Threats of eternal damnation from a loving God!!!
The Prophet pbuh said, "When Allah created the creatures, He wrote in the Book, which is with Him over His Throne: "Verily, My Mercy prevailed over My Wrath."
[Al-Bukhari]
Prophet pbuh also said:
Allah ordered the appointed angels over you that the good and the bad deeds be written, and He then showed how to write. If someone intends to do a good deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write for him a full good deed, and if he intends to do a good deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him its reward equal from 10 to 700 times to many more times. And If someone intends to do a bad deed and he does not do it, then Allah will write for him a full good deed (in his account) with Him, and if he intends to do a bad deed and actually did it, then Allah will write for him one bad deed. (Al-Bukhari)
This shows Allahs Mercy on His believing slaves.
If Allah loves his creations so, then why did he create hell as a punishment for them you ask?
Let me answer this with a simple example, a mother loves her children but in order to make them do whats right for them or to make them leave a particular bad habit of theirs she first tries to scare them, tells them she will punish them and even after that, if they dont listen, then she punishes them.
This guy i know, when he was younger, his father made him stand outside their house with only his shorts on the entire night, because he caught him mimicking a smoker. This guy is now all grown up has 5 kids and is kinda old now, but even till this day he hasnt touched a cigarette.
One might call this action of the father as a cruel thing, a horrible punishment, but dont you think that our parents know how to handle us? Only our parents know what punishment to give us, to make us learn something which will help us in the long run. Same way our Creator knows us too.
Thanks to the father, the son never got into this habit of smoking. And thanks to our Creator, we keep away from a lot of sins.
We humans need to know our limits, even when it comes to Allah, especially when it comes to Allah. He loves us, but that doesn't mean that we can take that love of His for granted and do whatever we please.
These threats of punishment keep me as well as a lot of other believers from sinning.
For example, lieing is a sin, but if Allah wont punish me for it, then why shouldnt i lie, whats stopping me from lieing?
Committing suicide is a sin, Allah punishes the person who commits suicide, if i hadnt known that, i would have committed suicide a long time ago.
But if i do that, i would have to endure Allahs wrath for what ever time that He pleases, and dear me, no way would i want His wrath on me.
I hope you get my point.
The fear of punishment makes us avoid the sins, other wise, everyone would sin, and say that " Oh Allah loves me! He will forgive me! Its not like He will punish me! I mean come on He loves me!"
Remember, the bigger the sin the greater is the punishment.
Our sins not only effect our lives but also effect the lives of the innocent. Lieing, causing mischief, gossiping, they do seem like little things dont they? But they have the power to tear people away from each other, and that is why, the punishments from Allah are more severe, more scarey, more intense.
There are people who love to break marriages, and beleive me that is the most, most horrible thing a person can do, and Allah knows that, because it tears apart not only two people but two families as well, the children suffer, the people suffer, but the mischief mongers enjoy, and Allah is going to personally deal with them.
