I am a convert, and I have been thinking about something for a while.I have a rand and want to get this off my chest. what I am thinking about is HELL. This is a touchy subject for me because as I want to be a good muslim, I also have non muslim families. I will start by saying MY FAMILY DOES NOT DESERVE TO BURN IN HELL! I mean I am a muslim and I'm doing my best to worship allah, but I also have family and friends, and I just can not imagine the horror of them burning in hell for eternity! If someone is born misled it is not their fault! It is not fair, what if someone has never heard of Islam!!! As a matter of fact I think nobody deserves to go to hell unless they really hate allah and refuse to follow the path even if they see it. And I do not think anyone should be tormented for ETERNITY!
Heaven is not heaven without family, I'm sorry but this thought has really been getting to me. I lose sleep thinking about this!
Heaven is not heaven without family, I'm sorry but this thought has really been getting to me.
I have often thought about this as well as I am the only Muslim in my entire family except my wife. Guidance, or not, to Islam is something that puzzles me as well as the eternal destination of those who are not Muslims. I accept the guidance that was shown to me and I trust in the mercy of Allah (swt) for the merciful and just rulings on Judgment Day. I have no guarantee that I will be among those saved from the Hellfire, but I hope and pray that I will be. I do not pretend to know the fate of my parents or other family who have died as Christians, but I consider it to be outside of my realm of influence taking the example of Abraham and his deceased unbelieving father. I yet pray for the guidance and conversion of living family though. We are not in a place or situation to be able to say who deserves and does not deserve to be sent to Hell. Our human perspective is so very limited and in the end we are all at the mercy of Allah's (swt) judgment. For myself, I hold on to "la ilaha il'Allah wa Muhammadan wa abdahu wa rasool Allah" and leave the rest to Allah (swt).
! If someone is born misled it is not their fault! It is not fair, what if someone has never heard of Islam!!!
I read that on the final day , many people will claim that they would have followed Islam if they knew about it . Then Allah will order them to jump in to the fire . Those who will obey Him will be forgiven and will enter paradise.
Those who won't listen to Allah will be thrown to hell forever .
hopefully if ur family members don't accept Islam in this world , they will be lucky enough to listen to Allah on the final day .
It's better not to say who deserves hell and who deserves paradise . Only Allah with His perfect knowledge and wisdom knows about it .
"Verily those who commit Kufr from the Ahl-ul-Kitaab (The Jews and Christians) and the Polytheists will be in the Fire of Jahannum for all eternity; they are the worst of created beings." [Soorah al-Bayyinah]
And Allaah Ta`aalaa said:
"Alladheena Kafaroo wa Saddoo `an Sabeelillaahi Adhalla A`maalahum."
"Those who disbelieve and prevent from the Path of Allaah, Allaah renders their deeds vain." [Soorah al-Qitaal: 1]
So you learn two things:
1) All Kuffaar, of whatever religion they may be other than Islaam, will be thrown in Jahannum wherein they will remain for all eternity.
2) Whatever good a Kaafir does means nothing, as the Shart (Condition) for the Qubooliyat (Acceptance) of a Deed is Imaan (In Islaam in its entirety). Hence, Allaah Ta`aalaa says, "Adhalla A`maalahum", "He nullifies their deeds; he obliterates their deeds; he renders their deeds in vain; he destroys their deeds; he causes their deeds to be lost". In simple terms for you to understand, their good deeds get chucked in the bin. This is what the Qur'aan says, this is not my opinion.
All what I have told you here is from the Qur'aan and from the Hadeeth; what the previous members have told you is from their Nafs and Shaytaan. They are not `Ulamaa; remember that. Alhamdulillaah, I have studied the Deen under reputable `Ulamaa, whereas they have not done so. Hence, you can comfortable accept what I am telling you.
It's like feeling ill and then asking your friend (who has never studied medicine or even gone to school in his life) what is wrong with you and what medication you should take. No matter what opinions your friends give you will mean nothing. At the end, you will have to consult with a Doctor and take the medication the Doctor gives you, whether you agree with the Doctor or not, and whether you likes your friends' opinions more or not. The Truth will not change based on what you like or what your friends like. The Haqq (Truth) is what is found in the Qur'aan and Hadeeth.
Things do not work the way you want them to; you do not want their to be poor people in the world, but there are. You do not want there to be sick people in the world, but there are. You do not want the Kuffaar to be thrown into Jahannum, but they will be. So in the end, you will have to accept it, whether you like it or not.
As muslims it is important that we place our trust in Allah. Someone in class once asked my teacher "How to know if Allah has accepted my repentance?", the response was somewhere along the lines of "Don't worry about whether or not your repentance will be accepted, worry about whether you will hold true to your repentance."
The lesson in this is that we must remember to place our trust in Allah. We sometimes worry so much about what might happen that we forget to have trust in the attributes of Allah. So in terms of your family members, look at the position you are in. You are in the perfect position to bring them the message of Islam. You don't even have to necessarily bring it up directly to them if you feel you are not knowledgable enough yet in that sense. Just strive to be a better muslim, sometimes it is through our strive that others see the truth of Islam.
Always remember that Allah is Most Merciful and Most Just. So you can trust Him to fulfil His promises. If you want to worry, worry about what you can do on your end. One of my teachers once shared a story about a buddhist(I think) man who converted to Islam. He was on his way to starting his own family and eventually he had his own house and he brought his non-muslim mother to live with his family. She brought her idol which she worshipped in her room. Eventually she started asking him where are his idols etc. Long story short she became muslim.
So do not despair, that is what Shaitan wants you to do.
Remember that the kafir is one who rejects Islam. So you must ask yourself whether your family members are actually knowledgable about Islam, I'm quite certain that the answer is no. Knowledge is when meaning arrives into the soul, I'm sure you've experienced it when you were learning about Islam. A lot of people's understanding of Islam nowadays is simply what the media feeds them, that is what they reject.
Always, always remember Allah's Mercy..
On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: Allah the Almighty said:
I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.
Last edited by Hulk; 04-21-2013 at 07:24 PM.
Reason: mistook the brother for a sister
This subject has been brought up a lot and truly no one can say "God will do this or God will do that" You don't know...Just live your life in Islam the best you can.
This subject has been brought up a lot and truly no one can say "God will do this or God will do that" You don't know...Just live your life in Islam the best you can.
I personally believe that Allah would not punish anyone forever. I can count 30 verses which I would use to support this. Allah is the Most Merciful. There is a reason why He said this. Even He Himself would intercede for the people of the fire who did no good at all. So even though the Qur'an says that there are disbelievers whose deeds will not be counted, eventually, Allah will still intercede for them after the Muslims have been taken out of Hell and only those who would abide for a long time would stay in there. It is a very lengthy Hadith on this intercession, so I am refraining from quoting it right now.
All you need to know is that the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw) has definitely said, in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, that those who did no good deeds at all, will still be taken up by Allah's Handful (imagine just how comprehensive that handful is) and they will be like charcoal, and then they will be put by the river of life, and they will grow like the plants grow on the side of a stream of water. Then they will enter Paradise and Allah will give them a very nice place in Paradise, and He will not be angry with them anymore. I take from this Hadith an interpretation which is different from the stringent one which some believe in today. Allah is the Most Merciful, and Most Just. He only punishes evil for its like.
And 'Aalim or no 'Aalim, no one can dispute what an authentic Hadith argues when it is supported by the Qur'an. If Allah's Foot over Hell is enough for Hell to scream, "Enough! Enough!" then surely Allah's Handful is such a comprehensive thing itself, which would be limitless. There is no limit to Allah's Power. To limit His Handful is to limit Him. Allah is the Most Powerful, and He is not limited by anything. I don't believe in any interpretation besides this, since I have seen enough in the Qur'an and Ahadith to say that anyone, ANYONE, who says that Hell is an eternal punishment for those who did no good, are wrong. Period.
That is still not to say they wouldn't suffer for what would seem an eternity. It would be a very long time before they would be taken out. But one thing is for sure, Hell would become empty one day. And that would be by Allah's Mercy. He does not punish evil except for its like. Even shirk is not an infinite sin. It is unforgivable, but that just means those people who commit it did a serious error and they would suffer tremendously.
The best you can do, as I agree with everyone else in this, is to just pray for your family members. Try to get them to say La ilaha illallah just once in their lives. I hope that would make enough difference. See if they can proclaim their belief in the Oneness of Allah just once. If not, then just continue to pray for them and hope they can change by Allah's Will. There is not much else you can do then. No matter how much you want some people to believe in Allah and submit to Him, they won't. Allah told this to the Holy Prophet (saw) in some places in the Holy Qur'an. The advice Allah gives is to not stress yourself out too much on others, but focus on yourself ultimately, because you aren't a guardian over them. Only Allah watches over them.
I personally believe that Allah would not punish anyone forever. I can count 30 verses which I would use to support this. Allah is the Most Merciful. There is a reason why He said this. Even He Himself would intercede for the people of the fire who did no good at all. So even though the Qur'an says that there are disbelievers whose deeds will not be counted, eventually, Allah will still intercede for them after the Muslims have been taken out of Hell and only those who would abide for a long time would stay in there. It is a very lengthy Hadith on this intercession, so I am refraining from quoting it right now.
All you need to know is that the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw) has definitely said, in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, that those who did no good deeds at all, will still be taken up by Allah's Handful (imagine just how comprehensive that handful is) and they will be like charcoal, and then they will be put by the river of life, and they will grow like the plants grow on the side of a stream of water. Then they will enter Paradise and Allah will give them a very nice place in Paradise, and He will not be angry with them anymore. I take from this Hadith an interpretation which is different from the stringent one which some believe in today. Allah is the Most Merciful, and Most Just. He only punishes evil for its like.
And 'Aalim or no 'Aalim, no one can dispute what an authentic Hadith argues when it is supported by the Qur'an. If Allah's Foot over Hell is enough for Hell to scream, "Enough! Enough!" then surely Allah's Handful is such a comprehensive thing itself, which would be limitless. There is no limit to Allah's Power. To limit His Handful is to limit Him. Allah is the Most Powerful, and He is not limited by anything. I don't believe in any interpretation besides this, since I have seen enough in the Qur'an and Ahadith to say that anyone, ANYONE, who says that Hell is an eternal punishment for those who did no good, are wrong. Period.
That is still not to say they wouldn't suffer for what would seem an eternity. It would be a very long time before they would be taken out. But one thing is for sure, Hell would become empty one day. And that would be by Allah's Mercy. He does not punish evil except for its like. Even shirk is not an infinite sin. It is unforgivable, but that just means those people who commit it did a serious error and they would suffer tremendously.
The best you can do, as I agree with everyone else in this, is to just pray for your family members. Try to get them to say La ilaha illallah just once in their lives. I hope that would make enough difference. See if they can proclaim their belief in the Oneness of Allah just once. If not, then just continue to pray for them and hope they can change by Allah's Will. There is not much else you can do then. No matter how much you want some people to believe in Allah and submit to Him, they won't. Allah told this to the Holy Prophet (saw) in some places in the Holy Qur'an. The advice Allah gives is to not stress yourself out too much on others, but focus on yourself ultimately, because you aren't a guardian over them. Only Allah watches over them.
Thank you good point, sinners are fuel that feeds the fire of hell, but this world is coming to an end after all. Allah is the most merciful.
It's really important that we don't say about Allah things we wish to be in accordance with what personally sits well with us. E.g. regarding people being punished in hell forever (as mentioned in the Qur'an and hadeeth), we say of our own mistaken volition that it is unjust and not in accordance with Allah being Merciful. Why? Because within the confines of our limited human mind, it doesn't sit well and we cannot imagine how that can be so, so therefore we declare that it must be wrong and we cannot imagine that Allah would do such a monstrous thing. And then we look for opinions to support our thinking. That's a very dangerous thing to do. Some things we have to accept. If Allah has said He is just, and His justice includes eternal punishment for some, then the two are not mutually contradictory simply because we don't understand it. On that day, many things will be clear to us that aren't now.
Allah tells us in the Qur'an that on that day:
And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend, (70:10)
On the Day a man will flee from his brother
And his mother and his father
And his wife and his children,
Each one of them, that Day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others. (80:34-37)
All you need to know is that the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw) has definitely said, in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, that those who did no good deeds at all, will still be taken up by Allah's Handful (imagine just how comprehensive that handful is) and they will be like charcoal, and then they will be put by the river of life, and they will grow like the plants grow on the side of a stream of water. Then they will enter Paradise and Allah will give them a very nice place in Paradise, and He will not be angry with them anymore. I take from this Hadith an interpretation which is different from the stringent one which some believe in today. Allah is the Most Merciful, and Most Just. He only punishes evil for its like.
The text of the ahadeeth makes clear that this is in reference to the believers only.
Apart from the Qur'an, there are many ahadeeth that make it clear, in the strongest of terms in the Arabic, that some people will stay in hellfire, forever and ever.
And these links also show that apart from the Qur'an and hadeeth, it is also the majority consensus in accordance with the Qur'an and hadeeth, that hell is forever and some people will abide eternally therein.
Allah says in the Qur'an that nobody will be wronged by the dot on a date-stone. Let us trust in His words, let us not doubt them, or try to find other interpretations of them to fit in with what sits better with us. Let us strive to be the best Muslims and the best examples that we can be, and make du3a for the guidance of our non-Muslim friends and family.
Stunningly beautiful adhaan from the Dome of the Rock in Masjid ul Aqsa Download (right click and choose "save target/link as").
This is a clear message for mankind in order that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is only One God, and that those of understanding may take heed (14:52)
Indeed Allah knows, and you know not (16: 74, part)
Allaah Ta`aalaa said about the Kuffaar that they will be in the Fire of Jahannum "Khaalideena feehaa Abadaa." That is the clear text of the Qur'aan, in which there is no ambiguity. No amount of hope of the part of any person will change that indisputable fact. Those who die as Kuffaar will always be in Jahhannum, never to come out. This is what the Qur'aan says. Therefore, I do not know which Qur'aan people read which tells them that Kuffaar will come out of Jahannum.
Allaah Ta`aalaa said about the Kuffaar that they will be in the Fire of Jahannum "Khaalideena feehaa Abadaa." That is the clear text of the Qur'aan, in which there is no ambiguity. No amount of hope of the part of any person will change that indisputable fact. Those who die as Kuffaar will always be in Jahhannum, never to come out. This is what the Qur'aan says. Therefore, I do not know which Qur'aan people read which tells them that Kuffaar will come out of Jahannum.
It's really important that we don't say about Allah things we wish to be in accordance with what sits well with us.
I appreciate your response. I know you mean well, but I certainly did not intend to say something which is merely of my opinion. I don't think you have read those Ahadith carefully enough because there are two lengthy versions, and one goes further than the other in saying that people will be interceded for. It goes so far as to say that Allah would take out those who did NO good before. When the Holy Prophet (saw) intercedes and his intercession is accepted, after around four times, then everyone will be taken out of Hell who could come out, and the rest are imprisoned forever.
Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "On the Day of Resurrection the Believers will assemble and say, 'Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord.' So they will go to Adam and say, 'You are the father of all the people, and Allah created you with His Own hands, and ordered the angels to prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things; so please intercede for us with your Lord, so that He may relieve us from this place of ours.' Adam will say, 'I am not fit for this (i.e. intercession for you).' Then Adam will remember his sin and feel ashamed thereof. He will say, 'Go to Noah, for he was the first Apostle, Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth.' They will go to him and Noah will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking.' He will remember his appeal to his Lord to do what he had no knowledge of, then he will feel ashamed thereof and will say, 'Go to the Khalil--r-Rahman (i.e. Abraham).' They will go to him and he will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Moses, the slave to whom Allah spoke (directly) and gave him the Torah .' So they will go to him and he will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking.' and he will mention (his) killing a person who was not a killer, and so he will feel ashamed thereof before his Lord, and he will say, 'Go to Jesus, Allah's Slave, His Apostle and Allah's Word and a Spirit coming from Him. Jesus will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking, go to Muhammad the Slave of Allah whose past and future sins were forgiven by Allah.' So they will come to me and I will proceed till I will ask my Lord's Permission and I will be given permission. When I see my Lord, I will fall down in Prostration and He will let me remain in that state as long as He wishes and then I will be addressed.' (Muhammad!) Raise your head. Ask, and your request will be granted; say, and your saying will be listened to; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.' I will raise my head and praise Allah with a saying (i.e. invocation) He will teach me, and then I will intercede. He will fix a limit for me (to intercede for) whom I will admit into Paradise. Then I will come back again to Allah, and when I see my Lord, the same thing will happen to me. And then I will intercede and Allah will fix a limit for me to intercede whom I will let into Paradise, then I will come back for the third time; and then I will come back for the fourth time, and will say, 'None remains in Hell but those whom the Quran has imprisoned (in Hell) and who have been destined to an eternal stay in Hell.' " (The compiler) Abu 'Abdullah said: 'But those whom the Qur'an has imprisoned in Hell,' refers to the Statement of Allah: "They will dwell therein forever." (16.29) (Book #60, Hadith #3)
(Sahih Bukhari)
another version says that there will also be Angels, prophets and believers who will intercede on the behalf of some people. After all of this, there will remain people who did no good at all in this life. This is mentioned after the intercession of everyone else. Those are the people Allah will bring up with His Hand.
Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: We said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" He said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon when the sky is clear?" We said, "No." He said, "So you will have no difficulty in seeing your Lord on that Day as you have no difficulty in seeing the sun and the moon (in a clear sky)." The Prophet then said, "Somebody will then announce, 'Let every nation follow what they used to worship.' So the companions of the cross will go with their cross, and the idolators (will go) with their idols, and the companions of every god (false deities) (will go) with their god, till there remain those who used to worship Allah, both the obedient ones and the mischievous ones, and some of the people of the Scripture. Then Hell will be presented to them as if it were a mirage. Then it will be said to the Jews, "What did you use to worship?' They will reply, 'We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What do you want (now)?' They will reply, 'We want You to provide us with water.' Then it will be said to them 'Drink,' and they will fall down in Hell (instead). Then it will be said to the Christians, 'What did you use to worship?' They will reply, 'We used to worship Messiah, the son of Allah.' It will be said, 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What: do you want (now)?' They will say, 'We want You to provide us with water.' It will be said to them, 'Drink,' and they will fall down in Hell (instead). When there remain only those who used to worship Allah (Alone), both the obedient ones and the mischievous ones, it will be said to them, 'What keeps you here when all the people have gone?' They will say, 'We parted with them (in the world) when we were in greater need of them than we are today, we heard the call of one proclaiming, 'Let every nation follow what they used to worship,' and now we are waiting for our Lord.' Then the Almighty will come to them in a shape other than the one which they saw the first time, and He will say, 'I am your Lord,' and they will say, 'You are not our Lord.' And none will speak: to Him then but the Prophets, and then it will be said to them, 'Do you know any sign by which you can recognize Him?' They will say. 'The Shin,' and so Allah will then uncover His Shin whereupon every believer will prostrate before Him and there will remain those who used to prostrate before Him just for showing off and for gaining good reputation. These people will try to prostrate but their backs will be rigid like one piece of a wood (and they will not be able to prostrate). Then the bridge will be laid across Hell." We, the companions of the Prophet said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the bridge?' He said, "It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (Hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa'dan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell (Fire). The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge)." The Prophet said, "You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in interceding with Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe. They will say, 'O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.' Allah will say, 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one (gold) Dinar.' Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire) up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and Allah will say (to them), 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one half Dinar.' They will take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will say, 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant), and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize." Abu Sa'id said: If you do not believe me then read the Holy Verse:-- 'Surely! Allah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) but if there is any good (done) He doubles it.' (4.40) The Prophet added, "Then the prophets and Angels and the believers will intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty (Allah) will say, 'Now remains My Intercession. He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been burnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance of Paradise, called the water of life. They will grow on its banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows. You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree, and how the side facing the sun is usually green while the side facing the shade is white. Those people will come out (of the River of Life) like pearls, and they will have (golden) necklaces, and then they will enter Paradise whereupon the people of Paradise will say, 'These are the people emancipated by the Beneficent. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).' Then it will be said to them, 'For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.'" (Book #93, Hadith #532s)
(Sahih Bukhari)
And the Hand of Allah is not something to take lightly. Remember that the Foot of Allah over Hell caused its sides to encroach upon each other until it said ,"Enough! Enough!":
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Paradise and Hell (Fire) quarrelled in the presence of their Lord. Paradise said, 'O Lord! What is wrong with me that only the poor and humble people enter me ?' Hell (Fire) said, I have been favored with the arrogant people.' So Allah said to Paradise, 'You are My Mercy,' and said to Hell, 'You are My Punishment which I inflict upon whom I wish, and I shall fill both of you.'" The Prophet added, "As for Paradise, (it will be filled with good people) because Allah does not wrong any of His created things, and He creates for Hell (Fire) whomever He will, and they will be thrown into it, and it will say thrice, 'Is there any more, till Allah (will put) His Foot over it and it will become full and its sides will come close to each other and it will say, 'Qat! Qat! Qat! (Enough! Enough! Enough!) . (Book #93, Hadith #541)
(Sahih Bukhari)
So then do you think the Hand of Allah would only take out a partial portion of the people of Hell? No. We do not know how long it would be before Allah would intercede on behalf of all of those people, it could be those ahqab which He mentioned (78:23). However, His Hand cannot be limited, because Allah has no limits.
But this is just from the Ahadith.
As for the verses of the Qur'an which say that the stay in Hell is for "khalideena" or "abadan". These terms have two meanings, one is that of a very long time and the other is that of eternity. Consider this then, would Allah ever mean only one meaning for these verses, or both of them? The answer is both. Allah does not misuse words anywhere in the Holy Qur'an. Every word is used for a reason.
Now, as for what the Holy Qur'an has said, consider this verse:
101:9 A bereft and Hungry One will be his mother,
(Pickthall)
I chose this translation for a reason. (Keep in mind, I am choosing this verse because however you look at all the other verses on Hell, taking into account the double meaning of the words "abadan" and "khalideena", the Qur'an cannot contradict itself in meaning with any of its own verses.) It says, rather than abode, that Hell will be a mother to the people who burn in there. The arabic word used in this verse is not "daar" for what is called "abode" or "mother", but it uses "ummuhu" (his mother). This is referring to the disbelievers.
So, why would Allah choose the term "ummuhu" when no one stays in their mother forever? The reason is that no one stays in their mother forever. A child stays in the mother's womb for some time, then Allah decrees when that child leaves the womb. Do you see any verse in the Qur'an which says that the child stays in the womb forever? No. This is because that was the reason for Allah choosing this word. There is a very good reason for His choosing it. This verse can be understood in light of what the Qur'an says in other places:
22:5 O mankind! if ye have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term, then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much), and (further), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).
23:14 Then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (foetus) lump; then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then we developed out of it another creature. So blessed be Allah, the best to create!
13:8 Allah doth know what every female (womb) doth bear, by how much the wombs fall short (of their time or number) or do exceed. Every single thing is before His sight, in (due) proportion.
35:11 And Allah did create you from dust; then from a sperm-drop; then He made you in pairs. And no female conceives, or lays down (her load), but with His knowledge. Nor is a man long-lived granted length of days, nor is a part cut off from his life, but is in a Decree (ordained). All this is easy to Allah.
Add on to this, the fact that Allah has stressed in many places in the Holy Qur'an that He rewards people according to their deeds, and that He rewards good deeds more than bad deeds.
40:17 That Day will every soul be requited for what it earned; no injustice will there be that Day, for Allah is Swift in taking account.
74:37 To any of you that chooses to press forward, or to follow behind;-
74:38 Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.
Interestingly enough, verse 74:48 then says, "Then will no intercession of (any) intercessors profit them." The commentaries for this says that the intercession of the Prophets, the Angels and the righteous will not profit them.
Then that would only leave Allah's intercession after that. I did not see any commentary mentioning that Allah's intercession is not going to be given for them. This is why that Hadith above said that there is intercession on behalf of those who did no good in their lives.
Continuing,
14:51 That Allah may requite each soul according to its deserts; and verily Allah is swift in calling to account.
45:22 Allah created the heavens and the earth for just ends, and in order that each soul may find the recompense of what it has earned, and none of them be wronged.
3:25 But how (will they fare) when we gather them together against a day about which there is no doubt, and each soul will be paid out just what it has earned, without (favour or) injustice?
2:281 And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly.
2:286 On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."
23:62 On no soul do We place a burden greater than it can bear: before Us is a record which clearly shows the truth: they will never be wronged.
So I am not making anything up when I say that Allah only punished people according to what they have done. It doesn't take a genius to see that He doesn't punish people infinitely for finite sins. Can a sin be considered infinitely bad? That is what you have to ask yourself. The Qur'an doesn't seem to support the idea that Hell is forever. I am not using some philosophical thinking of my own here. But, when you see what the Qur'an says, it makes sense that Hell is not forever since you cannot possibly say that everyone will be judged according to their sins, and then be left in Hell forever. If doing Shirk and no good deeds equals an infinite amount of sin, then perhaps that is the case. But i do not think that is the case. Why else would Allah even use the concept of a scale in the first place? Also, why would the Holy Prophet (saw) even suggest something contrary to the Holy Qur'an, such as these exact same people having Allah's intercession? Why would both Bukhari and Muslim have this Hadith then?
I don't think I know you and many others have this wrong, I know it.
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