The Saying that the Hellfire is Eternal Is Plentiful and Abundant in the Works of Ibn Taymiyyah and He Refutes the Contrary View

An example of that is the saying of Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah in response to a question (Majmu' al-Fatawa 18/307):

And he was asked: About the hadeeth of Anas bin Malik from the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) that he said, "Seven never die, never perish and never taste perishment. The Hellfire , its inhabitants, the Preserved Tablet, the Pen, the Kursee, and the Arsh", is this hadith sahih (authentic) or not? So he replied: This narration with this wording is not from the speech of the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), but it is from the speech of some of the Scholars. And the Salaf of the Ummah and its leading scholars, and all of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah are agreed that there are from the created things those which will not cease to exist, and will never entirely perish, such as Paradise and Hellfire , the Throne and other than that. And none spoke of the expiration of all of the created things except a faction from the innovating Ahl al-Kalaam, such as al-Jahm bin Safwan and whoever agreed with him from the Mu'tazilah and their likes. This saying is futile, it opposes the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger and the consensus of the Salaf of this Ummah and its leading scholars. Just as there is evidence in that of the eternity of Paradise and its inhabitants, and the eternity of other than that which this page does not suffice for it to be mentioned. Some of the factions of Ahl al-Kalaam and the Mutafalsifah have argued for the impossibility of the expiration of all created things using rational evidences. And Allaah knows best.

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