Answered by Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra
Question
Will Jahannam or hell cease to exist after a very long time?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
No, Jahannam, or the Hellfire, will not cease to exist. Rather, it will last forever, just as Paradise [Jannah] will also.
Allah Most High says, “Surely Allah condemns the disbelievers, and has prepared for them a blazing Fire/ to stay there forever and ever—never will they find any protector or helper.” [Quran, 33:64]
Imam Tahawi, in his early classic work on Islamic beliefs, writes, “Paradise and Hell are two created things, and will not cease to exist or perish away.” [Tahawi, Bayan I‘tiqad Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama‘a]
Wassalam,
[Shaykh] Abdullah Anik Misra
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Shaykh Abdullah Misra was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1983. His family hails from India, and he was raised in the Hindu tradition. He embraced Islam in 2001 while at the University of Toronto, from where he completed a Bachelor of Business Administration. He then traveled overseas in 2005 to study the Arabic language and Islamic sciences in Tarim, Yemen, for some time, as well as Darul Uloom in Trinidad, West Indies. He spent 12 years in Amman, Jordan, where he focused on Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith Sciences, Prophetic Biography, and Islamic Spirituality while also working at the Qasid Arabic Institute as Director of Programs. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies (Alimiyya, Darul Uloom) and authorization in the six authentic books of Hadith and is currently pursuing specialized training in issuing Islamic legal verdicts (ifta’). He holds a certificate in Counselling and often works with new Muslims and those struggling with religious OCD. He is an instructor and researcher in Sacred Law and Theology with the SeekersGuidance The Global Islamic Seminary. Currently, He resides in the Greater Toronto Area with his wife and children. His personal interests include Indian history, comparative religion, English singing, and poetry.