Short answer
Yes. Islam teaches that Paradise and Hell both last for ever. Hell is for ever for those who die rejecting faith after the message has reached them. No one is punished before a messenger has warned him. Every deed is weighed, down to an atom's weight, and Hell has degrees by deeds. No court measures a sentence by how long the crime took. A murder takes a moment, and its sentence lasts for years. What lasts in the Hereafter is the state a person dies in. Islam counts dying without faith, after the message has come, as the gravest wrong against the One who gave everything. A Muslim murderer is not let off either. His good deeds are handed to those he wronged. God's (﷾) mercy is greater than a mother's, and the door stays open until death.
Full explanation
What Islam teaches, exactly
The Qur'an says both Paradise and Hell last for ever. Those in Paradise will never be asked to leave. Those who reject faith and do wrong will dwell in Hell for ever, and this is said in several places. Hell is for ever for those who die rejecting faith after the message has reached them. God (﷾) punishes no one before a messenger has warned him, so that no one has a plea against Him. God (﷾) forgives anything He wills except setting up partners with Him. Repentance is accepted before death comes, but not at the point of death, and not from those who die rejecting faith. This page does not soften any of this. It asks whether it is just, and answers yes.
“There no sense of fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave.”
“Those who reject Faith and do wrong,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to any way- Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein for ever. And this to Allah is easy.”
“Verily Allah has cursed the Unbelievers and prepared for them a Blazing Fire,- To dwell therein for ever: no protector will they find, nor helper.”
“"Unless I proclaim what I receive from Allah and His Messages: for any that disobey Allah and His Messenger,- for them is Hell: they shall dwell therein for ever."”
“Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning).”
“Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the messengers, should have no plea against Allah: For Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
“Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.”
“Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, "Now have I repented indeed;" nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them have We prepared a punishment most grievous.”
No court measures a sentence by the clock
The best-known objection says a finite life of sin cannot deserve an infinite penalty. But no legal system matches a sentence's length to how long the crime took. A murder can take seconds, and no one calls a long sentence unfair for that reason. A sentence answers to what was done and to whom, not to its duration. So the real question is not length but what is deserved. Here Islam draws a line of its own. Reward may go beyond what was earned, because it is a gift. The Prophet (ﷺ) said no one's deeds alone will save him, only God's (﷾) mercy. Punishment never goes beyond what was earned, because the Qur'an says evil is repaid only by its like. So a penalty that lasts must answer to a wrong of that weight. The next sections show why Islam counts dying without faith in the Giver as that kind of wrong.
Section 2.2 sets out the objections critics raise to everlasting punishment. One asks why the greatness of the one offended should fix how guilty the offender is. Another asks how any sin of a finite being, committed amid ambiguity and ignorance, could deserve an infinite penalty, which Marilyn McCord Adams calls the most crucial question. The entry is written about Christian teaching.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said no one's deeds will save him. Asked whether that included him, he said: not even me, unless Allah covers me with His mercy. He then told them to do good deeds properly, sincerely and in moderation.
“He that doeth good shall have ten times as much to his credit: He that doeth evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil: no wrong shall be done unto (any of) them.”
What lasts is the state a person dies in
A sentence of punishment is not passed on one moment of doubt. Islam ties the everlasting outcome to the state a person dies in, after the message has reached him and he has had time to answer. It is the state a person holds to the end, not a passing mistake. The Qur'an speaks of those who reject faith and die rejecting it. It records that those who face the Fire will ask to be sent back to believe. Then it says that if they were returned, they would go back to what they were forbidden, "for they are indeed liars". This is not punishment for sins not yet done. The request comes only once they are confronted with the Fire. Belief that begins at the sight of the punishment is not the faith that was asked for, so their state has not changed. The Qur'an says belief does a soul no good once the final signs have come, if it did not believe before. This is given as Islam's answer, not as the proof. The proof is the reasoning above.
“As to those who reject Faith, and die rejecting,- never would be accepted from any such as much gold as the earth contains, though they should offer it for ransom. For such is (in store) a penalty grievous, and they will find no helpers.”
“If thou couldst but see when they are confronted with the Fire! They will say: "Would that we were but sent back! Then would we not reject the signs of our Lord, but would be amongst those who believe!"”
“Yea, in their own (eyes) will become manifest what before they concealed. But if they were returned, they would certainly relapse to the things they were forbidden, for they are indeed liars.”
“Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them, or thy Lord (Himself), or certain of the signs of thy Lord! the day that certain of the signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith. Say: "Wait ye: we too are waiting."”
“Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, "Now have I repented indeed;" nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them have We prepared a punishment most grievous.”
Every deed is weighed, and Hell has degrees
Justice means each person gets what his own deeds deserve, and nothing is lost. The Qur'an says God (﷾) is never unjust in the least degree. It says an atom's weight of good and an atom's weight of evil will both be seen. Good is multiplied ten times, while evil is repaid only by its like. And it says all have degrees according to their deeds, so that no injustice is done to them. So Hell is not one fate for everyone in it. Its degrees follow what each person did.
“Allah is never unjust in the least degree: If there is any good (done), He doubleth it, and giveth from His own presence a great reward.”
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.”
“He that doeth good shall have ten times as much to his credit: He that doeth evil shall only be recompensed according to his evil: no wrong shall be done unto (any of) them.”
“To all are degrees (or ranks) according to their deeds: for thy Lord is not unmindful of anything that they do.”
“And to all are (assigned) degrees according to the deeds which they (have done), and in order that (Allah) may recompense their deeds, and no injustice be done to them.”
“We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.”
Justice in the Hereafter, as the Qur'an sets it out
- No one is punished before a messenger has warned him.
- Every deed is weighed, down to an atom's weight of good or evil.
- Good is multiplied ten times; evil is repaid only by its like.
- All have degrees according to their deeds, so no one is wronged.
- The door of repentance stays open until death.
A kind atheist and a Muslim murderer
The sharpest form of the objection runs like this. A kind atheist doctor is in Hell for ever, while a Muslim murderer ends up in Paradise. Both halves of that picture leave something out. First, the disbeliever's good is not wasted. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a disbeliever does good, he is given a taste of its reward in this world. He also said that in the Hereafter such a person finds no good deed left to be rewarded for. Second, the murderer is not let off. The Prophet (ﷺ) said the first cases judged between people on the Last Day are cases of bloodshed. He described a Muslim who comes with prayer, fasting and charity, but who had shed blood and taken others' wealth. His good deeds are handed to those he wronged. If they run out, their sins are thrown on him, and he is thrown into the Fire. Believers who enter Hell for their sins are brought out by God's (﷾) mercy. Third, a Muslim name saves no one. The Qur'an puts the hypocrites, who wore the name without the faith, in the lowest depths of the Fire. What counts is faith in the heart, the condition the Prophet (ﷺ) gave for those brought out. So neither account cancels the other. The account with people is settled in full, and the account with God (﷾) decides what lasts.
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah does not wrong a believer in any good deed: he is given for it in this world and rewarded for it in the Hereafter. As for the disbeliever, he is given in this world for the good deeds he did for Allah, so that when he reaches the Hereafter he has no good deed left to be rewarded for.
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said that when a disbeliever does a good deed, he is given a taste of its reward in this world. As for the believer, Allah stores up his good deeds for him in the Hereafter, and gives him provision in this world for his obedience.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said the first cases to be judged between people on the Day of Resurrection will be cases of bloodshed.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) asked who the bankrupt is. He said the bankrupt of his community comes on the Day of Resurrection with prayer, fasting and charity. But he insulted one, slandered another, took another's wealth, shed another's blood and beat another. Each is given some of his good deeds. If his good deeds run out before the account is settled, their sins are taken and thrown on him, and then he is thrown into the Fire.
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever says there is no god but Allah and has in his heart good the weight of a barley grain will be taken out of Hell; so too whoever has the weight of a wheat grain, and whoever has the weight of an atom.
“The Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire: no helper wilt thou find for them;-”
The deepest wrong is against the Giver
Why should the account with God (﷾) decide the everlasting outcome? Because it is the largest account a person has. Life, mind, senses and every good thing were given, not earned. The Qur'an asks how anyone can reject faith in the One who gave him life when he had none. It says man could never count God's (﷾) favours. It calls false worship "the highest wrong-doing". An atheist will reply that no one can be ungrateful to someone he honestly believes is not there. Islam answers in two parts. It teaches that the Giver can be known from His gifts, and that once His message reaches a person, the proof against him stands. Whether the message truly reached a given person, and what he did with it, Islam leaves to God (﷾). God (﷾) has no need of anyone's thanks. But He does not like ingratitude from His servants, and He knows what is in every heart.
“How can ye reject the faith in Allah?- seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life; and again to Him will ye return.”
“And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.”
“Behold, Luqman said to his son by way of instruction: "O my son! join not in worship (others) with Allah: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing."”
“Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the messengers, should have no plea against Allah: For Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
“If ye reject (Allah), Truly Allah hath no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end, to your Lord is your Return, when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). for He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts.”
Mercy and justice together
Islam does not set mercy against justice. The Prophet (ﷺ) said God (﷾) is more merciful to His servants than a mother is to her child. He said God (﷾) sent only one part of His mercy to earth and kept ninety-nine. The Qur'an says His mercy extends to all things, and asks what God (﷾) gains by punishing anyone who is grateful and believes. Yet mercy does not mean treating the just and the unjust alike. The victims of tyrants ask for justice, and a world where it never comes is not a merciful one. Justice is also owed in the account with God (﷾), and there the wrong is against the Giver of everything. The Qur'an asks whether the people of faith should be treated like the people of sin.
Umar reports that captives were brought to the Prophet (ﷺ), among them a woman whose breasts were full of milk; whenever she found a child among the captives, she held it to her chest and nursed it. The Prophet asked whether she could ever throw her child into a fire. They said no. He said: Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child.
Abu Hurayra heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say that Allah divided mercy into a hundred parts, kept ninety-nine with Himself and sent one part down to earth; from that one part all creatures show mercy to each other, so that a mare lifts her hoof from her foal for fear of treading on it. Also in Sahih Muslim 2752.
“"And ordain for us that which is good, in this life and in the Hereafter: for we have turned unto Thee." He said: "With My punishment I visit whom I will; but My mercy extendeth to all things. That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and practise regular charity, and those who believe in Our signs;-”
“What can Allah gain by your punishment, if ye are grateful and ye believe? Nay, it is Allah that recogniseth (all good), and knoweth all things.”
“Shall We then treat the People of Faith like the People of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge ye?”
No one is punished for where he was born, and no one is forced
No one is punished before the message reaches him, and messengers were sent so that no one has a plea against God (﷾). The page on people who never heard explains this. A warning is not force either. The Qur'an says there is no compulsion in religion and that the truth stands out clear from error. God (﷾) showed man the way, whether he proves grateful or ungrateful. The Qur'an says: let him who will believe, and let him who will reject. God (﷾) knows and records everything, but knowing a choice is not making it. The page on whether Islam is fatalistic explains this. Islam promises guidance to whoever strives for it. Whether the message truly reached a person, and what he did with it, God (﷾) judges with full knowledge.
“Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning).”
“Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the messengers, should have no plea against Allah: For Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.”
“We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will).”
“Say, "The truth is from your Lord": Let him who will believe, and let him who will, reject (it):”
“Verily We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before and that which they leave behind, and of all things have We taken account in a clear Book (of evidence).”
“And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right.”
Islam's answer: the door is open now
Islam does not tell anyone that he is lost while he lives. The Qur'an tells those who have wronged themselves not to despair of God's (﷾) mercy. He forgives all sins to those who turn to Him. It asks them to turn and submit before the end comes. Islam is a whole way of life: faith in the one God (﷾), worship of Him alone, and good character towards His creatures. The account with God (﷾) and the account with people are both kept in it.
“Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
“"Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.”
The replies, one by one
Qur'an 4:168-169 — Surat al-Nisa (The Women), verses 168-169
“Those who reject Faith and do wrong,- Allah will not forgive them nor guide them to any way- Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein for ever. And this to Allah is easy.”
Cited for
A finite life of wrongdoing cannot deserve a punishment without end. That breaks the rule that a punishment must fit the crime.
The response
Sentences are not measured by how long a crime took. Islam grades every deed and gives Hell degrees. Its everlasting outcome follows dying without faith after the message has come.
Where it lands — Length alone does not make a sentence unjust, so the objection does not show that everlasting Hell is unfair.
Sahih Muslim 2808a — Kitab Sifat al-Qiyama wa al-Janna wa al-Nar (The Resurrection, Paradise and Hell), hadith 2808a
Anas reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said Allah does not wrong a believer in any good deed: he is given for it in this world and rewarded for it in the Hereafter. As for the disbeliever, he is given in this world for the good deeds he did for Allah, so that when he reaches the Hereafter he has no good deed left to be rewarded for.
Cited for
A good atheist gets Hell for ever, while a sinful Muslim gets Paradise. So Islam rewards a label, not a life.
The response
The disbeliever's good is repaid in this world, as the same saying of the Prophet (ﷺ) says. The Muslim who shed blood hands his good deeds to his victims. If they run out, he takes their sins and is thrown into the Fire. A Muslim name saves no one. The Qur'an puts the hypocrites, who wore the name without the faith, in the lowest depths of the Fire. What counts is faith in the heart, the condition the Prophet (ﷺ) gave for those brought out of Hell.
Where it lands — Islam neither wastes the atheist's good nor excuses the Muslim's crimes, and it rewards faith, not a label. The picture in the objection is not Islam's teaching.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5999 — Kitab al-Adab (Good Manners), hadith 5999
Umar reports that captives were brought to the Prophet (ﷺ), among them a woman whose breasts were full of milk; whenever she found a child among the captives, she held it to her chest and nursed it. The Prophet asked whether she could ever throw her child into a fire. They said no. He said: Allah is more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child.
Cited for
Islam itself says God is more merciful than a mother. No mother would let her child burn for ever.
The response
The same hadith says God (﷾) is merciful to His servants, and the Qur'an asks what He gains by punishing anyone grateful and believing. Mercy does not erase justice. A world where tyrants and their victims end alike is not a merciful one.
Where it lands — Mercy and justice stand together in Islam, so God's (﷾) mercy does not rule out everlasting Hell.
Qur'an 33:64-65 — Surat al-Ahzab (The Clans), verses 64-65
“Verily Allah has cursed the Unbelievers and prepared for them a Blazing Fire,- To dwell therein for ever: no protector will they find, nor helper.”
Cited for
People mostly believe what they were born into. Condemning unbelievers punishes them for where they were born.
The response
Islam says God (﷾) punishes no one before a messenger reaches him. Each is judged by what reached him, by a God who knows every heart.
Where it lands — No one is condemned for the accident of birth, so the objection does not touch Islam's teaching.
Qur'an 72:23 — Surat al-Jinn (The Jinn), verse 23
“"Unless I proclaim what I receive from Allah and His Messages: for any that disobey Allah and His Messenger,- for them is Hell: they shall dwell therein for ever."”
Cited for
A threat of Hell forces belief, and forced belief is worth nothing.
The response
A warning is not force. The Qur'an forbids compulsion in religion and says: let him who will believe, and let him who will reject.
Where it lands — The choice stays the person's own, so belief after a warning is still free.
Qur'an 36:12 — Surat Ya Sin (Yaseen), verse 12
“Verily We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before and that which they leave behind, and of all things have We taken account in a clear Book (of evidence).”
Cited for
God knew in advance who would end in Hell. Creating them anyway is cruel.
The response
Knowing a choice is not making it. People choose freely, and messengers were sent so that no one has a plea against God (﷾).
Where it lands — God's (﷾) knowledge does not take away anyone's choice, so it does not make Hell unjust.
Perspectives
Atheist and sceptic: everlasting Hell is unjust
Just punishment fits the crime. A finite life cannot deserve an infinite penalty, and a good person who did not believe should not suffer for ever. A loving God would not create such a place.
A person lives a short life, full of doubt and ignorance. No sin committed in it could deserve a penalty without end. Punishment that lasts for ever breaks the rule that the punishment must fit the crime.
Rebuttal
No court sets a sentence by how long the crime took. Islam weighs every deed, and Hell has degrees. Its everlasting outcome follows dying without faith after the message has come.
Islam sends a kind atheist to Hell for ever, while a Muslim who committed murder ends up in Paradise. That cannot be fair.
Rebuttal
The disbeliever's good is repaid in this world. The Muslim murderer's good deeds go to his victims, and if they run out, their sins are thrown on him. The everlasting outcome follows the account with God (﷾).
A God who is truly loving and merciful would never let anyone suffer for ever.
Rebuttal
Mercy does not cancel justice, and punishment is not for God's (﷾) gain. It is justice, owed to the truth and to everyone wronged. Islam says His mercy is greater than a mother's.
Most people believe what they were brought up to believe. So Hell punishes people for where they happened to be born.
Rebuttal
Islam punishes no one before the message reaches him. Each person is judged by what reached him, by a God who knows every heart.
Belief held under the threat of Hell is not free belief at all.
Rebuttal
A warning is not force. Islam says there is no compulsion in religion: let him who will believe, and let him who will reject.
If God knew in advance who would end in Hell, it is cruel to create them at all.
Rebuttal
Knowing a choice is not making it. People are created free to choose, and messengers were sent so that no one has a plea against God (﷾).
Buddhist: hell lasts only until the deed is spent
The Buddha taught that hells are real but not eternal. Beings suffer there until the bad deed that brought them is used up, and then they are reborn.
In hell, beings suffer, but they do not die until the bad deed is used up. So no hell lasts for ever.
Rebuttal
Then the Buddhist hells also answer deeds with a just punishment, as Islam says. Islam agrees that sinful believers who enter Hell are brought out, by God's (﷾) mercy. The outcome that lasts is only for one who dies rejecting faith after the message has come. And God (﷾) punishes no one before a messenger has warned him.
Sikh: God's worshippers do not go to hell
Guru Arjan asks why those who adore God day and night should go to hell. Sikh teaching holds that by God's grace the soul reaches the gate of salvation.
Why should they who adore God day and night go to hell?
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that God (﷾) wrongs no one. He punishes no one before a messenger has warned him. The question is which worship He accepts once His message has come. The Qur'an says that if anyone desires a religion other than submission to Allah (﷾), it will never be accepted of him.
Jain: karma is measured to the deed
Jainism teaches that no one escapes the effect of their own actions, in this life or the next. But each karma is measured to the deed that made it. The soul may pass through the hells, but no punishment there lasts for ever.
No one escapes the effect of their own actions, in this life or the next. But each effect matches its deed, so no punishment can be endless.
Rebuttal
Islam also weighs every deed, down to an atom's weight. And God (﷾) is never unjust in the least degree. But a deed's weight is not the time it took. Think of a person who rejects, until death, the One who gave them everything, after His message has come. That is the choice of a whole life, and its outcome is final.
The Islamic perspective
Paradise and Hell last for ever. Hell is for ever for those who die rejecting faith after the message has reached them. Every deed is weighed, Hell has degrees, and God (﷾) wrongs no one.
Those who die rejecting faith after the message has reached them will dwell in Hell for ever. Those in Paradise will never be asked to leave.
God (﷾) punishes no one before a messenger has warned him.
God (﷾) is never unjust in the least degree. Every deed is weighed, and all have degrees according to their deeds.
A disbeliever's good is repaid in this world. A Muslim who wronged others pays with his own good deeds, and may be thrown into the Fire.
God's (﷾) mercy is greater than a mother's. He forgives all sins to those who turn to Him before death.