Is there anyone in Hell now?

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.

It is established that there are disbelievers and some sinners who are tortured with fire. This is mentioned in the following verse: {Because of their sins they were drowned and put into the Fire, and they found not for themselves besides Allaah [any] helpers}[Quran 71:25].

Another proof is what was narrated by Al-Bukhari that the Prophet said when talking about a man who stole a cloak after the battle of Khayber: "I swear by Allaah, in whose hands my soul is, this man is being burnt in the cloak he stole before the booties of Khayber, had been divided." Muslim narrated that the Prophet said that he saw the same man in Hell Fire being burnt in his cloak.

The following narration indicates that the fire mentioned above may be an indication of types of punishment with which people are punished that resemble that which takes place in the Hell fire. The Prophet said: "Allaah will order His angels to make the disbeliever (in his grave) a bed out of fire, to dress him in clothes made of fire and to open a door overlooking fire. The Prophet added "The disbelievers will be exposed to the extreme heat and hot poisonous wind of Hell Fire."

However, the dead bodies of tortured people are not necessarily in Hell Fire at present because people get out of their graves only on the day of resurrection. The Quran stated this fact; Allaah says (which means): {The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening}[Quran 70:43].

So, there is no evidence that the dead bodies will be transmitted from the graves to Hell Fire before the Day of Judgment.

Ibn Al-Qayyim stated in his book (Al-Rouh) that Muslim scholars and righteous predecessors are of the opinion that a dead person will either be tortured or enjoying a pleasant life in his grave, then he mentioned many Prophetic narrations as well as statements of the righteous predecessors that address the same subject.