Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 347
347 becoming the manifestations of God’s attributes (51:57). That being the Divine purpose, it follows that it must be fulfilled in respect of everyone. God says: “I will inflict My punishment on whom I will; but My Mercy encompasses all things” (7:157). Indeed, mankind has been created for the fulfilment of God’s Mercy (11:120). When pain, punishment, and torment will have achieved their purpose, which is curative, and is in itself a manifestation of God’s Mercy, Divine Mercy will then enable each human being to react joyfully to the conditions of the life after death. The Prophet has said that a time will come when hell will be empty, and the cool breezes of God’s Mercy will blow through it. Duration in the Hereafter is within God’s knowledge alone and He alone knows how long any particular condition will last. It is common experience that periods of joy and happiness seem to race by, while moments of pain and anxiety appear unending. Pain and torment will appear long, for the torment suffered under the operation of Divine law will be severely felt, and no alleviation of it may be in sight. But eternity is infinite, and in each case a stage will be reached when torment will cease, pain will disappear, and all will be joy. As the experience of pain and punishment will be corrective and reformatory, each succeeding stage will bring amelioration, but so long as the process is incomplete, the over-all reaction will continue to be