Hell has been a source of anxiety in Islam, as it has in many other religions, and the tendency to conceive of it as a part of the material world, complete with its own detailed topography, is strong. Muslim conceptions of Hell range from the traditional picture, with its graphically recounted other-worldly punishments, to a spiritual and personalised interpretation. This entry deals with (1) the tradition of fear of Hell in Islam, as a punishment for major sins, (2) theological reflections and pious traditions about Hell's temporal and