I wanted to get your views on this.
I also wanted to show 2 articles that suggest hell isn't eternal:
http://www.angelfire.com/bug/answering/hell.htm
http://quransmessage.com/articles/is%20the%20punishment%20of%20hell%20eternal%20FM3.htm
What is very odd is that the first article claims it is written by Osama at the end..But it is not in answering Christianity.
As'salamu Alaikum dear brother Mclinkin94,
Thank you for bringing back this article
. I've written it during the early years of this website. Now that I read it years later, I see that I've made some very solid arguments. But I removed the article for two reasons:
1- This is a topic that is very big to Allah Almighty. Writing shallow articles about it could be very misleading.
2- During the times when I desperately needed authors and help to help me tackle the OCEAN of the anti-Islamic articles out there, some of the brothers got to the heads of many my authors, and I was forced to take a vote on whether to keep this article or remove it, and it was voted that I should remove it. So I removed it to keep the unity. I couldn't take on the infidels by myself. So I sacrificed the article.
But still, even after reading the article years later, I still don't feel comfortable about writing shallow articles about such a deep topic like this. On a side note, this is what bothers me from false religions and cults like Christianity and Shiism. They make very very serious and deep claims
(Jesus is our Creator [1], His Mother is the Goddess of the Universe [1], Ahlul Bayt people are with GOD Almighty ON HIS THRONE, and His Throne is "under their feet" [2], and that we must seek them for Forgiveness, Mercy, Guidance, Aid [2], etc...) about GOD Almighty that are VERY SERIOUS yet based on very shallow opinions and arguments. I don't want to be on the same boat as those deviant people, who are the lords of nonsense and noise.
Will a Camel really go through a Needle's Eye?Let us look at the following Verses:
7:40 ان الذين كذبوا باياتنا واستكبروا عنها لاتفتح لهم ابواب السماء ولايدخلون الجنة حتى يلج الجمل في سم الخياط وكذلك نجزي المجرمين
"To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle: Such is Our reward for those in sin. (The Noble Quran, 7:40)" "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' (From the NIV Bible, Matthew 19:23-26)" Like I said, this article was written during the early years of the website. I mean, I know well that the Verses that were mentioned (brother Haleem sent them to me) about the
Camel going through the needle's eyes from both the Bible and the Holy Quran gave a very sound argument, and quite frankly I till this day love this argument, but I fear there is much to it than what appears on the surface. We have to be very careful when we exegete the Holy Quran, akhi. We can't just carelessly write articles. I also don't want to be making claims such as these if they turn out to be false. This is almost very personal with GOD Almighty.
Also, the camel going through the needle's eye argument isn't complete for the following reasons:
1- Allah Almighty could've really meant that it is impossible for the disbelievers to leave Hell, and that Allah Almighty spoke about it in our limited logic and language.
2- Prophet Jesus' (peace be upon him) Saying about the camel and the needle's eye in the Bible isn't 100% authentic, nor is it Quran. Therefore, we can't base an entire belief on it.
But yet at the same time, nothing is impossible with Allah Almighty. So:
1-
Will Allah Almighty really make a camel go through a needle's eye in the Life after and end all punishments in Hell?
2- Will Allah Almighty eventually empty all Hell, because He is the Most Merciful?
3- Did not Christ say in the verse above that nothing is impossible with GOD Almighty?
4- I remember an old American Christian friend of mine told me once that
"the needle's eye" also referred to fortresses' openings in the old days where they launched arrows against the incoming enemy from. So if there is a big enough opening, then certainly a small camel could probably pass through it.
If you also
google it, then you'll find that it could also mean
a castle's gate.
5- So will Allah Almighty have a fortress with some opening, or an opening (that would be called a needle's eye) be made in the Life After, and have a Camel pass through it to end all of Hell's punishments?
6- Will or Would this "needle eye" be referring to an Entrance to Heaven, if Heaven were considered a "fortress"? So would a Camel
pass through one of Heaven's Gates? Notice again in the Noble Verse above
"....no opening will there be of the gates of heaven...."I don't know, and I don't know if Hell will eventually become empty or not. I can't make a claim that I am not 100% sure about regarding this, especially on topics like this. I incline towards Hell will eventually become empty. After all, Allah Almighty intended for all, including satan himself (who was in Heaven before), to be all in Heaven with GOD Almighty under His Eternal and Divine Love, Mercy, Generosity, Kindness, and most of all Under Him to Worship Him and to Glorify Him for Ever. But then again,
I don't know. This is one of the mysteries of the unknown, and it was made unknown for us on purpose by Allah Almighty:
"They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)" (The Noble Quran, 17:85)"I hope this helps, Insha'Allah (if Allah Almighty is Willing). May Allah Almighty bless you, akhi Mclinkin94. Ameen.
Take care,
Osama Abdallah