After death, what would prevent a Muslim from entering Heaven? Also, how long will the Disbelievers stay in Hell?
Allah Almighty Said: "O ye who believe! Fear Allah as He should be Feared, and die not except in a state of Islam. (The Noble Quran, 3:102)"
He also Said: "The Religion before God is Islam (submission to His Will): Nor did the People of the Book dissent therefrom except through envy of each other, after knowledge had come to them. But if any deny the Signs of God, God is swift in calling to account. (The Noble Quran, 3:19)"
"Say: 'O my Servants who Have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (The Noble Quran, 39:53)"
The use of the word "Say" in this Noble Verse means that Allah Almighty wants us to always remind each others by reciting this Noble Verse to those who need it.
"Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with God is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed. (The Noble Quran, 4:48)"
In the above Noble Verses, we clearly see that Allah Almighty accepts nothing from a person after death but his belief in Islam and He is Willing to forgive our sins.
Please visit The Mercy of Allah Almighty on Mankind, and our age of 40 wisdom in Islam.
Everyone from Mankind will pass over hell:
Let us look at what Allah Almighty Said in the Noble Quran:
"And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein. Not one of you but will pass over it (Hell): this is, with thy Lord, a decree which must be accomplished. (The Noble Quran, 19:70-71)"
"Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it. (The Noble Quran, 99:7-8)"
As we clearly see from the above Noble Verses, everyone will be shown and held accountable for all of the bad things he/she have done in life.
Passing over hell in Islam, however, means that the person will enter it. But hell, like Heaven, has different levels. Heaven has 500 levels. The Highest Level in Heaven is for the Prophets, the Martyrs, and the Most Righteous of Mankind. The lowest level is for the lowest people of Mankind who barely made it to Heaven, because they were too sinful.
The Bible too speaks about the levels of Heaven. Jesus peace be upon him told John the Baptist that the least person in Heaven will be better than John. But I don't know how much truth the Bible really has in it. Please visit Contradictions and proofs of Historical Corruptions in the Bible.
As for Hell, I am not sure how many levels there are, but Allah Almighty clearly Said in the Noble Quran that the most painful level of Hell is for the hypocrites.
Will Muslims and non-Muslims be treated equally in punishment? Also, how long will the Disbelievers stay in Hell?
Well, it appears from all of the above Noble Verses that Allah Almighty Will punish everyone for the bad deeds that they committed. He Will forgive certain bad deeds, but in general, everyone will receive a punishment.
It also appears that Muslims, no matter how bad they were, will win Paradise as their Ultimate Reward after they receive their punishment.
As for the Disbelievers, beside from the punishment of their bad deeds that they committed in life, it seems that Allah Almighty Will give them extra punishment for disbelieving in Him or in Joining partners with Him, such as Paganism and Trinity; "They do blaspheme who say: 'Allah is Christ the son of Mary.' But said Christ: 'O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.' Whoever joins other gods with Allah - Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers be no one to help. (The Holy Quran, 5:72)"
Frankly, I do not know how long this punishment will last. Allah Almighty in the Noble Quran Said that it will last for Eternity and that He will Forget about the Disbelievers in Hell; "Taste ye then - for ye forgot the meeting of this Day of yours. And We too will Forget you - taste ye the penalty of Eternity for your (evil) deeds! (The Noble Quran, 32,14)"
But since He, the Almighty, defined Himself as the Only One Who Has no beginning and no end, then the definition of "Eternity" or "Forever" might be different for Him:
"He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Hidden: and He has full knowledge of all things. (The Noble Quran, 57:3)"
"And verily unto Us (belong) the end and the beginning. (The Noble Quran, 92:13)"
"But it is to Allah that the end and the beginning (of all things) belong. (The Noble Quran, 53:25)"
You see, eternity for us is limited to amount of time we exist on earth. When I for instance say "I will continue to breath for eternity or forever", then all I am really saying is "I will always breath for as long as I live."
So in reality, "Eternity" and "Forever" have ends. They don't go on and on without an end. So when Allah Almighty Says that He will punish the Disbelievers for eternity, then He might be referring to our eternity, since as I said, only Him, the Almighty, has no end.
But I honestly don't know the answer. No one does. Even in Christianity and Judaism, the length of time of the punishment of Hell to the Disbelievers is not defined, and the word "Eternity" is used in the Bible for the punishment in Hell. So, could the Bible's Eternity have an end? No one really knows.
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