will abide therein eternally. (72) And that is Paradise which you are made to inherit for what you used to do. (73) For you therein is much fruit from which you will eat.

عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ خَيْمَةً مِنْ لُؤْلُؤَةٍ مُجَوَّفَةٍ، عَرْضُهَا سِتُّونَ مِيلاً، فِي كُلِّ زَاوِيَةٍ مِنْهَا أَهْلٌ، مَا يَرَوْنَ الآخَرِينَ يَطُوفُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ‏"‏‏.‏ ‏"‏ وَجَنَّتَانِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ، آنِيَتُهُمَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَجَنَّتَانِ مِنْ كَذَا آنِيَتُهُمَا، وَمَا فِيهِمَا، وَمَا بَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ إِلاَّ رِدَاءُ الْكِبْرِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فِي جَنَّةِ عَدْنٍ ‏"‏‏.‏ ‏‏‏(‏رواه البخاري‏)
Narrated Abdullah bin Qais: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "In Paradise there is a pavilion made of a single hollow pearl sixty miles wide, in each corner of which there are wives who will not see those in the other corners; and the believers will visit and enjoy them. And there are two gardens, the utensils and contents of which are made of silver; and two other gardens, the utensils and contents of which are made of so-and-so (i.e. gold) and nothing will prevent the people staying in the Garden of Eden from seeing their Lord except the curtain of Majesty over His Face." [Al-Bukhari Book 65, Hadith 4879].
                                                                                  وعن سهل بن سعد رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏ "‏إن أهل الجنة ليتراءون الغرف في الجنة كما تتراءون الكوكب في السماء‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.
Sahl bin Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The dwellers of Jannah will see the upper abodes of Jannah as you see the stars in the sky." [Al-Bukhari (Book 20, Hadith 1890) and Muslim].

Let us contemplate the above quotes. Aren’t you excited for the utmost pleasure of seeing the face of Allah? Do you feel this joy that is not equal to any pleasure elsewhere in this life? Isn’t this worth the sacrifice of time, effort, money, etc? I assure you it is worth and should not be neglected at all. It is the ultimate pleasure. I pray that Allah (SWT) guides us in this life and grants us Paradise as a final destination in the Hereafter.

Writing about Hellfire is tough and frightening. Going through the description of Hellfire in the Quran and in the narrations of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) is frightening and unbearable. However, it is essential to highlight a few facts that might motivate us to go back and repent to Allah (SWT) of what we have done in the past and what to improve in the future. Not only do bad deeds include sins but encompass shortcomings towards Allah (SWT) as well. If you feel that you did not commit any sins or that you do not have shortcomings, you are at risk. Human beings are imperfect. Sometimes we commit sins and have shortcomings without us knowing that we did so. This is why we should seek refuge from Allah (SWT) from committing sins and having shortcomings without knowledge as guided by Prophet Muhammad (SAS) in the following narration (Hadith):
     سَمِعْتُ مَعْقِلَ بْنَ يَسَارٍ يَقُولُ‏:‏ انْطَلَقْتُ مَعَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَقَالَ‏:‏ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، لَلشِّرْكُ فِيكُمْ أَخْفَى مِنْ دَبِيبِ النَّمْلِ، فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ‏:‏ وَهَلِ الشِّرْكُ إِلاَّ مَنْ جَعَلَ مَعَ اللهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ‏؟‏ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَلشِّرْكُ أَخْفَى مِنْ دَبِيبِ النَّمْلِ، أَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِذَا قُلْتَهُ ذَهَبَ عَنْكَ قَلِيلُهُ وَكَثِيرُهُ‏؟‏ قَالَ‏:‏ قُلِ‏:‏ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لا أَعْلَمُ‏. صـحـيـح الألباني
Maqil bin Yasar (RA) said that he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) with Abu Bakr (RA). He said, "O Abu Bakr, polytheism enters your people more quietly (secretly) than the movement of ants." Abu Bakr asked, "Is there a kind of polytheism besides associating anything with Allah?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said," By him who has my life in his power, polytheism is more concealed than the movement of ants. Shall I not teach you something which if you say will eliminate minor or major (polytheism)?" He then said, "Say `O Allah! I seek refuge in you lest I associate anything with you while I know it, and I seek your forgiveness for what I do not know.’"

Allah (SWT) sends a clear message that human beings are free to select their way in life. However, they should know the consequences of their choice before proceeding. If you choose to disbelieve in Allah (SWT), your destination will be Hellfire as described in the following verse:
                                   وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ ۚ إِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ نَارًا أَحَاطَ بِهِمْ سُرَادِقُهَا ۚ وَإِن يَسْتَغِيثُوا يُغَاثُوا بِمَاءٍ كَالْمُهْلِ يَشْوِي الْوُجُوهَ ۚ بِئْسَ الشَّرَابُ وَسَاءَتْ مُرْتَفَقًا (29) سورة الكهف
Chapter Al-Kahf (29) And say, "The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills - let him believe; and whoever wills - let him disbelieve." Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place.

Allah (SWT) continues describing Hellfire in terms of food, i.e. Zaqqum, drink (boiling water), and more as in the following verse:
                               ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا الضَّالُّونَ الْمُكَذِّبُون(51) لَآكِلُونَ مِن شَجَرٍ مِّن زَقُّومٍ (52) فَمَالِئُونَ مِنْهَا الْبُطُونَ (53) فَشَارِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْحَمِيمِ (54) فَشَارِبُونَ شُرْبَ الْهِيمِ (55) هَٰذَا نُزُلُهُمْ يَوْمَ الدِّينِ (56) سورة الواقعه
Chapter Al-Waqqiah (51) Then indeed you, O those astray [who are] deniers, (52) Will be eating from trees of Zaqqum (53) And filling with it your bellies (54) And drinking on top of it from scalding water (55) And will drink as the drinking of thirsty camels. (56) That is their accommodation on the Day of Recompense.
The Messenger of Allah described how Hellfire complained to Allah that its parts are eating up each other from the severe heat and coldness as described in the following narration (Hadith):
أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ اشْتَكَتِ النَّارُ إِلَى رَبِّهَا، فَقَالَتْ رَبِّ أَكَلَ بَعْضِي بَعْضًا، فَأَذِنَ لَهَا بِنَفَسَيْنِ نَفَسٍ فِي الشِّتَاءِ وَنَفَسٍ فِي الصَّيْفِ، فَأَشَدُّ مَا تَجِدُونَ فِي الْحَرِّ، وَأَشَدُّ مَا تَجِدُونَ مِنَ الزَّمْهَرِيرِ ‏"‏‏.‏ البخارى
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The (Hell) Fire complained to its Lord saying, 'O my Lord! My different parts eat up each other.' So, He allowed it to take two breaths, one in the winter and the other in summer, and this is the reason for the severe heat and the bitter cold you find (in weather). [Sahih al-Bukhari 3260]

The Messenger continued describing that Hellfire is 70 times hotter than any fire in the world as described in the following narration (Hadith):
  عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ نَارُكُمْ هَذِهِ الَّتِي يُوقِدُ ابْنُ آدَمَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ جُزْءًا مِنْ حَرِّ جَهَنَّمَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ إِنْ كَانَتْ لَكَافِيَةً يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَإِنَّهَا فُضِّلَتْ عَلَيْهَا بِتِسْعَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ جُزْءًا كُلُّهَا مِثْلُ حَرِّهَا ‏"‏‏. ‏‏ البخارى
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: The fire which sons of Adam burn is only one-seventieth part of the Hellfire. His Companions said: By Allah, even ordinary fire would have been enough (to burn people). Thereupon he said: It is sixty-nine parts in excess of (the heat of) fire in this world each of them being equivalent to their hotness. [Sahih Muslim 2843 a]

Here are few facts of what will happen to disbelievers in Hellfire. They will not die nor will the torture diminish with time. If you burn your finger while barbequing, you might suffer the pain for days until it cures. Now imagine the situation of the people of Hellfire where they will continue in the torture, which is not by any means compared to the burn while barbequing, forever, i.e. for eternal life. Can you imagine or feel such a situation? When you disobey Allah (SWT) in this life and follow your desires, you might falsely feel joy for a few years. However, it is incomparable to live in severe torture forever in the Hereafter. Look at the people of Hellfire when they ask Allah (SWT) to go back to life to do better, their request is denied because they do not listen to the warning messages that are sent to them during their life. The Quran cites this fact as follows:
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي كُلَّ كَفُورٍ (36) وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ ۖ فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ (37) سورة فاطر
Chapter Fater (36) And for those who disbelieve will be the fire of Hell. [Death] is not decreed for them so they may die, nor will its torment be lightened for them. Thus do we recompense every ungrateful one. (37)And they will cry out therein, "Our Lord, remove us; we will do righteousness - other than what we were doing!" But did We not grant you life enough for whoever would remember therein to remember, and the warner had come to you? So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper.

It is absolutely unimaginable nor bearable what is described in the following verse. I was not able to write any comments leaving you to visualize and draw an image of such severe environment for eternal life.
هَٰذَانِ خَصْمَانِ اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ ۖ فَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا قُطِّعَتْ لَهُمْ ثِيَابٌ مِّن نَّارٍ يُصَبُّ مِن فَوْقِ رُءُوسِهِمُ الْحَمِيمُ (19) يُصْهَرُ بِهِ مَا فِي بُطُونِهِمْ وَالْجُلُودُ (20) وَلَهُم مَّقَامِعُ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ (21) كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا مِنْ غَمٍّ أُعِيدُوا فِيهَا وَذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْحَرِيقِ (22) سورة الحج
Chapter Al-Haj (19) These are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord. But those who disbelieved will have cut out for them garments of fire. Poured upon their heads will be scalding water (20) By which is melted that within their bellies and [their] skins. (21) And for [striking] them are maces of iron. (22) Every time they want to get out of Hellfire from anguish, they will be returned to it, and [it will be said], "Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire!"

The Messenger of Allah (SAS) described the least tortured man on the Day of Judgement to be the one underneath whose feet will be placed two hot coals. The intensity of the heat will lead to boil his brain. This man will consider this as the utmost torture in Hellfire but it is in fact the lowest. I am not trying to scare you as much as I am trying to put your hands on these facts that might impact your approach to this life. You should bear in mind these facts about Hellfire when behaving in this life and consider that we have God, the creator of this universe, who is the most Just. You cannot run away with your bad deeds without being held accountable.
وعن النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنهما قال ‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول‏:‏ إن أهون أهل النار عذابا يوم القيامة لرجل يوضع في أخمص قدميه جمرتان يغلي منهما دماغه، ما يرى أن أحد أشد منه عذابا، وإنه لأهونهم عذابا‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏ متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏
Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The least tortured man on the Day of Resurrection is one underneath whose feet will be placed two live coal, and his brain will be boiling, and he would think that he is the most tortured, while he is the least tortured", [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

وعنه-انس بن مالك- قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ “يؤتى بأنعم أهل الدنيا من أهل النار يوم القيامة، فيصبغ في النار صبغة، ثم يقال‏:‏ يا ابن آدم هل رأيت خيراً قط‏؟‏ هل مر بك نعيم قط‏؟‏ فيقول‏:‏ لا والله يا رب‏.‏ ويؤتى بأشد الناس بؤساً في الدنياً من أهل الجنة، فيصبغ صبغة في الجنة، فيقال له‏:‏ يا ابن آدم هل رأيت بؤساً قط‏؟‏ هل مربك شدة قط‏؟‏ فيقول‏:‏ لا، والله، ما مر بى بؤس قط، ولا رأيت شدة قط‏"‏ ‏(‏‏(‏رواه مسلم‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏
Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Among the inmates of Hell, a person who had led the most luxurious life in this world will be brought up on the Day of Resurrection and dipped in the Fire and will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any comfort? Did you happen to get any luxury?' He will reply: 'By Allah, no, my Rubb.' And then one of the people of Jannah who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world will be dipped in Jannah. Then he will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty?' He will say: "By Allah, no my Rubb, I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship". [Muslim].

When you read about Paradise and Hellfire, as described above, you have “Hope” that Paradise be your final destination and “Fear” from Allah (SWT) from being thrown into Hellfire. Thus, you should make a delicate balance between “Hope” and “Fear”. In order to understand the difference between “Hope” and “Fear”, let me share with you a simple example of a farmer who selects a good land, plants good seeds appropriately, waters the seeds in the good land, removes bad plants, does his best, and then, waits for the blessings of Allah to assist the plant to grow and produce good crops. This is “Hope” where the farmer does his best and relies on Allah (SWT) hoping to have good crops. However, if the farmer selects a good land, plants good seeds without water or service, and waits for the rain to water the seeds, this is “Wish”. This is not “Hope” because the farmer does not do his best. If the farmer selects a rocky land on the top of a mountain, plants bad seeds with no water to reach the seeds, no services are made, and waits for good crops, this is “Ignorance”. If you obey Allah (SWT), if you are sincere, if you use the appropriate method to worship Him and do what is in your ability, if you ask Allah the acceptance and forgiveness for any shortcomings, this is true “Hope” to be rewarded Paradise. The definition of “Hope” is well explained in the following verse:
                                                                                                                                 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (218) سورة البقرة
Chapter Al-Baqarah (218) Indeed, those who have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah - those who expect the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

On the contrary, “Fear” is a sadness in the heart waiting for punishment from Allah due to the human’s bad actions or shortcomings during life as shown in the following verse. Scholars said, “A person who is afraid is not the one who cries because of fear rather, the one who selects not to do an action, which he is capable of doing, because of fear.”
                                                                                                                                               فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا الْكِتَابَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَٰذَا الْأَدْنَىٰ وَيَقُولُونَ سَيُغْفَرُ لَنَا.(169) سورة الأعراف
Chapter Al-Araf (169) And there followed them successors who inherited the Scripture [while] taking the commodities of this lower life and saying, "It will be forgiven for us….
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - فيما يرويه عن ربه جل وعلا أنه قال : ( وعزتي لا أجمع على عبدي خوفين ولا أجمع له أمنين ، إذا أمنني في الدنيا أخفته يوم القيامة ، وإذا خافني في الدنيا أمنته يوم القيامة ) أخرجه ابن حبان في صحيحه
On the authority of Abu Hurairah (RA), on the authority of the Prophet (SAS) in what he narrates from Allah (SWT), that he said: (With my glory, I do not gather two “Fears” or two “Hopes” over my servants. If he has only “Hope” during life, he will “Fear” in the Day of Judgement. If he “Fears” me during life, he will have “Hope” in the Day of Judgement. Sahih Ibn Hibban.

It is the style of the Quran to always mention Paradise as a destination to believers and Hellfire as a destination to disbelievers, i.e. opposite matters, to increase clarity and generate motivation for “Hope” or “Fear”. The question that arise is: which one is more important: “Hope” or “Fear”? This question is similar to: which one is more important: water or food? Water is more important when you are thirsty and food is more important when you are hungry. Based upon the above analogy, “Hope” and “Fear” are necessary for you to successfully and safely pass through the life phase to Paradise. We should always make the delicate balance between “Hope” and “Fear” during life.

Human life is rather short with several periods, i.e. childhood, youth, maturity, and being elder. Allah (SWT) described these periods in several places of the Quran; for example:
                                                     هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ ثُمَّ لِتَكُونُوا شُيُوخًا ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلِتَبْلُغُوا أَجَلًا مُّسَمًّى وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (67) سورة غافر
Chapter Ghafer (67) It is He who created you from dust, then from a sperm-drop, then from a clinging clot; then He brings you out as a child; then [He develops you] that you reach your [time of] maturity, then [further] that you become elders. And among you is he who is taken in death before [that], so that you reach a specified term; and perhaps you will use reason.
                                                                                                           اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعْفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً ۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ (54) سورة الروم
Chapter Al-Room (54) Allah is the one who created you from weakness, then made after weakness strength, then made after strength weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent.

Life is an important phase before death; an essential stop. All our actions during life are accounted for in the Day of Judgement. Death is the truth that is usually neglected and always forgotten. It comes suddenly without any introduction or warning. The time of death is unknown to the human being, which makes it scary. Your action today might be your last activity in life. Therefore, death should always be in your mind because you do not know when it comes. Your deeds should always be good because you do not know whether you will live until you fix your bad deeds or not. You should always repent to Allah from any bad deeds that you might commit, with or without your knowledge, because you do not know if you have the time to repent in the near future.

Because death might come at any time in the different periods of life, i.e. during childhood, youth, maturity, or in your eldership, I will start the series of articles with death, as an essential stop after life, and the continuous remembrance of death during life.

Conclusions and Recommendations
1- Aby Hamed Al Ghazaly “Revival of Religious Sciences (إحياء علوم الدين),” Reprinted in 2006, https://www.noor-book.com.
2- Abdul Rahman bin Al-Jawzi “The Pathway of Lovers of Allah (منهاج القاصدين),” Reprinted in 2010, Edited by Mohamed Irqsoosy, Al Tawfeeq Publisher, Syria.
3- https://quran.com/
4- https://sunnah.com/
5- Mosaad H Mohamed (2013). “The Way to Paradise,” www.alukah.net, Book Department, Egypt, Book # 10805.
6- Omar Abd-Elkafy (2010). “The Hereafter: from Start to the End (الدار الأخرة و ماذا بعد الموت من البدايه الى النهايه),” Al Noor Publisher, Egypt, ISBN: 978-977-6340-20-6.
7- Omar Abd-Elkafy (2011). “TV Series: The True Promise,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IHVc4KMUkQ&list=PLA36CD40AF4FC4A7A.