Siraat bridge is sharper than a sword and thinner than hair. What I want to know is that the sharpness of the bridge, whether it will cut the feet while crossing it. How long is the bridge? What is it made of?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

The 'Siraat' is a bridge which will be set above Hellfire, as the Prophet said: "Then the bridge will be brought forward and be put on Hellfire." The companions inquired: ''And what is the bridge?'' He replied: ''It is a slippery surface." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

You have to know, dear questioner, that people will pass over it in a manner according to their deeds in this worldly life. That's to say according to the good they had performed or bad deeds that they had committed in this life. The Prophet said: "So their light will be according to their actions. ...Some will pass over the Siraat (the bridge on Hellfire) according to their light, so some will pass (at the speed of) a wink of an eye, and some like lightening, some will pass like clouds, and some like the swooping down of a star, and some will pass it at the speed of the wind, and some others at the speed of a running strong horse……" [Al-Haakim, At-Tabraani and others]

As regards the saying of the questioner 'whether the sharpness of the bridge will cut the feet..', you have to know that the circumstances of the Hereafter are different than those of this life. For instance, the believers will enter Paradise and they will be of the shape and image of their father, Aadam, sixty cubits in height. As the Prophet said: "They will be like one man, of the shape and image of Aadam, sixty cubits in height." [Al-Bukhari] As regards a non-Muslim, the Prophet said: "His tooth is like the mountain of Uhud, and his body is as thick as a walking distance of three days." [Muslim] Therefore, the Hereafter cannot be compared to this life.

Concerning the length of the Siraat, we have not found an authentic Hadeeth of the Prophet which determines its length. However, Al-Fudhayl Ibn 'Iyaadh one the Imaams who came after the generation following the companions said: 'We were informed that the Siraat is a walking distance of 15000 years: 5000 years climbing up, 5000 years getting down, and 5000 years walking on the surface (lengthwise), and it is thinner than a hair and sharper than a knife, placed on Hellfire.' [Ibn 'Asaakir]

Allaah knows best.