The Beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community — Page 9
‑ 9 ‑ reprimand. Just to contemplate the torment of hell makes the heart tremble with fear due to the immensity of its length. [Indeed, it is so long,] that in the Holy Qur’an Allah the Exalted describes hell as ’ abd , that is, never- ending. Who can endure such a sustained punishment? And what could be more painful than the fact that while one, who is disobedient to God, is wasting in hell and cauterising their unholy soul in its fire, their kin will be vying for God’s nearness and rapidly progressing in spirituality. Ask any jockey about the despair they would feel if they were stopped for a time during a race, and then made to return to the contest [once the other competitors have surpassed them]. We believe with complete certainty that the human soul will continue to progress to a higher level and reach a stage where on account of its enhanced capabilities it will become like a new being, while retaining