Salvation from original sin in Christianity, and salvation through faith in God, worshipping Him, and following His commandments in Islam : which of the two paths is based on divine justice and sound human nature ?
Who deceived you with false salvation?
Do not let the illusion of safety lead you to Hell and deprive you of God's mercy and eternal life!
God loves guidance and salvation for you, and does not want misguidance and destruction for you.
God, glory be to Him and exalted be He, is your Creator, and He knows best what is good for you, and is more merciful to you than yourself, and He has opened for you the door of repentance and forgiveness, and has guided you to the path that leads you to His pleasure and His Paradise.
God wants guidance, forgiveness, and salvation from the punishment of the Hereafter for you, so do not cling to a salvation you imagine to be correct without verifying that it is the truth that God has sent down.
Seek the truth and follow it before death comes, for there the opportunity for action and choice ends, and the reckoning begins.
Does the matter not deserve from you that you search sincerely for the path that pleases God, instead of being content with a path you inherited from others without verifying it, and thus risk losing your life and your eternal destiny, and your end being Hell instead of the bliss of Paradise and the happy eternal life ?
What is true faith in God ?
True faith, to which all the prophets of God and His messengers called: that a person believes in God, the One, the Unique, and devotes worship sincerely to Him without associating anyone with Him, and believes in what He has revealed of revelation, and believes in all His messengers and follows their guidance, and is certain that he is returning to God on the Day of Resurrection, where he will stand before Him and be held accountable for his deeds.
God Almighty said :
{ 175) So those who believe in Allah and hold fast to Him- He will admit them to mercy from Himself and bounty and guide them to Himself on a straight path. }
[ The Noble Quran 4 : 175 ]
Where do I find true salvation ?
And what is the path that saves me from the punishment of God, and grants me His forgiveness and pleasure and winning Paradise and eternal life ?
Is salvation achieved through repentance and worshipping God alone and obeying Him, or through believing that Christ was crucified as a ransom for the sins of mankind ?
And what do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam teach about salvation and the fate of man after death ?
What is salvation ?
Salvation is deliverance from the punishment of God on the Day of Resurrection, and winning His forgiveness, His mercy, His pleasure, and entering Paradise and eternal life.
There are matters that prevent a person from salvation if he persists in them and does not repent of them, the most important of which are :
2. Disbelief in God and rejection of the truth That a person refuses to believe in God or turns away from the truth after it has become clear to him, and persists in denying it.
{136) O you who have believed, believe195 in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray. }
[ The Noble Quran 4 : 136 ]
2. Associating partners with God
That a person makes for God a partner in worship, or directs worship to other than Him, or worships a creature along with God.
God Almighty said :
(48) Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin. )
[ The Noble Quran 4 : 48 ].
Rejecting the message of God that He sent down upon His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
Islam is not a new call separate from the messages of the previous prophets, but rather it is an extension of their call in its origin and essence ; for all the prophets called to the worship of God alone, and to submission to Him in obedience, and to following His commands and commandments, and to repentance to Him and seeking His forgiveness.
And God sent down the Quran upon Muhammad ﷺ to be guidance for people and a final message for humanity.
Does the concept of salvation differ in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ?
There appears a fundamental difference in the concept of salvation between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam:
First: What is the concept of salvation and deliverance from the punishment of God in Judaism ?
Judaism generally does not believe that man is born guilty because of Adam's sin, or that he inherits a personal sin from his father Adam that requires a ransom until he is freed from it; rather, man is held accountable for his own deeds and sins, and not for a sin committed by someone else.
There is no explicit text in the Old Testament that states that every person is born carrying the personal guilt of Adam, or that God holds him accountable for a disobedience committed by Adam thousands of years before his birth.
If the fate of man after death is one of the greatest issues that occupies the human mind,
the important fact is that the Old Testament does not provide a detailed and clear description explaining how man is saved on the Day of Resurrection and enters eternal life. We do not find in it a complete presentation of the bliss of the people of Paradise, nor a detailed description of the punishment of the people of Hell as we find in the Noble Quran, nor a clear determination of the fate of every person after death.
Second : What does Christianity teach about salvation ?
The Christian conception of salvation differs fundamentally from the conception found in Judaism and Islam.
In Christianity, the issue of man's salvation is not limited to repentance from his personal sins, or correcting his shortcomings in worshipping God and following His commandments, but is linked to the doctrine of original sin and the inheritance of guilt, which Christianity claims humanity inherited the effects of Adam's disobedience, and became in need of salvation from this state.
The Christian doctrine of salvation is based on the belief that Adam committed the first sin when he disobeyed God's command and ate from the forbidden tree, and that this sin brought corruption and death into the life of humanity, and the descendants of Adam became in need of salvation from the effects of the fall.
And this conception is based primarily on what is stated in Paul's Epistle to the Romans :
" Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned ."
( Romans 5 : 12 ).
And also Paul's saying :
( 1 Corinthians 15 : 22 ).
"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive."
But the simple question: Is this what Christ actually taught ?
Salvation according to Jesus
Jesus did not explicitly mention in the four Gospels that he would die to save humanity from sin.
When a man asked him what he could do to obtain eternal life, Jesus told him to keep the commandments ( Matthew 19 :16 - 17 ).
The Gospels themselves testify that the message of Christ was repentance and return to God and worship of the great Creator God :
And it came in the Gospel of Matthew 4 : 10, saying :
" Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only ."
It came in the Gospel of Mark 1 : 15 :
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe."
And it came in the Gospel of Matthew 19 : 17 :
" If you want to enter life, keep the commandments ."
And it came in the Gospel of John 17:3:
"This is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
And it came in the Gospel of John 14 : 15 :
" If you love me, keep my commandments."
Christ did not say in any of the four Gospels :
"Believe in my crucifixion and you will obtain salvation," and he did not explicitly declare that faith in his crucifixion is the only way to be saved from the punishment of God.
Rather, the Gospels reveal a conspiracy plotted by the Jewish leaders, among the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the elders of the Jewish people, to get rid of Christ and kill him, after they rejected his message and feared that people would believe in him and follow his call, so his teaching would spread and they would lose their influence and status.
And the Gospel of John 11 : 50 mentions
that Caiaphas, the chief priest of the Jews in Jerusalem during the reign of the Roman Emperor, was the first person to suggest that Christ should die instead of the entire Jewish nation being exposed to danger, saying :
"It is better for us that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish."
( John 11 : 50 ).
And what is meant by the nation here is the Jewish nation that was living under Roman rule.
And the context of the narrative reveals the real reason behind Caiaphas's position; for the Jewish leaders feared that the spread of Christ's call and people's faith in him would lead to the Romans intervening and seizing their place and their nation, and the loss of their influence and status.
First : Planning to kill Christ before his arrest
1. And it came in the Gospel of John 11 : 47 - 48
" So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, 'What are we to do ? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.'"
Notice the phrase: "If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him."
For the spread of the faith to which Christ was calling, which was based on worshipping God and following His commandments and repentance, represented a threat to their interests and status, according to the dialogue reported by the Gospel.
And the matter was not limited to rejecting his message and inciting against him, but developed into directing serious political accusations against him before the Roman governor Pilate.
For his opponents accused him of corrupting the nation, preventing the payment of tribute to Caesar, and claiming that he was the Christ, the King; these are accusations bearing a serious political character, portraying him before the Roman authority as if he were contesting Caesar's authority and kingship.
2 - And it came in the Gospel of Luke 23 : 2:
"And they began to accuse him, saying, 'We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding the payment of tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.'"
3- And it came in the Gospel of Matthew 26 : 3 - 4
" Then the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him."
This text specifies the persons who participated in the conspiracy : the chief priests and the scribes, who are the Pharisees and the Herodians, and the elders of the people.
Second : Attempts to kill Christ before the final conspiracy.
4 - And it came in the Gospel of Mark 3:6
"The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him."
The Gospel of Mark mentions that the Pharisees consulted with the Herodians to get rid of Christ.
And this is important because the idea of killing him did not appear only at the end of his life; rather, the Gospel narrates the existence of plans against him at an earlier time.
5 - And it came in the Gospel of Luke 19:47
" And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him."
The text mentions three parties : the chief priests, the scribes, and the principal men of the people, and says that they were seeking to destroy him.
And this shows the continuation of hostility toward Christ and attempts to get rid of him, even during his teaching in the temple.
6 - And it came in the Gospel of Luke 22 : 2
" And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people."
This text is explicit in describing what they were seeking: how to kill Christ.
It also mentions another reason for their hesitation, which is their fear of the people.
Third : Handing Christ over to the Roman authority
7 - And it came in the Gospel of Matthew 27 : 1 - 2
" When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor."
This text clarifies the transition of the conspiracy from the planning stage to execution.
Fourth: Pilate's acknowledgment that there was no crime warranting the killing of Christ
8 - And it came in the Gospel of Luke 23:4
"Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, 'I find no guilt in this man.'"
And according to the account of the Gospel of Luke, Pilate declared that he found no fault in Christ warranting his condemnation, and yet the attempts of his opponents to get rid of him did not stop at planning to kill him and handing him over to the Roman governor; rather, the Gospels also mention that the chief priests and the elders incited the crowds to demand his killing, despite Pilate's declaration that he found nothing warranting condemnation.
9 - It came in Matthew 27 : 20, we read :
" But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus ."
10 - And it came in the Gospel of Luke 23 :18 - 21
" But they all cried out together, 'Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas' – a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, 'Crucify, crucify him!'"
The Gospel of Luke places before us a striking comparison that reveals the extent of the injustice to which Christ was subjected ; for Barabbas was imprisoned because of his participation in an insurrection and his commission of murder,
while Pilate was inclined to release Jesus, since he found in him nothing warranting condemnation or killing.
And yet, Christ faced accusations launched by his opponents against him, and the matter ended with the crowds demanding his killing instead of his release.
11 - And the Gospel of John 19 : 15
" They cried out, 'Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!' Pilate said to them, 'Shall I crucify your King ?'
The chief priests answered, 'We have no king but Caesar.'"
This text reveals a striking scene in the trial of Christ; for after Pilate tried to release him, the Gospel of John mentions that the crowds continued shouting, demanding his crucifixion: "Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!"
And when Pilate asked them :
" Shall I crucify your King ?"
the answer came from the chief priests themselves :
" We have no king but Caesar ."
In the time of Christ, the Roman Emperor was Tiberius Caesar,
and he ruled from the year 14 to 37 AD.
And the Roman Emperor Caesar enjoyed manifestations of sanctification, to the extent that the Roman people used to offer him worship.
And the Roman Empire in that era embraced paganism, worshipped multiple gods, and practiced the rituals associated with them.
And Pilate was governor of Judea in his time from about 26 to 36 AD.
And at the time when
the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the elders of the Jewish people
declared their loyalty to Caesar, who was surrounded by manifestations of sanctification and worship in the pagan Roman Empire, they insisted on getting rid of Christ, who called people to worship God alone, obey Him, and adhere to His commandments and His law.
And the striking paradox is that Christ did not come to call people to worship him or worship any creature, but rather came calling them to worship God alone, affirming His law and continuing the message of the prophets who preceded him, calling people to obey God and follow His commandments.
And among the clearest texts in that is the Gospel of Matthew 5 : 17 - 18 :
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
And here a question emerges that deserves reflection :
If Christ called people to worship God alone, obey His commandments, and adhere to the law of the prophets, why did the chief priests, the scribes, the Herodians, the Pharisees, and the elders of the Jewish people declare their loyalty to Caesar, the pagan Roman Emperor, while insisting on rejecting Christ's message and demanding his crucifixion ?
How did they prefer submission to a pagan ruler over supporting Christ, who was calling to the worship of God and adherence to His law ?
And the text reveals their insistence on getting rid of Christ at any price ; for even when Pilate tried to release him, they did not back down from their demand, but continued shouting, demanding his crucifixion.
11 - It came in the Gospel of John 19 : 6
" When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, 'Crucify him, crucify him !'"
The Gospel of John describes the insistence of the chief priests on demanding the crucifixion of Christ, despite the fact that Pilate had declared that he found no guilt in him.
11 - And it came in the Gospel of Luke 23 : 23
" But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed, and those of the chief priests. "
This text clarifies the insistence of the crowds on demanding the crucifixion of Christ, and mentions that their voices and the voices of the chief priests grew louder.
And here a question emerges that deserves reflection:
How did the trial of a man in whom Pilate was declaring that he found no fault turn into a scene in which the crowd shouted demanding his killing, while the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders of the Jewish people were contributing to fueling this demand ?
The doctrine that Christ was crucified to redeem humanity from its sins, and that faith in his death and resurrection is the path to salvation, was not declared by Christ in his teachings recorded in the Gospels.
We do not find in the four Gospels an explicit text in which Christ says that he came into the world to be crucified as atonement for the sins of mankind, or that his death on the cross would be a ransom for humanity and a cause for its salvation from the punishment of God. And he did not tell them that faith in his death and resurrection is the path to eternal life.
Rather, the doctrine of the death of Christ as a ransom for the sins of mankind, and that his crucifixion is the necessary price for the salvation of people,
is an idea innovated by Paul and promoted by him, then adopted by the later Christian Church, until it became the basis of its doctrine of salvation, and this led to the misguidance of millions of people.
It came in 1 Corinthians 3 - 4 : Paul says :
"that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures."
Paul was not a disciple of Christ, but rather an enemy who pursued the followers of Christ:
Acts of the Apostles 8 : 3 :
" But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison."
Then suddenly, after Paul had been persecuting the followers of Christ and seeking to imprison them, he claimed that he had seen Christ in a vision, and declared that he was a messenger commissioned by him, despite the fact that he did not meet Christ during his life and was not one of his disciples whom he chose.
The story that made Paul be called "the messenger of Christ" is not based on any real foundation.
For Paul himself did not write a clear account of it, and none of his contemporaries witnessed it, and no trustworthy Gospel mentioned it, and Christ never approved it.
More astonishing than that, Paul turned the message of Christ completely upside down :
Paul said in Romans 3 : 28 :
" For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law ."
That is: faith in the crucifixion of Christ, with no need for obedience to God; it is enough that you believe in the crucifixion and resurrection!
The American historian Elaine Pagels
(Princeton University) says :
" Paul transformed Christianity from a simple call to worship God and follow His commandments into a mysterious doctrine of salvation based on the death and resurrection of Christ ."
The belief that the crucifixion of Christ is the ransom that atones for the sins of mankind and guarantees them deliverance from the punishment of God, is based on human teachings.
This means that it is a human doctrine and not a sound revelation from God, and it is not permissible to make it the basis of your salvation from the punishment of God or a guarantee of entering Paradise;
Do not let your confidence in false salvation deceive you, and lead you to the punishment of God on the Day of Resurrection.
So you think you have guaranteed eternal life, then you discover on the Day of Resurrection that you followed teachings that Christ did not teach.
Because faith is not based on teachings laid down by humans, but on what God revealed to His prophets and messengers.
Christ called people to faith in God, worshipping Him alone, repentance from sins, and obedience to His commandments.
So do not let Paul's teachings veil from you what Christ himself called to, and do not gamble with your life and your eternal salvation on a doctrine whose coming from God you have not verified.
Stop and ask yourself before it is too late : What if you think you are walking on the path of salvation, while you are walking on the path of destruction ?
What will you say to God on the Day of Resurrection if you discover that you followed the teachings of humans, and abandoned the guidance of God ?
Do not wait for death to know the truth; for when your life ends you will not be able to return to correct your choice.
Seek the truth now, and follow what God has sent down, before a day comes in which regret will not benefit.
And the question here deserves pause and reflection:
And where is the evidence in the four Gospels that Christ appointed Paul as a messenger, or enjoined conveying to people that his crucifixion would be a ransom for the sins of mankind ?
First: We do not find Christ explaining to people that their salvation depends on faith in inheriting the guilt of Adam and his redemption.
There is no text in the four Gospels mentioning that Christ chose Paul as a messenger to him; Paul appeared after the departure of Christ by a long time.
Paul did not see Christ during his life with his own eye, nor accompany him, nor touch him with his hand, nor receive his teachings from him, nor speak to him face to face.
Everything Paul mentions about his meeting with Christ does not exceed general and vague expressions such as "a vision" and "the revelation of Jesus Christ," without him providing in his letters a clear description of what happened, or specific details about the meeting, or a direct dialogue showing what Christ said to him and what he commanded him.
So how do people accept Paul's teachings and make them the basis of their doctrine and their salvation,
while the four Gospels themselves do not mention anything about Paul's meeting with Christ, and do not mention Paul at all.
There is no text attributed to Jesus confirming that he met Paul and sent him as a messenger to him.
Does man need an intermediary between him and God in order for Him to forgive his sins, or does God hear his supplication, accept his repentance, and forgive him directly without an intermediary ?
And why does man need an intermediary, when God is the Forgiving, the Merciful, whom His servants call upon and He responds to them ?
Was Abraham waiting for the crucifixion of Christ in order to obtain salvation ?
Did Moses die without knowing the path of salvation ?
Did David need to wait for the coming of Christ until God accepted his repentance ?
Did the prophets tell their followers that they would not be saved except by the crucifixion of Christ?
Were people before Christ deprived of the mercy of God ?
If faith in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is a fundamental condition in Christianity for salvation, how would the generations of people who died before Christ have been saved ?
God used to forgive His servants among the prophets, the righteous, and the repentant before the coming of Christ, and His forgiveness was not dependent on the crucifixion of anyone or the shedding of his blood; for God is the Forgiving, the Merciful, who accepts the repentance of whoever repents to Him sincerely, and forgives whom He wills among His servants.
God, glory be to Him and exalted be He, is not incapable of forgiving the sins of His servants, nor does He need blood, a sacrifice, or an intermediary in order to pardon them; for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful, who forgives whoever repents to Him sincerely, and accepts His servant if he returns to Him regretful, for in His hand alone are forgiveness and mercy.
Reflect on this fact :
People lived in successive generations before the coming of Christ, and God sent to them prophets and messengers, and called them to faith in God, worshipping Him alone, obeying Him, repenting from sins, and doing righteous deeds.
They were not required to wait for the coming of Christ to know how to be saved; rather, they were commanded to believe in God, follow His commands, and act according to what He revealed to them.
Beware lest they deceive you as millions before you were deceived by the story of the crucifixion of Christ to atone for sins.
What does the Quran say about the issue of the crucifixion of Christ ?
Jesus did not die :
The Jews and the Roman authorities were not able to harm Jesus.
And God has explicitly declared that He raised Jesus to Himself, and purified him from the false claims that were said about him.
And Muslims believe in what the Quran has informed of, that his enemies did not kill him and did not crucify him, and that the matter was made to appear so to them, and that God saved him and raised him to Himself.
God Almighty said :
{ 157) And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.
158) Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. }
( The Noble Quran 4 : 157 -158 ).
Third: Salvation in Islam begins from a completely different fact:
Man is born innocent.
Islam presents a clear conception:
Man is not born carrying the guilt of Adam, nor is he born indebted by a sin he did not commit, nor does he need another person to die until he becomes eligible for God's forgiveness.
In Islam, man's salvation is based on faith in God alone, devoting worship to Him alone, submitting to Him and obeying Him, following His commands and commandments, repenting to Him from sins, doing righteous deeds, and hoping for His mercy and forgiveness.
For man does not bear the guilt of another, but is held accountable for his own deed, and the door of repentance and forgiveness is open to everyone who returns to God sincerely.
In Islam, the matter is clear in its origin:
Adam sinned, then repented to God, so God accepted his repentance, and his sin did not transfer to his descendants.
God Almighty said :
(37) Then Adam received from his Lord [some] words, and He accepted his repentance. Indeed, it is He who is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. )
[ The Noble Quran 2 : 37 ].
And man, if he sins, can repent to God directly.
He said, the Most High :
(25) And it is He who accepts repentance from his servants and pardons misdeeds, and He knows what you do. )
[ The Noble Quran 42 : 25 ].
That God did not leave nations without guidance, but sent the messengers, and called them to worship Him alone, and made clear to them the path of obedience, repentance, and salvation.
God Almighty said :
( 25) And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, ―There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.‖ )
[The Noble Quran 21:25].
And God, glory be to Him, said :
(36. And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, [saying], "Worship Allah and avoid taghut." And among them were those whom Allah guided, and among them were those upon whom error was [deservedly] decreed. So proceed [i.e., travel] through the earth and observe how was the end of the deniers. )
[ The Noble Quran16 : 36 ]
What distinguishes the Quran's description of Paradise and Hell ?
The Quran does not suffice with saying that there is Paradise and Hell, but presents multiple scenes of the bliss of Paradise and the punishment of Hell.
Second : The description of Hell in Islam
God Almighty said :
{39) And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs – those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally." }
[ The Noble Quran 2 : 39 ]
A fiercely hot fire
God Almighty said :
{ 16) But as for those who disbelieved and denied Our verses and the meeting of the Hereafter, those will be brought into the punishment [to remain]. }
[ The Noble Quran 30 : 16 ]
2. The food of the people of Hell : Zaqqum
God Almighty said :
( 43) Indeed, the tree of zaqqum 44) Is food for the sinful. 45) Like murky oil, it boils within bellies 46) Like the boiling of scalding water. )
[ The Noble Quran 44 : 43 - 46 ].
3. The drink of the people of Hell
God Almighty said :
(29) And say, " The truth is from your Lord, so however wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve." Indeed, We have prepared for the wrongdoers a fire whose walls will surround them. And if they call for relief, they will be relieved with water like murky oil, which scalds [their] faces. Wretched is the drink, and evil is the resting place. )
[ The Noble Quran 18 : 29 ].
4. No death to end the punishment
And He said, the Most High :
( 56) Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses – We will drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise. )
[ The Noble Quran 4 : 56 ].
Are Paradise and Hell eternal in Islam ?
Paradise is eternal, and its people will abide therein forever.
God Almighty said :
( 57) But those who believe and do righteous deeds – We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide forever. For them therein are purified spouses, and We will admit them to deepening shade. )
[The Noble Quran 4 : 57 ].
Likewise, Hell is eternal for the disbelievers who die upon disbelief.
God Almighty said:
{ And those who disbelieved and denied Our signs – those are the companions of the Fire, abiding eternally therein. And wretched is the destination. }
[ The Noble Quran 64 : 10 ]
And Islam makes the path of salvation based on faith in God alone, devoting worship sincerely to Him, following His messengers, repenting from sins, and doing righteous deeds, while relying on the mercy and favor of God.
God Almighty said :
( 53) Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." )
[ The Noble Quran 39 : 53 ].
Faith in Islam is not limited to belief in Muhammad ﷺ, but includes belief in all the prophets of God and His messengers, among them Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them.
It is not valid to believe in some of the messengers and disbelieve in others, nor to raise a prophet to the rank of divinity, but rather believe in them all as servants of God and messengers whom He chose for the guidance of mankind.
He said, the Most High :
(285) The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." )
[ The Noble Quran 2 : 285 ].
And the most beautiful thing is that entering Islam is not a difficult matter, nor does it need an intermediary or complex rituals or confession before men of religion ; for the door between you and God is open. All you have to do is believe in God alone, and believe in His Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, and in all the messengers of God, and to acknowledge with your heart and tongue the testimony of truth :
I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that Jesus is the messenger of Allah.
And by that you enter Islam, and begin a new page in your life, in which you learn how to worship God, follow His commands, repent to Him, and hope for His mercy and forgiveness.
Do not postpone the decision to return to your Creator, and do not think that the path to God is far or difficult; for perhaps the greatest step in your life is to learn about the truth, believe in it, and begin your journey with God.
