Holy Quran Chapter 11 Verse 108 to 109. Allah Swt States:
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُ {108} وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ ۖ عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ {109}
Abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, excepting what thy Lord may will. Surely, thy Lord does bring about what He pleases. But as for those who will prove fortunate, they shall be in Heaven; abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, excepting what thy Lord may will — a gift that shall not be cut off. (Chapter 11 Verse 108-109)
The present verses and that which precedes it throw light on an important question in which Islam differs from other religions, viz. the question of salvation.
According to the Hindu religion, both Heaven and Hell (i.e reward and punishment) possess a limited duration; and man, after undergoing the punishment, or reaping the reward of his deeds, is sent back to this world. Although some Hindu sects disagree among themselves regarding certain details, they are all agreed on the fundamental principle that both the punishments and rewards of the next world are temporary.
Of the Semitic Religions, Judaism denies Paradise to all non Jews while Jews are regarded as almost free from the torture of hell, for according to Judaism, no Jew will remain in Hell for more than 11 months, whereas non Jews will abide in it forever.
According to Christians, both Heaven and Hell are eternal, although some of their sects hold the belief that heaven at last will come to an end.
Islam, however fundamentally differs from all these religions. Heaven is eternal and everlasting, while Hell is temporary and of limited duration. The sayings of the Holy Prophet support this view. For instance, Ahmad bin Hanbal quotes a saying of the Holy Prophet Pbuh, as reported by Abdullah Bin Amr Bin al-As RA to the effect:
i.e “There will come on Hell a day when its shutters will strike against each other and there will be none in it. That will happen after the inmates of Hell will have lived in it for centuries.” (Musnad Ahmad).
Thus according to this tradition, the word abiding used with regards to hell only means “remaining for long centuries”.
The same view was held by Ibn Masud RA and Abu Huraira RA. According to Ibn Taimiya, Umar, Ibn Abbas Anas and many commentators are of the same opinion. With reference to the word abiding used in the Qur’an in connection with Hell some eminent religious authorities think that it does mean “abiding forever”. They however, hold that though wicked disbelievers will deserve to be kept in Hell forever, Hell itself will one day cease to exist through God’s mercy, and when there is no Hell, there will naturally be no dwllers in it. Among the supporters of this view are Ibn Taimiya and Ibn al Qayyim (Fath).
The saying of the Holy Prophet quoted above on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr is also reported by Abu Hurairah RA, which fact adds to its weight and authenticity. In another tradition, Ibn Masud says : “THere will certainly come upon Hell a time when its shutters will strike against each other,” meaning that it will be untenanted. Jabir, Abu Sa’id Khudri and Abdullah bin Umar are also reported to have said a similar statement (Fath)
Abu Sa’id Khudri quotes a long hadith of the Holy Prophet which clearly shows that Hell is not eternal. According to this tradition the Holy Prophet is reported to have said that on the day of judgement God would give permission to different high-placed persons to intercede for sinners. At last common believers also will be given permission to intercede on their behalf. At first, they will intercede for those whom they know. Then with Gods permission, they will also intercede for other sinners who have some faith left in their hearts. Then only those will be left behind in Hell who had never done anything good. Then will God say : “The angels have interceded, and the Prophets and the Faithful have interceded and now it is My Turn, the Most Merciful of the merciful ones.” Then will God take a handful from the fire and take out of it even those who never had done any good deed (Bukhari and Muslim)
This hadith hints that finally a time will come when all men will be taken out of Hell, for when even those who never did any good deed are removed from the fire, who else will remain behind? Moreover, God’s handful is not a physical thing. The word implies indefinite comprehensiveness and nothing can be considered to have been left out of it. It also appears from this saying that sinners will be punished first for their sins and, when they have been washed of their sins, they will be rewarded for their good deed which, till then, will have been kept in reserve. The verse, whoso does good an atom’s weight will see it (99:8) also points to the same conclusion.
The different traditions quoted above show that many Companions of the Holy Prophet and their immediate successors held the view that Hell is not eternal and the Qur’an also supports this view. The following are some of the Qur’anic proofs in support of it:
1) Though the words, excepting what thy Lord may will, have been used with regard to both Heaven and Hell (Verse 108 and 109), in the case of Heaven the words, a gift that shall not be cut off, have been specifically added in verse 109 in order to show that there is no limitation upon the eternity of Heaven. In the case of Hell, on the other hand, they are followed by the clause, surely the Lord does bring about what He pleases (verse 108). These words are very emphatic and imply that the inmates of Hell must necessarily be taken out of Hell one day. If they are not to be taken out of Hell at all it was unnecessary to make the declaration so emphatic by using three words of emphasis.
Again, if Hell, like Heaven, was to be eternal, then its mention should also have been followed by some such words “as a punishment that shall not be cut off”. It is true that as about Hell, so with regard to Heaven, it has been said that its inmates will abide in it as long as God wills, but in the case of the dwellers of Heaven it has been clearly added that God’s eternal will is that they should never be deprived of this favour and that their stay in heaven should know no end. But no such declaration has been made with regard to Hell. This differentiation is so clear that even Ibn Hajr, whose view is opposed to Ibn Taimiyas’s with regard to Hell being not eternal, has been compelled to admit that whereas with regards to the inmates of Heaven God has made known His will which is that they shall abide therein for ever, with respect to the dwellers of Hell He has remained silent. But even the statement that God has remained silent with regard to the inmates of Hell is not correct, for by saying, Surely thy Lord does bring about what He wills, the Qur’an declares that in the case of the inmates of Hell God will carry out His wish which is implied in the words, excepting what thy Lord may will.
2) The second evidence of the limited duration of Hell is furnished by the words except those whom thy Lord show mercy and for this has He created them (11:120). It has been admitted by eminent authorities such as Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Dahhak, Qatada and Ikrima that the pronoun Dhalika in the above words refer to rahmah meaning that God has created men in order to show mercy to them (Kathir, Manthur, and Tahavi). Now, if it be supposed that some men will remain in the Hell forever and will never be taken out of it, then these wretched people cannot be said to have been shown any mercy.
3) Whereas elsewhere in the Qur’an one meets with such expressions about Heaven, as they will surely have a reward that will never end (41:9, 84:26, 95:7), no such expression has been used with regard to Hell, which points to a clear distinction between the duration of the rewards of Heaven and the punishment of Hell.
4) The Qur’anic expression My mercy encompasses all things (7:157) also shows that the punishment of Hell is only an intermediate condition and a transitory state and that even those whom God punishes will in the end become covered by His mercy and will be forgiven. The above expression represents God’s mercy as comprehending not only all human beings, but also all other things. The same idea is expressed in 40:8 , where it is said that God comprehends all things in His mercy and knowledge. If it be supposed that certain persons can remain out of the mercy of God by being subjected to everlasting punishment, it will have to be admitted that certain things can also escape the knowledge of God, for knowledge and mercy have been mentioned in the verse side by side. But it is absurd to suppose that anything can escape the knowledge of God; therefore it is equally absurd to believe that any thing will remain permanently deprived of God’s mercy.
5) The following verses of the Qur’an also support this view: I have created the Jinn and men only that they serve me (51:57) and Enter then among My garden (89:30,31). Now if all men in the end are to become God’s servants, for man cannot permanently be kept away from the object for which he has been created, and if all God’s servants will eventually enter Heaven and the falsity of the view that Hell is eternal becomes quite clear.
6) The sixth evidence of the limited character of Hell is to be found in the verse, Whoso does an atom’s weight of good will see it (99:8). Now a mere alleviation of punishment cannot be truly called the “seeing” of one’s good works. Hence, in order that men see their works in completed, i.e should meet with the reward of their good actions, it is necessary that they should first be punished for their evil deeds by way of reformation and should afterwards receive the reward of their good actions.
7) The verse, As for him who scales are light, Hell will be his mother (101:9,10), constitutes further strong evidence in support of the view that Hell is not eternal. In this verse Hell is compared to a mother and it is well known that the child does not remain in the mother’s womb for ever. It only remains there until the formation of its body and organs becomes complete. Similarly, those unfortunate persons who are cast into Hell will remain there until the time when the faculties which fit them for seeing the beautiful face of the Lord have become fully developed. This verse thus makes it clear that Hell is not eternal and that the word abiding in the verse under comment does not denote an unending time but only a long time, as is also clear from the verse, who will tarry therein for ages (78:24). ”
Note:
1. I have presented my argument from Quran and Hadith. In case you do not agree simply move on.
2. In case you do not see the verse look for the previous verse in the same Chapter because Bismillah being counted as verse 1 of every Surah would mean than every verse moves 1 point ahead.
Btw you don't believe in the concept of hell or heaven right? what's the source of your fascination with religion? or is it just providing arguments to reinforce your own views given that you're no longer a believer in the one god
