al-Radd ala man qala bifana al-Janna wa al-Nar
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Dār Balansiyyah
al-Radd ‘ala man qala bi-fana’ al-Janna wa-l-Nar (Refutation of Whoever Asserts the Annihilation of Paradise and Hellfire) is a theological treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) addressing the debate surrounding the eternity and annihilation of Paradise and Hellfire.
Background and Titles
The work was composed in response to questions and perplexities regarding the eschatological fate of the two abodes, including inquiries raised by Ibn Taymiyya's student Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya. Ibn al-Qayyim noted in Shifa' al-'Alil that he had initially asked his teacher about the issue without receiving an immediate answer, after which Ibn Taymiyya later authored his treatise.
The treatise lacks an explicit author-assigned title in the surviving manuscript tradition. Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi listed it under the title Qa‘ida fi al-radd ‘ala man qala bi-fana’ al-janna wa-l-nar, while manuscripts refer to it either as al-Radd ‘ala man qala bi-fana’ al-janna wa-l-nar or designate its opening as a chapter (fasl) on the annihilation of Paradise and Hellfire.
Contents and Methodology
The treatise organizes scholarly differences regarding the duration of the afterlife into three main positions:
- The perpetual existence of both Paradise and Hellfire: Held by the majority of early Muslims (jumhur al-salaf), asserting that both abodes endure eternally by God's will and power.
- The annihilation of both abodes: A doctrine attributed to Jahm ibn Safwan and his followers, which early Sunni authorities rejected and deemed an act of disbelief.
- The perpetual existence of Paradise and the annihilation of Hellfire: The view affirming the unending bliss of Paradise while arguing that Hellfire or its punishment will eventually cease.
In examining these positions, Ibn Taymiyya critiques philosophical and scholastic theories—including those of the Jahmiyya and the followers of Abu al-Hudhayl al-'Allaf—while surveying narrations attributed to early figures such as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Abu Hurayra, and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, along with exegetical transmissions collected by scholars such as 'Abd ibn Humayd. The work also examines theological distinctions between the permanent nature of divine mercy and grace compared to divine wrath and punishment.
Reception and Scholarly Debate
The treatise stimulated substantial polemical exchange in both classical and later Islamic scholarship:
- The Shafi'i jurist Taqi al-Din al-Subki (d. 756 AH) wrote a direct refutation titled al-I‘tibar bi-baqa’ al-Janna wa-l-Nar, targeting Ibn Taymiyya's presentation of the issue.
- The Yemeni scholar Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-San'ani authored Raf‘ al-astar li-ibtal adillat al-qa’ilin bi-fana’ al-nar, critiquing any inclination toward the doctrine of Hellfire's cessation attributed to Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim.
- Later scholars and commentators have debated Ibn Taymiyya's personal stance in the treatise: some argue that he merely surveyed differing viewpoints and arguments without endorsing the cessation of Hellfire, while others emphasize that in his other published writings he affirmed the consensus on the perpetual existence of both abodes.
Publication
A critical edition of the text was prepared by Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah al-Samhari based on a manuscript from Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya and published in a single volume by Dar Balansiyya in Riyadh in 1415 AH / 1995 CE under the title al-Radd ‘ala man qala bi-fana’ al-janna wa-l-nar wa-bayan al-aqwal fi dhalik.
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