Islam and purgatory

[Grofica]

I was wondering what the islamic standpoint is on Purgatory?

[Abu-Abdullah]

Hi Grofica

purgotory is a part and parcel of islam, in that it teaches any hardship for Muslims on earth gets some of their sins forgiven, and in the hereafter, if a Muslim is punished for his sins, then once all his sins are purged, he will end up in heaven; there will be plenty of Mercy involved too so a Muslim really gets punished a lot less then he really deserves

hope this helps

PEACE

ps: if a Muslim dies as a result of drowning, or burning, or a building falling on him, this suffering purges him of all his sins and he dies as a martyr

[Grofica]

ok this might be a stupid question but it is something i never understood. if purgatory is the place where sins are purged... what is hell for?

I know that on judgement day are good things will be weighed against our bad and that we will have to have consequences for the wrong we have done but once we have paid our dues (lack of a better term) we get to go to heaven. so what is hell really for?

Dont we consider the other people of the book to be judged similar to us? so is hell only for those who commit grave sins and the non-believers?

this part has always really confused me.

[Abu-Abdullah]

hell is the Islamic 'purgotory' sis, for Muslims that is, and it's the eternal abode for desbelievers

the grave of every Muslim is also iether a pit of hell or meadow of the Garden of paradise, thus the grave will act as a 'purgotory' for Muslims who are to be punished too

may Allah save us all ameen!

[Grofica]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh NOW i get it!

now that makes sense! Thank you!

[IAmZamzam]

There is no purgatory in Islam; however, hell is probably not going to be eternal. We are expiated for some of our sins by all our suffering in this life, if we're believers.

[Abu-Abdullah]

There IS a notion of purgatory in Islam, namely, hellfire for any Muslim that enters it - which we pray Allah spare us - since the firm belief of Ahl al-Sunna is that no Muslim shall abide in Hellfire forever but only so they be cleansed of their faults. And Allah knows best.

Hajj Gibril

[SEE SUNNIPATH.COM]

[Abu-Abdullah]

There is no purgatory in Islam; however, hell is probably not going to be eternal. We are expiated for some of our sins by all our suffering in this life, if we're believers.

Indeed hell will not be eternal for any muslim that enters it, but if you meant by that that it wont be eternal for desbelievers iether, then that is a bit alarming for the following reason:


(1) matters about Islam that everyone knows, which even a child raised among Muslims would know, technically termed ma‘lum min al-din bi d-darura or “necessarily known as being of the religion”;

(2) matters that not everyone knows;

(3) and matters that are disagreed upon even by “those who know,” the ulema or scholars.
Affirmation or denial of tenets of faith within each category vary in their eternal consequences because of their relative accessibility, and the individual’s opportunities to find them out.

Things That Everyone Knows

To deny anything of the first category above constitutes plain and open unbelief. It includes such things as denying the oneness of Allah, the attributes of prophethood, that prophetic messengerhood has ended with Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace); the resurrection of the dead; the Final Judgement; the recompense; the everlastingness of paradise and hell ...

[see 'iman kufr and takfir' by shaykh Nuh keller]

[IAmZamzam]

People's opportunities for finding things out, and their ability to understand the obvious truth of what they have heard, are predetermined by Allah. What they're doing in their hearts/souls do during these events is up to them, and it is for that, not disbelief, that they will be judged. But I wasn't trying to make some distinction or generalization, I was explaining to Grofica that while we don't have a purgatory, we do have something vaguely comparable to it. (The meaning of "purgatory" is not as simple as "temporary hell", as any Catholic will tell you.)