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Is the intent of the Prophet's (PBUH) saying, "Woe to the heels from the Fire," that the punishment will befall the heels only?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The threat of punishment in the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Woe to the heels from the Fire," is not directed solely at the heel, but at the entire person who owns the heel, due to their negligence in washing the heel and not thoroughly covering it with water. The heel (al-aqib) is the back part of the foot, and "Woe" (wayl) is a valley in Hell. This hadith indicates the obligation of thoroughly washing the feet during ablution.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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