It is narrated through Imam as-Sadiq that once ‘Isa entered a city full of dead people whose bones were scattered on the roads and in their homes. Seeing this ‘Isa exclaimed that they had fallen prey to Divine Chastisement because had they died natural deaths they would have buried one another. His companions asked the reason for the Divine wrath.
Allah Almighty revealed to ‘Isa: O spirit of Allah! You ask these dead men. They will give a reply. When ‘Isa addressed them one of them arose and said, “Yes, here we are, O, Spirit of Allah.” ‘Isa asked them who were they and what had happened to them. “Since morning up to the evening they were safe but then suddenly at night they found themselves in Hawiyah (the lowermost part of Hell).”
‘Isa inquired what was Hawiyah. “It is made up of rivers of fire with mountains of fire therein.” ‘Isa asked them the cause, which resulted in this punishment to them. He said it was due to their love for the material world and the worship of Taghut meaning obedience of wrongdoers who were against truth. ‘Isa asked to what extent was their love of the world. They said, it was like the love of a mother for her child such that when the child looked at her she became happy and when the child turned its face from her it made her unhappy and sorrowful.
‘Isa asked up to what extend had they obeyed Taghut (false deities)? They replied they did every wrong thing they were ordered to do. Then ‘Isa asked the spokesman as to why he alone, among all others, arose to talk with him? He said it was because all others had reins of fire in their mouths and some extremely merciless and harsh angels were overseeing them. Then he added that though he resided among them he was not like them. When the Divine Chastisement caught them I was also overtaken by it but am hanging by my hair on the brink of Hell and I am afraid of falling in it any moment. ‘Isa said sleeping in ruins and living on bread of barley is a great good, which safeguards one’s religion.