Is hell eternal in Islam?
It depends on who is in it. According to mainstream Sunni belief, hell itself is everlasting and those who knowingly rejected God stay there forever. But believers who enter hell because of their sins are punished for a time and then taken out to Paradise.
Two groups in hell
Islamic teaching separates two kinds of people who may enter the Fire. The first are believers who committed major sins and were not forgiven. Their stay is temporary. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah will order anyone with faith the weight of a mustard seed in their heart to be taken out of the Fire (Sahih al-Bukhari 22). The second group are those who rejected Allah after the truth clearly reached them, or who associated partners with Him. For them, the Quran repeatedly uses the words "abiding in it forever" (khalidina fiha abadan).
Death itself will die
The Prophet ﷺ described a striking scene. After everyone has reached their final place, death will be brought in the form of a ram and slaughtered between Paradise and hell. Then it will be called out: "People of Paradise, eternity without death; people of the Fire, eternity without death" (Sahih al-Bukhari 4730). This hadith is one of the main reasons the great majority of scholars hold that both Paradise and hell last forever.
Is there any other view?
A small number of classical scholars discussed whether hell might one day come to an end, based on verses that say "except what your Lord wills" (Quran 11:107). This view is often linked to Ibn Taymiyyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim, though people still debate what exactly they held. The four Sunni schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali) and the main creeds state that hell is eternal. It's worth knowing the debate exists, but the majority position is clear.
What about people who never heard of Islam?
Allah does not punish anyone before sending a messenger to them (Quran 17:15). Many scholars teach that people who never received the message properly will be tested on the Day of Judgement, and Allah alone judges hearts. See Will my non-Muslim parents go to hell?
For how hell and Paradise fit together in Muslim belief, see Do Muslims believe in heaven and hell?
- Hell itself is eternal according to the great majority of Muslim scholars.
- Believers punished for sins are eventually taken out and enter Paradise.
- Those who knowingly rejected Allah remain in hell forever.
- Nobody is punished without first receiving the message; only Allah judges.
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