Atheists argue that infinite punishment in Hell is unjust: why, they ask, would Allāh impose eternal punishment for a finite lifetime of disbelief and sins?

Let us clarify from the outset that there are two categories of people who will face punishment in Hell: first, sinful Muslims; and second, disbelievers, polytheists, and hypocrites. The punishment of sinful Muslims in Hell, as well as its duration, will correspond to the severity of their sins, and they will ultimately be brought out of it. In contrast, disbelievers, polytheists, and hypocrites who die in a state of disbelief, polytheism, or hypocrisy will endure punishment in Hell for eternity. Atheists often question the fairness of eternal punishment for sins committed over a finite period, arguing that no matter how grave a person’s wrongdoing, a finite offense should not warrant infinite punishment. As we shall explain, this argument is flawed because its underlying assumptions are not rationally sound. To begin with, there is an inherent problem in posing such a question, as it entails asking a human being to explain the wisdom of the Creator of human beings. It is important to recognize that fully comprehending the wisdom of Allāh is impossible; indeed, the assumption that human beings can grasp every aspect of His wisdom is itself an arrogant one. This does not mean, however, that asking such questions is wrong, for the Companions frequently asked the Prophet (PBUH) questions, and even the angels—when Allāh informed them that He would create a creation upon the earth—asked why He would create beings who would cause corruption therein. The point, therefore, is not that it is impermissible to ask how eternal punishment in Hell can be a fitting requital for a finite life of disbelief and sin; rather, what is impermissible is to reject a ruling of Allāh merely because one does not understand it. Thus, one should not make the disbelief of others and their deserving of eternal punishment a justification for one’s own disbelief, nor should one turn what one fails to comprehend into an excuse for rejecting as false the self-evident truths that one does comprehend. Do not be like those about whom Allāh says: {Rather, they have denied that which they encompass not in knowledge and whose interpretation has not yet come to them} (Qurʾān 10:39). Rest assured that Allāh will not wrong anyone in the least, and that His punishment of the transgressors is just:{So My threat was justly fulfilled} (Qurʾān 50:14). Moreover, those who have trouble understanding the issue of the eternality of punishment in Hell need to understand that injustice is to burden someone with more than they can bear or to punish someone for the sins of another—something that Allāh would never commit. Allāh says:{Allāh does not require of any soul more than what it can afford} (Qurʾān 2:286). And He says: {No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another} (Qurʾān 35:18). As for the severity of punishment, it is not injustice, for Allāh has every right to assign any punishment to any crime because He is the Lawgiver, the King, and the One Who decides. As Muslims, we understand that, because of the complete ownership Allāh has over us and His exalted station, He can act toward us as He wills, whether or not we comprehend the wisdom behind it. His Law is clear and has been communicated to us, and thus there can be no injustice. It is also important to recognize that punishment is not necessarily proportionate to the timeframe of the crime. In other words, the duration of a sentence is determined not by how long the offense took to commit but by its severity. For example, in our times, a murder committed with a gun may take only a fraction of a second. If the criminal were to request a jail term of the same duration because that is how long the act took, the judge would dismiss the claim without hesitation. The point is that it would be irrational to argue that a murderer should not receive a life sentence or a seventy-year sentence for a crime that took only a fraction of a second, because crimes are judged by their gravity, not by the time they took to commit. Now, it is universally understood in our religion that the gravest crime a human being can commit is turning away from the highest purpose of existence, which is the worship of Allāh. Indeed, even without the Qurʾān telling us, reason dictates that there is no graver offense than disbelief or polytheism, which cannot be compared to any sin against another human being. The punishment for sins against humans is finite because their consequences are finite. In contrast, the punishment for disbelief and polytheism is eternal due to the sheer arrogance of denying or associating partners with the One who created us and the cosmos we inhabit, and because of the eternal nature of the Being against whom the sin is committed. Therefore, it is entirely logical that polytheists and disbelievers will be punished forever in Hell. In stark contrast, according to the Qurʾān, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations of the Muslim community, no one with even an atom’s weight of faith in their heart will remain in Hell for eternity.¹

The response to those who ask, “If Allāh is All-Loving and Most Merciful, why does He punish disbelief and evil deeds of a few years with everlasting torment? Can He not show mercy?” is as follows: Why should Allāh forgive someone who never contemplated Him, sin and virtue, heaven and hell, life and death, who lived their entire life like an animal, and who never once said, “O Allāh, forgive me!”? The severity of the punishment, therefore, corresponds to the severity of the crime, and there is no graver crime than turning away from Allāh. Moreover, the punishment of a crime aligns with the value of the “victim.” For instance, killing an endangered animal and killing a human being do not warrant the same punishment, even though both involve taking a life. Everything has a value, and since the Creator has the greatest value, no punishment can exceed that of a transgression against Him. Furthermore, the eternality of the punishment is due to the fact that if those who committed disbelief or polytheism were granted an eternity to live, they would persist in their sin for all eternity. Allāh says in the Qurʾān that if the people of Hell were to be returned to life, they would resume their previous ways: {If only you could see when they will be detained before the Fire! They will cry, “Oh! If only we could be sent back, we would never deny the signs of our Lord and we would ˹surely˺ be of the believers.” But no! ˹They only say this˺ because the truth they used to hide will become all too clear to them. Even if they were to be sent back, they would certainly revert to what they were forbidden. Indeed, they are liars!} (Qurʾān 6:27–28). That is, if the unbelievers were to live for all eternity, they would continue denying the truth and committing wrongdoing for eternity, and thus their punishment is eternal as well.

Hence, Allāh is neither unfair nor cruel, and eternal punishment in Hell will be a befitting requital, fully commensurate with the deeds of the disbelievers: {an exact recompense} (Qurʾān 78:26). No one will be wronged in any way whatsoever in Allāh’s Court on the Day of Reckoning. Allāh says: {Today every soul will be rewarded for what it has done. No injustice Today!} (Qurʾān 40:17). And He says: {So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it} (Qurʾān 99:7–8). Every deed, whether good or bad, will be weighed and judged according to its merit: {We will set up the scales of justice on the Day of Judgment, so no soul will be wronged in the least. And ˹even˺ if a deed is the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as a ˹vigilant˺ Reckoner} (Qurʾān 21:47). Indeed, Allāh is the wielder of absolute justice, and no one who deserves a lesser punishment will be subjected to a greater one. In short, only those who merit Hell will enter it, and the severity of their punishment will correspond to the magnitude of their sins. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Allāh’s mercy and justice will operate in perfect harmony on the Day of Judgment. The Qurʾān and Sunnah make it clear that divine mercy and justice complement one another, though mercy reigns supreme. Allāh says: {I will inflict My torment on whoever I will. But My mercy encompasses everything} (Qurʾān 7:156). In an authentic ḥadīth, Abū Hurayrah narrated that Allāh’s Messenger (PBUH) said: “When Allāh completed the creation, He inscribed in His Book, which is with Him above His Throne: ‘My mercy prevails over My anger.’”² When Allāh raises the disbelievers from their graves, from which they thought in this world they would never be resurrected, and when they see with their own eyes that in which they had disbelieved, they will cry: {“Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of rest?} (Qurʾān 36:52). And it will be said to them, either by the believers or by the angels: {This is what the Most Gracious had promised, and the Messengers spoke truth!} (Qurʾān 36:52). The mention of “the Most Gracious” here, out of all the attributes of Allāh, is not merely to inform the disbelievers of His promise. Rather, it serves to convey that on that Great Day, they will witness His mercy in a way that no human heart has ever perceived and that no one could ever anticipate. This is similar to the Almighty’s saying: “True authority on that Day will belong ˹only˺ to the Most Compassionate” (Qurʾān 25:26), as well as His saying: “On that Day all will follow the caller ˹for assembly˺, ˹and˺ none will dare to deviate. All voices will be hushed before the Most Compassionate. Only whispers will be heard.” (Qurʾān 20:108).³ Indeed, Allāh’s attributes are timeless, and even when His anger shall manifest on the Day of Judgment, it will not resemble the anger of human beings, which can override their sense of justice and drive them into transgression. Undeniably, the Master of the Day of Retribution will never exceed the bounds of justice in the least, while the oceans of His mercy on that Day will be boundless.The Prophet (PBUH) assured us that Allāh has distributed a single portion of His mercy among the entire world, enabling all its inhabitants to show empathy toward one another, and has reserved ninety-nine times as much for His believing servants on the Day of Judgment.⁴ That is why there are remarkable reports, such as that of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd, who said that people will continue to receive mercy on the Day of Judgment, to the extent that even Satan will hope for mercy because of what he witnesses of Allāh’s mercy and the intercession of the intercessors.⁵ Hence, for many, it will be an overwhelming torrent of seemingly endless grace on that Day of Reckoning: from a man being forgiven all his sins for removing a dangerous tree from the road,⁶ to a woman being forgiven for her prostitution for bringing water from a well to an extremely thirsty dog.⁷ All in all, Allāh’s mercy does not prevent Him from upholding justice, and His justice does not prevent Him from being the Most Merciful, in this life and the next. Verily, He is to be praised for eternity for His mercy, justice, and wisdom. On the Day of Judgement, everyone will be rewarded or punished according to their deeds, both good and evil, and absolutely none of anyone’s deeds will be hidden from Him. Our Lord says: {And praise be to Him in the Hereafter. He is the All-Wise, All-Aware} (Qurʾān 34:1). And He says: {He is Allāh. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. All praise belongs to Him in this life and the next. All authority is His. And to Him you will ˹all˺ be returned} (Qurʾān 28:70).

In conclusion, the question regarding the eternality of punishment—how a sin committed for a limited period can justify eternal punishment—is baseless, for we, as creatures, have no right to challenge the decisions of the Creator. Moreover, it is irrational for the reasons elaborated above: punishment is never determined by the duration of a crime but by its gravity; the sin is committed against One Who is eternal, and therefore the punishment should also be eternal; the severity of punishment corresponds to the value of the “victim,” and since the Creator is of supreme value, no punishment can outweigh a transgression against Him; and those who die in a state of disbelief or polytheism, without having repented, would have committed this sin for all eternity if they could, making an eternal punishment entirely fitting. In short, the crime of disbelief or polytheism is grave enough to merit eternal punishment.