Modern man has been in hell without knowing it and has gloriously misunderstood traditional religious view of it. Bertrand Russell, one of the most respected modern thinkers, rejected theological conception of hell in very strong terms. James Joyce, one of the most important writers of the twentieth century parodied theological conception of eternal hell in his famous autobiographical novel. Most modern writers, philosophers and even theologians, not to speak of ordinary mortals, have faced great difficulties in comprehending religious notion of hell. I think we need to approach the conception of hell from mystical perspective to understand it. In Islam it was Ibn Arabi who provided very comprehensive Sufi view of hell. Imagine that you were living in a certain place for years and then decided to move to some other place. The new occupant of your house suddenly discovered a huge treasure buried in your compound and you lost the huge fortune. The pain of loss and regret you will
Abstract of C V Muhammad Maroof Shah, Author and Columnist Born in 1978 in Kashmir, Muhammmad Maroof Shah has Masters in Philosophy and Veterinary Parasitology and doctorate in English on T h e Proble m o f N ihilis m and Absurdist I m pass e i n (Post) M oder n L iterature : A M etaphysica l A ppraisa l o f Sa m ue l B ecket t an d A lber t C a m u s. He has authored three books The Problem of Evil in Muslim Philosophy: A Case Study of Iqbal, Muslim Modernism and the Problem of Modern Science and Perennial Philosophy in the Postmodern World: Enigma of Osho . His interests include explorations on the interface of religion, philosophy and mysticism with more focus on Islamic Tradition in dialogue with other traditions. He has widely published in journals of comparative mysticism, Muslim philosophy and literary studies. He has been a regular columnist for English
Understanding Islamic View on Universality of Salvation and limited duration of hell Most Muslims assume that punishment for nonbelievers will not end as they shall be compelled to stay in eternal hell and that none will enjoy stay in hell at any point of time as if God’s mercy has no dominion or role there. Many Muslim theologians believe that God doesn’t need any reason (sin) to consider punishing someone in hell and can send anyone to hell. None of these assumptions have gone unchallenged by towering Muslim scholars, philosophers and Sufis. Before discussing the specific case of Ibn Taymiyyah against eternality of hell and exclusivist view on salvation, let us sum up certain points against the popular view. How come hell is called a friend ( mawla ) and mother ( umm ) in the Quran? How can any place be sealed for good against penetration of divine mercy? If we note that one is not punished for sins but by sins as noted by many astute minds and if suffering in punishment foll
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