Page 154 - The Religion Of The Ignorant

THE RELIGION OF THE IGNORANT

certain length of time, they, with their mediocre intellect, assume
that they are guaranteed to enter Paradise. However, this is a super-
stitious belief and another example of self-deception. This is related
thus in the Qur'an:
That is because they say, "The Fire will only touch us for a
number of days." Their inventions have deluded them in
their religion. But how will it be when We gather them all
together for a Day about which there is no doubt? Every
self will be paid in full for what it earned. They will not be
wronged. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 24-25)
Another verse refers to this superstitious belief in these terms:
They say, "The Fire will only touch us for a number of
days." Say, "Have you made a contract with Allah—then
Allah will not break His contract—or are you rather saying
about Allah what you do not know?" (Surat al-Baqara, 80)
Yet the position is not like they imagine. In the very next verse,
the situation in the Hereafter is reported as follows:
No indeed! Those who accumulate bad actions and are sur-
rounded by their mistakes, such people are the
Companions of the Fire, remaining in it timelessly, for
ever. (Surat al-Baqara, 81)
In addition, there is the following hadith of our Prophet (saas)
as a blessing from Allah:
The Prophet (saas) said: "He with the slightest speck of faith will be saved
from the fire." Abu Said says: "Whoever doubts (the reality imparted by
this statement) should read the following verse: ‘Allah does not wrong
anyone by so much as the smallest speck...'" (Surat an-Nisa, 40)
(Tirmidhi, Sifat al-Jahannam 10, 2601)

The reason why adherents of Ignorantism and all unbelievers
in general dare to hold such beliefs on the subject of the torments of
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