Surah 22 · Verse 21

[22:19-22] It is interesting that the Quran usually mentions hell and paradise after each other. While the appreciative see and enjoy the promise of heaven, the unappreciative people complain about how bad hell is. Ironically, they try very hard to enter the place they are so critical of. Though many people will end up in hell forever, it does not mean that hell is eternal. Similarly, verses informing us about disbelievers or idol worshipers staying in Hell eternally, does not necessarily mean that 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 to exist, 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 on their life span (11:107). 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 vice versa. They exist together, since Death is the permanent halt of the brain's conscious activity (39:42; 16:21) and a temporal stage to be followed by resurrection (29:57; 10:56; 22:6). Death is a process which leads 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 the 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 the 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). The Quran informs us that the Earth and the Heavens will be changed with a different Earth and Heavens (14:48). If the recreation referred to in this verse is the one before the Day of Judgment, then there is the 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). Verse 8:42 does not only refer to the loss of lives and surviving 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 are used as metaphors for attaining truth or falsehood (6:122). In fact, witnessing and acknowledging the truth leads to life, metaphorically and literally (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 system to God alone and by leading a righteous life with the day of judgment in mind. It is interesting that the Quran refers to this annihilation through ultimate deletion from the ultimate record. God's deliberate deletion of their existence from His mind. (32:14). The Quran repeatedly comforts us by reminding us of 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 during a limited human life-span. However, eternal punishment for the lifetime of a non-eternal Hell avoids such a contradiction. After receiving an equivalent punishment, the chief evil-doers like those referred to 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 again that God is Gracious, Merciful (1:1).