Through Force or Faith? — Page 263
Chapter 7 — Novelty in the Teachings of Muhammad 263 a healing place, and after passing through it, all will enter Heaven. Hell is only a temporary abode where the people shall stay for a long time, but it will be for a finite time. ْهَا ۤ أَحْقَابًا ی ِْن َ ف ی لَّبِثِ that is, ‘they will tarry therein for ages’ ( S u rah an-Nab ā ’, 78:24). In comparison to this, Heaven is described as ٍ ْر َ مَجْذُوْذ ی عَطَآء ً غَ ‘a gift that shall not be cut off ’ ( S u rah H ū d, 11:109). Whenever God desires, the punish- ment in Hell shall come to an end ( S u rah H ū d, 11:108). Life in Hell will seem longer than it is due to its torment and the anxiety of the bearer. A detailed description of Hell and Heaven is provided; that it is not an imaginary world; these are the consequences of the deeds done in this life that will appear in a spiritual form in the life to come; and to make us understand, some similitudes have been mentioned. Thus: ْمُه اَهْيِف َنْوُدِلٰخْنِم ٍةَرَمَث اًقْزِّر١ۙ اْوُلاَق اَذٰه ْيِذَّلا اَنْقِزُر ْنِم ُلْبَق١ۙ َو اْوُتُا ٖهِب اًهِباَشَتُم١ؕ َو ْمُهَل ۤاَهْيِف ٌجاَوْزَا ٌةَرَّهَطُّم١ۙۗ َّو َو ِرِّشَب َنْيِذَّلا اْوُنَمٰا َو اوُلِمَع ِتٰحِلّٰصلا َّنَا ْمُهَل ٍتّٰنَج ْيِرْجَت ْنِم اَهِتْحَت ُرٰهْنَاْلا١ؕ اَمَّلُك اْوُقِزُر اَهْنِم Meaning that: And give glad tidings to those who believe and do good works, that for them are Gardens beneath which flow streams. Whenever they are given a portion of fruit therefrom, they will say: ‘This is what was given us before,’ whereas only sim- ilar things shall be brought to them. And they will have therein mates perfectly pure, and therein will they abide ( S u rah al-Baqa- rah, 2:26).