I realize, for many Muslims, that this view of the Fire may seem strange or even heterodox. But not only does it make sense as the most complete reconciliation of the heat of Hell with the warmth of GOD’s all-consuming Love, there is enormous support for it within the Qur’an and the hadith literature.
On the Day He gathers all of them, [AL-LAH will say], “O Assembly of the jinn, you asked too much from humans. Their associates among humanity will say, “Our Master, some of us made use of others, and we reached the term that You appointed for us.” He will say, “The Fire is your everlasting home, except for what AL-LAH has willed.” Verily your Lord is Wise, Cognizant.” (Q6:128)
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ قَدْ اسْتَكْثَرْتُمْ مِنْ الإِنسِ وَقَالَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمْ مِنْ الإِنسِ رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَبَلَغْنَا أَجَلَنَا الَّذِي أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا قَالَ النَّارُ مَثْوَاكُمْ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
Is Hell unconditionally everlasting? No; such an attribute belongs to GOD alone. Hell, which like every other piece of creation never had an independent existence, continues only by GOD’s Will. The same applies to Paradise, of course.
As for the wretched, they are in the Fire; their portion there is sighs and sobs, / and there they stay for the duration of the heavens and the earth, except for what your Lord has willed. Indeed your Lord performs what He desires. / As for the blessed, they are in the Garden, staying there for the duration of the heavens and the earth, except for what your Lord has willed – a never-ending gift. (Q11:106-108)
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ شَقُوا فَفِي النَّارِ لَهُمْ فِيهَا زَفِيرٌ وَشَهِيقٌ
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُ
وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ إِلاَّ مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ
Notice the difference between Paradise, whose continuance, however conditional, is described as a never-ending gift, and Hell, the description of which ends with Indeed your Lord performs what He desires. Let us remind ourselves again what He desires.
GOD wants to make things clear for you and guide you. (Q4:26)
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ
GOD wants to turn to you, relenting. (Q4:27)
وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ
GOD wants to make things easy for you. (Q4:28)
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُخَفِّفَ عَنْكُمْ
With this Divine Program in mind, the only reason that a believer could be in Hell is because GOD’s Justice demands it. But then what happens?
From Abi Sa’idinil-Khudriya (may God be pleased with him), [who said] that the Prophet (may GOD bless him and give him peace) said, “When the people of the Garden have entered the Garden, and the people of the Fire have entered the Fire, AL-LAH will say, ‘Take out whoever has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of faith.’ So they are taken out burnt and come back charred. Then they are cast into the river of Life, and there they grow like a seed on the refuse of a flood (or he said, “the margin of a flood”).” And the Prophet (may GOD bless him and give him peace) said, “Have you not seen it shoot up yellow and twisted?” (Sahihul-Bukhari, Book 81, Hadith 149)
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ إِذَا دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ النَّارَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ إِيمَانٍ فَأَخْرِجُوهُ. فَيُخْرَجُونَ قَدِ امْتُحِشُوا وَعَادُوا حُمَمًا، فَيُلْقَوْنَ فِي نَهَرِ الْحَيَاةِ، فَيَنْبُتُونَ كَمَا تَنْبُتُ الْحِبَّةُ فِي حَمِيلِ السَّيْلِ ـ أَوْ قَالَ ـ حَمِيَّةِ السَّيْلِ . وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّهَا تَنْبُتُ صَفْرَاءَ مُلْتَوِيَةً
From Abi Sa’idinil-Khudriya, who said, “The Messenger of AL-LAH (may GOD bless him and give him peace) said, “Not one of you will be more disputatious for his rights in this world than the believers before their Lord for their brethren who were made to enter the Fire. They will say, ‘Our Lord, our brethren used to pray with us and fast with us and perform the pilgrimage with us, but You made them enter the Fire.’ So He will say, ‘Go and take whom you recognize among them.’ They will come to them and recognize them by their appearance. Among them will be those whom the Fire seized halfway up their shins, and those whom it seized up to their ankles. So they take them out, and then they say, ‘Our Lord, we took out whom You ordered us to.’ Then He will say, ‘Take out whoever has in his heart the weight of a coin of faith,’ then ‘Whoever has in his heart the weight of half of a coin,’ until He says, ‘Whoever has in his heart the weight of an atom.’” (Sunanun-Nasa’i, Book 47, Hadith 26)
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا مُجَادَلَةُ أَحَدِكُمْ فِي الْحَقِّ يَكُونُ لَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِأَشَدَّ مُجَادَلَةً مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِرَبِّهِمْ فِي إِخْوَانِهِمْ الَّذِينَ أُدْخِلُوا النَّارَ قَالَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِخْوَانُنَا كَانُوا يُصَلُّونَ مَعَنَا وَيَصُومُونَ مَعَنَا وَيَحُجُّونَ مَعَنَا فَأَدْخَلْتَهُمْ النَّارَ قَالَ فَيَقُولُ اذْهَبُوا فَأَخْرِجُوا مَنْ عَرَفْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ فَيَأْتُونَهُمْ فَيَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِصُوَرِهِمْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ النَّارُ إِلَى أَنْصَافِ سَاقَيْهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ إِلَى كَعْبَيْهِ فَيُخْرِجُونَهُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا قَدْ أَخْرَجْنَا مَنْ أَمَرْتَنَا قَالَ وَيَقُولُ أَخْرِجُوا مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ دِينَارٍ مِنْ الْإِيمَانِ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ نِصْفِ دِينَارٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَزْنُ ذَرَّةٍ
These are not the only traditions of this sort, but these two will suffice. There are gradations and developments in Hell that enable those present to leave it, and for some to emerge before others. The potential for another life is there, like seeds, and faith is at the heart of that potential. One may conclude, therefore, that those who remain are not yet ready to be broken open and grow. However, as I said much earlier in Chapter 11, we are all, by nature, believers – the nature of AL-LAH by which He made humanity. There is no alteration in what GOD creates. (Q30:30) In other words, our original connection with GOD can never be erased. Those who rediscover this core truth are saved. Those who deny it remain for as long their denial persists – forever, if necessary. The failure to identify with GOD’s Internal and Eternal Mercy is precisely what keeps them there.
And despair not of the Mercy of AL-LAH. Indeed no one abandons hoping for the Mercy of AL-LAH but people who reject it. (Q12:87)
وَلاَ تَيْئَسُوا مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَيْئَسُ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الكَافِرُونَ
And GOD guides not the people who do wrong. / Their reward is that upon them is the curse of GOD, and of the angels, and of all mankind, / abiding there; the punishment is not reduced for them, nor do they gain reprieve, / except for those who have repented after that and made amends, then surely GOD is Pardoning, Compassionate. (Q3:86-89)
وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
أُوْلَئِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ أَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةَ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ الْعَذَابُ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ
إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ تَابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
The GOD You Already Know 