Seven Doors

But then Jahannam is their place of promise; that is the place of warning. And there is a good deal of dissuasion here.

Lahā sabʿatu abwāb: Jahannam has seven doors. So there is much room within; and for a place to have seven doors means that it has a great deal of room. Speaking of only one of the doors of Paradise, they say that through that one door the initial contingent of seventy thousand who will not be questioned will enter Paradise. And it is said that they will all enter together, none jostling another, none going first or second, but all of them together. Such is one door of Paradise. The Hellfire must be similar, having such great doors, and seven of them.

But for Paradise Allah keeps eight doors, out of the ordinary. Everything is seven, seven, seven throughout the heavens; and when it comes to Paradise He gives it eight, to give more optimism, one supposes. And then Allah says lahā sabʿatu abwābin li-kulli bābin minhum juzʾun maqsūm: and for every door there are already allotted people, allotted groups for every door. May Allah protect us, and may Allah not make us of those who will be upon one of those registers for the Hellfire.

So Allah is making it very clear that only those with impurity in them — only those with impure notions, impure beliefs, too much desire, impure desires; only the khabīth — only these will you be able to mislead. And for them We have the Hellfire ready.