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Abstract
There are various prejudices in society regarding the Islamic concepts of faith. These prejudices are easily eliminated when faced with true knowledge and basic religious sources. Allegations often represent uninformed judgment. The main goal of this article is to clarify a frequently asked question about Islamic beliefs regarding the afterlife. According to some, this question has recently caused young people to break away from faith. To what extent can we embrace a religion that predicts eternal torment? In this article, we draw attention to these prejudices and encourage readers to investigate the intellectual depth of Islam based on knowledge. Humans have great potential. However, a person can achieve happiness in both the world and the hereafter by revealing the potential given to him from birth through his/her choices and behaviors. A person can reveal his existing talent in the best and most accurate way by reflecting on the meanings of the names of his Lord, who created him, in his life and living in accordance with them. Prejudices regarding Islamic religion’s understanding of the afterlife have come to the fore on social media and books. In this article, we discuss the claim about Islam that "it scares us with eternal torment.” Does Islam really scare people with punishments? Are people attached to Islam out of fear, as claimed? Does the Holy Quran suppress questioning? Or does this encourage it? It is possible to find many pros and consensuses in the history of commentary and theology regarding whether punishment is eternal. While evaluating these views, we must be responsible for ensuring and filtering whether they conform to the spirit and basic goals of the Holy Quran and Hadiths. The fact that the names of forgiving, merciful, and merciful are among the beautiful Names of Allah (Al-Asma Al-Husna), but the names of the one who punishes, the one who is angry, and the one who torments are excluded, should be accepted as evidence that the punishment will not be eternal. Mercy is an ancient attribute that cannot be separated from the essence of Allah.
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References
Abdülbâkî, M. F. (2007). Mu’cemu’l-mufehres li elfâzi’l-Kur’âni’l-Kerîm. Dâru’l-Hadîs.
Abrahamov, B. (2002). The creation and duration of Paradise and Hell in Islamic theology. Der Islam, 79, 87–102.
Ajmain, M. T., Zaki, N. I. M., & Rahman, S. N. H. A. (2022). Society values based on Islamic education. Al-Wijdãn Journal of Islamic Education Studies, 7(2), 291–303. https://doi.org/10.58788/alwijdn.v7i2.1833
Al-Issa, R. S., Krauss, S. E., Roslan, S., & Abdullah, H. (2021). To heaven through hell: Are there cognitive foundations for purgatory? Evidence from Islamic cultures. Religions, 12(11), 1026. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12111026
Al-Zamakhshārī, A. al-Q. J. A. M. b. U. (2009). Tafsīr al-Kashshāf ‘an Ḥaqā’iq al-Tanzīl wa Uyūn al-Aqāwīl fī Wujūh al-Ta’wīl. Dār al-Ma`rifa.
Amiruddin, A., Qorib, M., & Zailani, Z. (2021). A study of the role of Islamic spirituality in happiness of Muslim citizens. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 77(4), 5. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i4.6655
Armayanto, H., Dzulhadi, Q. N., & Ulfa, M. (2023). Antara kebebasan beragama dan murtad dalam Islam: Analisis terhadap Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 256 [Between freedom of religion and apostasy in Islam: Analysis of Surah Al-Baqarah verse 256]. Journal of Islamic and Occidental Studies, 1(1), 113–135. https://doi.org/10.21111/jios.v1i1.9
Başci, A. (2021). Cahiliye Arap dönemi hitabelerinde göze çarpan belirgin özellikler. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 69, 345–359. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.944335
Bautista, J., Escobar, V., & Miranda, R. (2017). Scientific and religious beliefs about the origin of life and life after death: Validation of a scale. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5, 995–1007. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050612
Bölükbaşı, M. (2019). Cahi̇li̇ye devri̇ araplarinda di̇n anlayişi. Nüsha Şarkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, 19(49), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.32330/nusha.605306
Dar, B. A. (2013). Ethical teaching of Quran. In M. M. Sharif (Ed.), A history of Muslim philosophy. Royal Book Co.
Et-Tehânevi, M. A. (1996). Mevsuatu Keşşafı Istılahatil-Fünun vel-Ulum. Mektebetu Lübnan Naşirun.
Fadl, K. A. E. (2014). When happiness fails: An Islamic perspective. Journal of Law and Religion, 29(1), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2013.10
Fischer, J. M. (2022). Death, immortality, and meaning in life: Precis and further reflections. The Journal of Ethics, 26(3), 341–359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10892-022-09392-8
Hick, J. H. (1989). Philosophy of religion (4th edition). Pearson.
Izutsu, T. (2002a). Ethico-religious concepts in the Qur’an (First Edition). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Izutsu, T. (2002b). God and man in the Quran: Semantics of the Qur’anic Weltanschauung. Islamic Book Trust.
Lawrence-Hart, G., & Deezia, B. S. (2023). Theories of religion: Tools to understanding human religious beliefs, practices and philosophy. Timsmek Global Publishers.
Liquin, E. G., Metz, S. E., & Lombrozo, T. (2020). Science demands explanation, religion tolerates mystery. Cognition, 204, 104398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104398
Mashour, G. A., & Alkire, M. T. (2014). Evolution of consciousness: Phylogeny, ontogeny, and emergence from general anesthesia. In C. J. Cela-Conde, R. G. Lombardo, J. C. Avise, & F. J. Ayala (Eds.), In the light of evolution: Volume VII: The human mental machinery. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK231624/
Mun’im, A., Oktafia, R., & Churrahman, T. (2020). Reward and punishment to motivate performance in Islamic perspective. Proceedings of The ICECRS, 6. https://doi.org/10.21070/icecrs2020375
Musta’in, M. (2018). The stylistics of al-Qur’an: The symbolic meaning and function of the art of reading al-Qur’an on the context of communication. Ijtimā Iyya Journal of Muslim Society Research, 3(2), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.24090/ijtimaiyya.v3i2.1923
Pagani, S. (2016). 9 Ibn ʿArabī, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and the political functions of punishment in the Islamic Hell. In C. Lange (Ed.), Locating hell in Islamic traditions. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004301368_010
Qaddumi, G. H. (2012). Paradise and hell in Islam: The literary aspect as represented in Risālat al-Ġufrān. The Arabist: Budapest Studies in Arabic, 30, 55–66. https://doi.org/10.58513/ARABIST.2012.30.4
Rizvi, M. A. K., & Hossain, M. Z. (2017). Relationship between religious belief and happiness: A systematic literature review. Journal of Religion and Health, 56(5), 1561–1582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0332-6
Rosenthal, F. (2006). Knowledge triumphant: The concept of knowledge in medieval Islam. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004153868.i-355
Sallnow, L., Smith, R., Ahmedzai, S. H., Bhadelia, A., Chamberlain, C., Cong, Y., Doble, B., Dullie, L., Durie, R., Finkelstein, E. A., Guglani, S., Hodson, M., Husebø, B. S., Kellehear, A., Kitzinger, C., Knaul, F. M., Murray, S. A., Neuberger, J., O’Mahony, S., … Wyatt, K. (2022). Report of the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death: Bringing death back into life. Lancet (London, England), 399(10327), 837–884. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02314-X
Shah, M. M. ul H., Tayyabi, D. A., & Shah, D. M. A. (2021). A critical study on the fundamentals of masalih and mafasid’s attainments in the light of sharia’s objectives [مقاصد شریعہ میں مصالح اور مفاسد کی پہچان کے طرق و ]ضوابط کا تنقیدی مطالعہ. Al Khadim Research Journal of Islamic Culture and Civilization, 2(3), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.53575/arjicc.v2.03(21)u9.111-126
Shakir, Z. (2018). The human in the Qur’an. Renovatio | The Journal of Zaytuna College. https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/the-human-in-the-quran
Shanta, B. N. (2015). Life and consciousness – The Vedāntic view. Communicative & Integrative Biology, 8(5), e1085138. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420889.2015.1085138
Sperl, S. (2020). The Qur’an and Arabic poetry. In M. Shah & M. A. Haleem (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Qur’anic studies (pp. 401–415). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199698646.013.16
Stewart, J. E. (2022). The evolution and development of consciousness: The subject-object emergence hypothesis. Biosystems, 217, 104687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104687
Sumbulah, U. (2018). Freedom of religion in Qur’anic perspectives: The inclusive interpretations of contemporary Muslim scholars. Proceedings of the International Conference on Qur’an and Hadith Studies (ICQHS 2017). International Conference on Qur’an and Hadith Studies (ICQHS 2017), Jakarta, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/icqhs-17.2018.10
Thomassen, E. (2009). Islamic hell. Numen, 56, 401–416. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852709X405062
References
Abdülbâkî, M. F. (2007). Mu’cemu’l-mufehres li elfâzi’l-Kur’âni’l-Kerîm. Dâru’l-Hadîs.
Abrahamov, B. (2002). The creation and duration of Paradise and Hell in Islamic theology. Der Islam, 79, 87–102.
Ajmain, M. T., Zaki, N. I. M., & Rahman, S. N. H. A. (2022). Society values based on Islamic education. Al-Wijdãn Journal of Islamic Education Studies, 7(2), 291–303. https://doi.org/10.58788/alwijdn.v7i2.1833
Al-Issa, R. S., Krauss, S. E., Roslan, S., & Abdullah, H. (2021). To heaven through hell: Are there cognitive foundations for purgatory? Evidence from Islamic cultures. Religions, 12(11), 1026. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12111026
Al-Zamakhshārī, A. al-Q. J. A. M. b. U. (2009). Tafsīr al-Kashshāf ‘an Ḥaqā’iq al-Tanzīl wa Uyūn al-Aqāwīl fī Wujūh al-Ta’wīl. Dār al-Ma`rifa.
Amiruddin, A., Qorib, M., & Zailani, Z. (2021). A study of the role of Islamic spirituality in happiness of Muslim citizens. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 77(4), 5. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i4.6655
Armayanto, H., Dzulhadi, Q. N., & Ulfa, M. (2023). Antara kebebasan beragama dan murtad dalam Islam: Analisis terhadap Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 256 [Between freedom of religion and apostasy in Islam: Analysis of Surah Al-Baqarah verse 256]. Journal of Islamic and Occidental Studies, 1(1), 113–135. https://doi.org/10.21111/jios.v1i1.9
Başci, A. (2021). Cahiliye Arap dönemi hitabelerinde göze çarpan belirgin özellikler. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 69, 345–359. https://doi.org/10.51290/dpusbe.944335
Bautista, J., Escobar, V., & Miranda, R. (2017). Scientific and religious beliefs about the origin of life and life after death: Validation of a scale. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5, 995–1007. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050612
Bölükbaşı, M. (2019). Cahi̇li̇ye devri̇ araplarinda di̇n anlayişi. Nüsha Şarkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi, 19(49), 97–120. https://doi.org/10.32330/nusha.605306
Dar, B. A. (2013). Ethical teaching of Quran. In M. M. Sharif (Ed.), A history of Muslim philosophy. Royal Book Co.
Et-Tehânevi, M. A. (1996). Mevsuatu Keşşafı Istılahatil-Fünun vel-Ulum. Mektebetu Lübnan Naşirun.
Fadl, K. A. E. (2014). When happiness fails: An Islamic perspective. Journal of Law and Religion, 29(1), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2013.10
Fischer, J. M. (2022). Death, immortality, and meaning in life: Precis and further reflections. The Journal of Ethics, 26(3), 341–359. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10892-022-09392-8
Hick, J. H. (1989). Philosophy of religion (4th edition). Pearson.
Izutsu, T. (2002a). Ethico-religious concepts in the Qur’an (First Edition). McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Izutsu, T. (2002b). God and man in the Quran: Semantics of the Qur’anic Weltanschauung. Islamic Book Trust.
Lawrence-Hart, G., & Deezia, B. S. (2023). Theories of religion: Tools to understanding human religious beliefs, practices and philosophy. Timsmek Global Publishers.
Liquin, E. G., Metz, S. E., & Lombrozo, T. (2020). Science demands explanation, religion tolerates mystery. Cognition, 204, 104398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104398
Mashour, G. A., & Alkire, M. T. (2014). Evolution of consciousness: Phylogeny, ontogeny, and emergence from general anesthesia. In C. J. Cela-Conde, R. G. Lombardo, J. C. Avise, & F. J. Ayala (Eds.), In the light of evolution: Volume VII: The human mental machinery. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK231624/
Mun’im, A., Oktafia, R., & Churrahman, T. (2020). Reward and punishment to motivate performance in Islamic perspective. Proceedings of The ICECRS, 6. https://doi.org/10.21070/icecrs2020375
Musta’in, M. (2018). The stylistics of al-Qur’an: The symbolic meaning and function of the art of reading al-Qur’an on the context of communication. Ijtimā Iyya Journal of Muslim Society Research, 3(2), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.24090/ijtimaiyya.v3i2.1923
Pagani, S. (2016). 9 Ibn ʿArabī, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and the political functions of punishment in the Islamic Hell. In C. Lange (Ed.), Locating hell in Islamic traditions. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004301368_010
Qaddumi, G. H. (2012). Paradise and hell in Islam: The literary aspect as represented in Risālat al-Ġufrān. The Arabist: Budapest Studies in Arabic, 30, 55–66. https://doi.org/10.58513/ARABIST.2012.30.4
Rizvi, M. A. K., & Hossain, M. Z. (2017). Relationship between religious belief and happiness: A systematic literature review. Journal of Religion and Health, 56(5), 1561–1582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0332-6
Rosenthal, F. (2006). Knowledge triumphant: The concept of knowledge in medieval Islam. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004153868.i-355
Sallnow, L., Smith, R., Ahmedzai, S. H., Bhadelia, A., Chamberlain, C., Cong, Y., Doble, B., Dullie, L., Durie, R., Finkelstein, E. A., Guglani, S., Hodson, M., Husebø, B. S., Kellehear, A., Kitzinger, C., Knaul, F. M., Murray, S. A., Neuberger, J., O’Mahony, S., … Wyatt, K. (2022). Report of the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death: Bringing death back into life. Lancet (London, England), 399(10327), 837–884. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02314-X
Shah, M. M. ul H., Tayyabi, D. A., & Shah, D. M. A. (2021). A critical study on the fundamentals of masalih and mafasid’s attainments in the light of sharia’s objectives [مقاصد شریعہ میں مصالح اور مفاسد کی پہچان کے طرق و ]ضوابط کا تنقیدی مطالعہ. Al Khadim Research Journal of Islamic Culture and Civilization, 2(3), 111–126. https://doi.org/10.53575/arjicc.v2.03(21)u9.111-126
Shakir, Z. (2018). The human in the Qur’an. Renovatio | The Journal of Zaytuna College. https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/the-human-in-the-quran
Shanta, B. N. (2015). Life and consciousness – The Vedāntic view. Communicative & Integrative Biology, 8(5), e1085138. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420889.2015.1085138
Sperl, S. (2020). The Qur’an and Arabic poetry. In M. Shah & M. A. Haleem (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of Qur’anic studies (pp. 401–415). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199698646.013.16
Stewart, J. E. (2022). The evolution and development of consciousness: The subject-object emergence hypothesis. Biosystems, 217, 104687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystems.2022.104687
Sumbulah, U. (2018). Freedom of religion in Qur’anic perspectives: The inclusive interpretations of contemporary Muslim scholars. Proceedings of the International Conference on Qur’an and Hadith Studies (ICQHS 2017). International Conference on Qur’an and Hadith Studies (ICQHS 2017), Jakarta, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/icqhs-17.2018.10
Thomassen, E. (2009). Islamic hell. Numen, 56, 401–416. https://doi.org/10.1163/156852709X405062
