In the first days of February, a theology professor who was a member of the Religious Affairs Council was giving a talk on Diyanet TV. I was horrified as I listened to him. He was very comfortably conveying and defending words that were incompatible with the Islamic faith. He was saying the following:
“Some scholars are of the opinion that the torment of Hell is not permanent. According to some of them, a person who enters Hell, after being burnt for a while, will become numb and unconscious and will no longer feel torment. In other words, the torment of Hell is not permanent. It is against divine justice that the torment of Hell is eternal. If I live in this world for 90 years and spend every moment of this life in sin and rebellion, it would be incompatible with divine justice for me to suffer eternal torment in Hell for 90 years of sin. This is contrary to human reason and understanding of justice. Since the justice of Allah, who created me, is superior to my justice, Allah’s justice does not accept eternal punishment in Hell. For eternal torment for the bad condition in the limited worldly life is contrary to Allah’s justice. Even staying there for an hour is terrifying. I have researched this issue; one is right to think so! As a matter of fact, according to 8 of the Companions, including Ibn Abbas, the punishment in Hell is not permanent. Allahu a’lem…”
Yes, this was said by a theology professor and a member of the High Council of Religious Affairs. At the same time, he makes this speech to hundreds of thousands of people on Diyanet TV. Then it is broadcast to millions of people on social media such as YouTube…
In fact, the institution that should answer these men is the Diyanet. But what if the Diyanet is at the centre of this? It is really a grave situation.
I will answer this professor again through the Diyanet.
As you can see in the Qur’ân al-kerîm text of the Presidency of Religious Affairs (http://kuran.diyanet.gov.tr), it is reported in many verses that “But those who disbelieve and deny Our signs will be the residents of the Fire. They will be there forever.”
In the 37th verse of Surat al-Ma’idah: “They will be desperate to get out of the Fire but they will never be able to. And they will suffer an everlasting punishment.”
In Surat al-A’raf, verse 36: “But those who receive Our revelations with denial and arrogance will be the residents of the Fire. They will be there forever.”
In Surat Al-Jathiyah, verse 35: “This is because you made a mockery of Allah’s revelations, and were deluded by ˹your˺ worldly life.” So ˹from˺ that Day ˹on˺ they will not be taken out of the Fire, nor will they be allowed to appease ˹their Lord˺.”
As can be seen, in these verses and in many other verses it is clearly stated that the disbelievers will remain in Hell for eternity.
In many hadiths, it is reported that “the disbelievers will remain in Hell for eternity”. A word to the contrary will, Allah forbid, cause a person to lose his faith. This judgement has also been passed on to the Islamic faith.
A member of the Religious Affairs Committee who is unaware of the Diyanet translation!
On the other hand, the reasoning of the Religious Affairs Committee member, “After burning in Hell for a while, the body of the person will become numb and he will no longer feel the torment, thus the torment will end”, is a complete ignorance!… Such a wrong idea destroys the belief in Allah’s will and omnipotence. Allahu ta’âlâ, who created man out of nothing and will resurrect him after death, will not be able to replace burnt skins with new ones, hasha! How can a person with a little knowledge of the Qur’ân say this?
As a matter of fact, Allâhu ta’âlâ, in the 56th âyat of Surat al-Nisa; “Surely those who reject Our signs, We will cast them into the Fire. Whenever their skin is burnt completely, We will replace it so they will ˹constantly˺ taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.” has declared His absolute will and power and clearly stated that this lame justification is null and void.
In the Diyanet tafsir, the following explanation is given for this verse: “As knowledge of the human body has increased, it has been realised that the nerves that transmit pain to the brain are not in the internal organs, but in the membranes and skin. If the skin of a body that will burn for a long time or forever were to disappear, its owner would be unable to feel the pain of burning. It is stated that even such a salvation would not be possible (As their skins are cooked and become painless, We replace their skins with other skins).”
That is to say, Allâhu ta’âlâ is able to inflict His punishment permanently, He is all-powerful and He judges as He wills!
Has the professor who is a member of the Religious Council never read these verses? Do the other members and officials not hear these statements that fundamentally shake the Islamic faith, or do they not pay attention to them?
This belief destroys the purpose for which man was sent into the world and the justice of Allah between believers and non-believers. It is a requirement of Allah’s justice to give to the deserving what he deserves.
In this case, those who listen to the member of the Religious Affairs Committee may believe that faith and submission in the world are unnecessary, reasoning that “if the torment of Hell is not permanent and even sinful believers will enter Paradise after suffering the punishment for their sins in Hell, then why should I be deprived of my pleasures and endure hardships in this world?”. Therefore, the necessity of faith and test disappears.
Absurd comparisons and excesses!
The holders of deviant views and orientalism always seek support for their falsehoods about the Islamic faith from reliable scholars, and they want to strengthen their false theses by attributing lies to them. In this way, they want to deceive the unsophisticated and gullible minds and corrupt their faith.
The member of the Religious Affairs Committee (Diyanet İYK), like many of these people of corrupt beliefs, first of all tries to muddy this wrong view by saying, “Some of the companions and some scholars are of this view!” in a way to confuse everyone.
The claim that some of the Companions were of that opinion is complete nonsense and a slander against the distinguished Companions. The people he mentions by saying, “There are scholars who say that the torment of hell is not eternal” are not Ahl al-Sunnah scholars. These are the representatives of some bid’ah sects. Jahm b. Safwan, Hisham b. al-Hakam and Ibn Taymiyya are among them. In fact, it is extremely wrong to present such lame views to the public even as opinions.
The presentation of such views contrary to the Islamic belief, which are usually transmitted from orientalists, as an opinion rather than directly, is a separate trap in the direction of warming the interlocutor to these views.
On the other hand, man has no right to bargain with Allah, nor can he evaluate His justice and mercy with his limited intellect. Is Allah’s knowledge, power and wisdom on the same level with man’s intellect and knowledge, so that the poor man can compete with Allah and question Him!
In this case, statements such as “Allah would be unjust if He did so” or “It is not within His mercy to punish for eternity” are words that go beyond the limits of faith!
While Allah-u Teala informs us in the Qur’ân al-kerîm that He is absolutely just and declares that He sets His judgements in their proper places with His attribute of alîm and hakîm, what does it mean to say that contrary to what He informs us -hasha- “the punishment of hell cannot be eternal due to Allah’s justice and mercy”! Is it for weak servants to determine where Allah is just and where He is unjust?
Therefore, a weak, needy and condemned human being cannot say, “Why are you burning me in eternal hell torment when I have sinned for 90 years?” Otherwise, they will say, “Who told you to sin?”!
Even if you use reason, you can realise that the claim that “the eternal stay of unbelievers in Hell is incompatible with Allah’s justice in terms of the life span of the world” is false. As a matter of fact, such a claim is similar to a “murderer” saying, “I killed a man in one second by pressing the trigger, why do you give me a sentence of 50 years or life imprisonment?”. The absurdity of this analogy is obvious.
Moreover, the fact that there is eternal punishment for those who deny religion or religious laws has been made known to the servants by Allâhu ta’âlâ through the prophets and books sent beforehand. Act, on the other hand, is not a part of faith. Eternal punishment is for those who die without faith. The sinners will enter Paradise after burning as much as their sins. It should also be remembered that intercession and repentance are the doors of salvation. There is no mention of a punishment that is not written in the books and not reported by the prophets, so that it would be an unjust situation! Moreover, the servants have accepted this by promising to be servants in the “Bezmi Elest” and by believing in the world.
May Allâhu ta’âlâ make us live with faith and Islam and bring us to Himself with good fortune, and grant us entry into Paradise without calculation and without torment. Ameen!
REFLECTION
They keep the world intact They sell religion to strangers
They sell heaven for nothing What will become of us?
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şimşirgil
23th February 2024
Türkiye Gazetesi