heLLFire
Zaltan (e-mail: hardy@inet.ba)

Hell-fire is one of the key/basic concepts of The Gods doctrine. I can not find the adequate words to describe importance of correct understanding of this topic. Hell, and on the other side, Heaven are final and perpetual/eternal destination of every human being.

Believers will dwell/end in eternal bliss and happiness -jannah/Garden/paradise and kafirs/rejectors in eternal misery/hell. Hell is an awfuly bad, painful and miserable place/state of human being, and humans should avoid it by any means possible.

A great part of The Reading(Quran) is devoted to reminding on/of this concept. Consequently, eternal hell is one of the main motivation tools for/of believers. They have it constantly on their mind and it prevents them from disobeying Gods orders/commandments. The formula is quite simple (as well as the most of Quran/or whole Quran), hell is forever(imagine that!) and human being has only one life(!) and only one chance(!) to avoid it, and (naturaly) there should not be any gambling with final destiny!

Take your Reading (Quran), read few pages and you will understand importance of (pondering over) hell. It is hard to find a single page of The Reading(Quran) without hell being mentioned(!), that is, without human beings being warned of it.

Consequently, this topic is well abused by satan and it`s followers(different sects and similar). They have done their best to turn out people`s attention from it and to distort God`s teaching in regards of this issue.

There are several most popular satanic versions of stories/doctrines in regards of hell;

1. There is not hell at all (neither the paradise) - this is position of classical atheism and of agnostics. Jehova`s witnesses also belive that there is no hell - according to them unbelievers will be just transformed into ashes(or dust?) while believers will enjoy Garden.

2. Hell exist but is not eternall/permanent/forever. Some or all of the people will eventually be saved from the torturing and they will be forgiven. Such belief is held by Christians and most of the Muslims(sunnies etc)

Now, if The God uses the hell as one of the main motivational tools it is clearly understandable why the people who have fake conviction in regards of the hell fail to attain true taqwa/prudency/religiousness and deeds required for salvation.

This is particularly supported by the following passages from the God`s book. Ponder over the quote(s):

2/80. And they said: "The fire will never touch us except counted/numbered days/times." Say: "Did you take at God a promise/contract, so God will not break His promise/contract, or are you saying on God what you do not know?"

2/81. Yes/certainly, who gathered/earned a sin/crime, and his sin/mistake surrounded/enveloped with him so those (are) the fire's owners/company, they are in it immortally/eternally.

2/82. And those who believed and made/did the correct/righteous deeds, those are the Paradise's owners/company, they are in it immortally/eternally.

3/23. Did you not see/understand to those who were given a share/fortune from The Book, they are being called to God's Book to judge/rule between them, then a group from them turns away, and they are objecting/opposing.

3/24. That (is) because they said: "The fire will not/never touch us, except a counted/numbered days/times, and deceived/tempted them in their religion what they were fabricating.

These two insightfull passages teach/taught us so much wisdom in so little words.

Before detaily analysing the two passages, let us say that the traditionalists have tried to pervert Quranic hell-forever doctrine with Hadith - narrations falsely atributed to prophet Muhamad, as well, as with with misinterpretations of The God`s book. Some of Quranaloners also claim that hell is not forever. Their arguments are based on:

1. mistranslation(s) -particularly of the word khuld and abad

2. misinterpretations (of other verses who are translated correctly- see 3/7)

Let us, again, turn our attention to the two quoted passages. They clearly claim /teach/point to us the following:

1. Hell IS forever and is NOT restricted only to a limited number of days.

2. Conviction that hell is restricted only to a limited number of days lead to misconduct and disobedience to The God.

3. There is no such thing as "burning out" for sins until these are fully "repayed" (and the sinner is then taken out and sent to paradise) as the traditionalists believe(this concept of believer being a sinner is also wrong and we will Gw explain it elsewhere).

4. 2/80-82 particularly clearly explain that word khuld actualy/indeed HAS meaning of eternity/unlimitedness. This is done by using this word(triliter kh-l-d) in the passage as the opposite to/of limited number of days. This is very important since there are some who believe that hell is not forever based on the claim that triliter kh-l-d and it`s derivatives do(es) not mean forever. We must say that the multi-meaning triliter kh-l-d truly does not always and not neccessarly mean `forever`, but such meaning(forever) is clearly intended in this passage in reference to/with hell, as well as, it can be extricated from the context in many other places throughout The Reading. Plus, it is found in the dictionaries

Throughout the Quran pervades and permeates the idea (or dominates idea) of existence of only two Worlds- this worldly life/dunyaa (which is transient,temporary) and akhirah/later,second life/life after death/next life/ hereafter which is permanent, eternal.

And the whole Quran leaves the impression that the man`s position in hell or paradise is the final destiny of every man(there is no any description of life after hell or paradise). Note that there are verses(for example 11:16) that says that there is nothing except the fire for unbelievers in the akhirah/other life. How, then, anybody can claim that they would be saved from fire ?:

11:16 These are they for whom there is nothing but fire in the hereafter, and what they wrought in it shall go for nothing, and vain is what they do. Since, Quran is exposition or explanation of all the things, and since We are not introduced with any details in regards of the alleged further destiny of man or destiny of hell and paradise (there are some who claim they would stop to exist), we conclude that the first position which the man is given in akhirah (position which he gets at J-day) is, actualy, the man`s final destiny.

There is a plenty of verses in which is said that the dwelling in the hell will be forever, will be eternal. There are many multiple-meaning arabic words in the Quran. Existence of an alternate meaning does not exclude the main meaning since it is the only one which fit at many places in the Quran. See this verse:

2:167 Thus will Allah show them their own deeds as anguish for them, and they will not emerge (kharejeena) from the Fire.

Thus, as we see, not only that the permanent stay in the fire is based on the meaning of triliter kh-l-d, but is confirmed in(using) other words. Read more verses on the topic: 5:37 They want that they get out from the fire, and they are not with getting out(kharejeena) from it, and for them (is) a continuing(muqeem) torture.

2:161-162 That those who disbelieved and died and they are disbelievers, those on them (is) God's curse/torture and the angels', and the peoples' all together. Immortally/eternally in it, the torture does not be lightened/reduced from them, and nor they be given time/delayed.

43:74-77 Surely, the guilty will abide in the retribution of Gehenna forever. It shall not be abated from them and they shall therein be despairing. And We are not unjust to them, but they themselves were unjust. They will implore: "O Master, let your Lord finish us off." He will say, "You are staying (forever).

21:34 And We did not make/create to a human from before you the immortality(to live forever), so if you died so they are the immortals

Put the following two passages together and ponder:

82:14-16 While the wicked have deserved Hell. They will burn therein on the Day of Judgment. They will not leave it. 50:34 Enter it in peace; this is the Day of Eternity

Examples of misinterpretations.

11:105-108

105. (When that) day comes, a self does not speak/talk except with His permission, so from them (are people) miserable/unhappy and happy/fortunate.

106. So but those who were miserable/unhappy, so (they are) in the fire , for them in it (is) deep exhalation and loud inhalation .

107. Immortally/eternally in it as long as the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth continued/lasted, except what your Lord willed/wanted, that your Lord (is a) maker/doer, to what He wills/wants.

108. And but those who were made happy/fortunate, so (they are) in the Paradise, immortally/eternally in it, as long as the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth continued/lasted, except what your Lord willed/wanted, a gift/grant not cut/broken (interrupted).

In this controversial passage the phrase except what your Lord willed/wanted has used to argue that some of those who deserved hell will be taken out of it. But if we see the very last verse we see that The God has also said for jannah the same thing that he has said for the hell- illa ma shaae abbuka( except what your Lord willed/wanted )-, BUT, nevertheless, at the end of the passage He has definitely confirmed the perpetual character of paradise saying " ataan gayra majzuz"- a gift/grant not cut/broken (interrupted).

Imo, Illa ma shae rabbuke(except what your Lord willed/wanted) IS ONLY an emphasis that everything happens in accordance with the God`s will. (this is the way that Rashad Khalifa translated 11:105-108) see 6/167( a must read) for a better understanding of "ma shae" -the will of the Lord.

Another phrase in the verse that caused opinions that hell and paradise are not forever is "as long as the skies/space and the earth/Planet Earth continued/lasted" is imho most probably an idiom meaning -forever, always and similar.

Hundreds of the most clear, unambiguous ayats/ signs/ pointers and messages which talk of permenent/ eternal stay in hell, scatered throughout Quran, can not be annuled/ abrogated with a verse or two in which someone has see but a weak allusions that it could be the opposite case.

That way, we only lead the Quran into contradictions, we ascribe contraditions to The God`s book. The most logical would be to accept the different interpretation/ understanding of the ambiguous passages which stand out (if we accept the weak allusions as their true meaning) from the majority of the passages and prevailing/general position of the book.