Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Teacher
2 Professor of Philosophy, Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran
Abstract
Abstract
According to Quranic verses and traditions, certain grave sins committed by humans entail eternal punishment (khulūd) in Hell. Sheikh al-Tūsī and Mullā Sadrā, two eminent Imami scholars, adopted partially divergent approaches to this theological issue. As the interpretation of terms can lead to different conclusions, the authors of this study, using a content analysis methodology, have tried to elaborate on this subject. The meaning of khulūd in this article is eternal punishment in Hell. The central question of this study is: What interpretations and explanations do Sheikh al-Tūsī and Mullā Sadrā offer regarding the theory of eternal punishment (khulūd) in Hell? Key findings include:1: Sheikh al-Tūsī restricted eternal damnation in Hell exclusively to disbelievers (kuffār). By invoking the principle that God is not obligated to fulfill His threats (adam luzūm al-waīd) and by the virtue of faith, he exempted believers who are guilty of major sins (kabā'ir)—provided they maintained ritual prayer (ṣalāh)—from eternal torment. In contrast, Mullā Sadrā, initially influenced by Ibn 'Arabī, argued against the eternity of punishment for both believers and disbelievers, positing that all humans ultimately return to their divine origin. However, in his later work al-`Arshiyyah, he retracted this stance, affirming the eternal punishment of certain individuals in Hell.2: In this study, various propositions on khulūd were formulated, leading to the conclusion that Sheikh al-Tūsī and the later Mullā Sadrā (author of al-`Arshiyyah) both endorse the concept of co-eternal punishment for disbelievers.3: Mullā Sadrā’s position in al-`Arshiyyah, when compared with his three other works, does not signify a discrepancy in the validity or acceptance of two contradictory views. Rather, it represents a precise retraction of his former position and the acceptance of proposition 2-4 (i.e., the disbeliever is eternally tormented in Hell).
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