Eternal Punishment In Hell Does Not Necessarily Mean That the Hell or its Inhabitants Are Eternal
Remember Jonah. When he escaped from his duty he was swallowed by a whale.
"But had he not been of those who glorify, he would have stayed in its belly to the day of resurrection." (37: 143-144)
It is a fact that neither Jonah nor the whale was immortals that could live to the day of resurrection. God knows this. Thus, this Quranic expression simply informs us that Jonah would die or end up in the belly of the whale. Although both would perish in a short time, whale would be the ultimate destiny of Jonah until the day of resurrection. Had Jonah was not going to be resurrected (together with the whale, 6:38), using the same logic, the verse would state: "he would have stayed in its belly eternally."'
Similarly, verses informing us about disbelievers or idol worshipers staying in Hell eternally does not necessarily mean that the Hell is eternal, unless we are informed that Hell itself is eternal. It simply means that disbelievers and idol worshipers would end up in Hell and nothing else. If Hell together with its inhabitants one day ceased its existence, then the disbelievers or idol worshipers would have stayed in Hell eternally. Their punishment would be the entire life of Hell.
In fact, the Quran informs us that both the eternal punishment in Hell and reward in Paradise is conditioned with their life span:
"Eternally they abide therein (Hell), for as long as the heavens and the earth endure, in accordance with the will of your Lord. Your Lord is doer of whatever He wills. As for fortunate ones, they will be in Paradise. Eternally they abide therein, for as long as the heavens and the earth endure, in accordance with the will of your Lord-an everlasting reward." (11:107)
The Quran informs us that the Earth and Heavens will be changed by different Earth and Heavens (14:48). If the re-creation referred in this verse is the one before the Day of Judgment then there is possibility of another re-creation. There are indications that Paradise will be preserved or created again. For instance, the word KHuLD (eternal, everlasting) is not used for Hell, but it is used as an adjective to describe Paradise (25:15). On the other hand the same adjective is not used to describe Hell, but to describe the punishment IN HELL (10:52; 41:28).
Hell, Together With Its Inhabitants, Will Be Annihilated
Our language contains synonyms, antonyms, compliments, counterparts, etc. The Quran frequently uses pairs of words/concepts to contrast, compare, or compliment each other. Usually, the frequencies of semantically related words also demonstrate mathematical harmony, which is another subject I extensively demonstrated in my books. For instance, Akhirah (Hereafter) and Dunya (Lowly World) , Malak (Angel) and Shaytaan (Satan), Rahmah (Mercy) and Huda (Guidance), Qul (Say) and Qalu (they said), Khalq (Creation) and Helaak (Annihilation), Hayat (Life) and Mawt (Death) are semantically and mathematically related words.
Let's reflect on verse 40:11 and 67:2. The first verse refers to two creations and two deaths and the second refers to creation of death and life. These two verses can be understood better if we know that in the Quranic language death cannot exist without life and vise versa. They exist together, since Death is permanent halt of brain's conscious activity (39:42; 16:21) but a temporal stage to be followed by resurrection (29:57; 10:56; 22:6). Death is a process leading to life. A living creature will die and a dead creature will get a new life (22:66). Vegetation experiences successive lives and deaths through seasons (2:64; 3:27; 6:95; 16:65; 22:5-6; 30:19-50; 35:9). After t he first creation there was no death nor life; we just existed. But, God decided to create death and life (67:2). Creation, death, life (current), death, life (resurrection). In other words, two deaths and two lives (40:11). The word HaLaKa, on the other hand, is occasionally used to describe death of an individual (40:34), but usually irreversible destruction and annihilation, or total existential extinction of an entity (5:17; 6:6; 6:47; 8:42; 20:128; 21:95; 22:45; 28:59; 36:31; 69:5; 77:16).
". . . whereby those destined to be perished/annihilated were perished/annihilated for an obvious reason, and those destined to be saved/revived were saved/revived for an obvious reason (or clear argument)" (8:42)
The above verse not only refers to the loss of lives and surviving in a particular battle, but also to a higher cosmic event: disbelievers will perish forever since they relied on falsehood; while believers will last forever since they relied on a clear argument No wonder life and death is used as metaphors for attaining truth or falsehood (6:122). In fact, witnessing and acknowledging the truth leads to life, metaphorically and literally:
"O you who believe, respond to God and the messenger when he calls you to that which grants you life. You should know that God in between a man and his heart, and that before Him you will be gathered" (8:24).
From the above verse, it is fair to infer that those who reject the divine message will lose eternal life. Will they die in Hell? The answer is No:
"Anyone who comes to His Lord guilty will deserve Hell, wherein he never dies, nor stays alive." (20:74).
Then, the alternative is obvious: total annihilation, ontological extinction together with Hell. Those programs with free choice that chose to corrupt themselves with the worst diabolic viruses (such as associating partners with God or killing an innocent program) will be sentenced to an eternal punishment: after resurrection they will experience a period of diagnosis, justice, regret and then with the creation of a new earth and heaven, they will be hurled to non existence together with Hell. Perhaps, their memories too will be erased from the minds of their relatives who chose eternal life by dedicating their religion to God alone and by leading a righteous life with the day of judgment in the mind.
God is Just and Merciful
The Quran repeatedly comfort us by reminding us God's perfect justice. The following verse provides us with a precise idea of God's justice and mercy:
"For those who did good work there will be the best and more. . . As for those who earned evil, they will receive equivalent evil (10:27).
Suffering in an eternal Hell creates a contradiction between this divine justice, since eternity can not be equal to an evil committed in during a limited life span of a human. However, eternal punishment in life time of a non eternal Hell avoids such a contradiction. After receiving an equivalent punishment the chief evil-doers like those referred in verse 4:48, will be eliminated from existence. They will end up in Hell and Hell will end up in nothingness.
No wonder the first and the most repeated verse of the Quran reminds us over and over that:
God is Gracious, Merciful (1:1).
* EDIP YUKSEL (YÜKSEL) is a Muslim reformer and former political prisoner. Edip Yuksel has written more than twenty books on religion, politics, philosophy and law in Turkish, many of them bestsellers in his native land. He has also written numerous articles and essays in English. His most recently published book is The Message, a best-selling Turkish translation of the Quran that provides a fresh and radically different approach to interpreting the holy book of Islam. His arguments against sectarian dogmas and laws have helped spur a powerful reformation movement that is gaining strength around the world, especially in Turkey. Currently, dozens of Islamic organizations are promoting these very ideas and ideals. Currently he is working on an English-language counterpart to his controversial Turkish translation. Like that translation, this one challenges Muslims to turn away from traditions and interpretations that reinforce the powers of male clerical hierarchies, and to embrace the Quran directly. Edip Yuksel is the founder of 19.org.