Quran and Hadith Studies

Quran and Hadith Studies

Rereading the Mechanisms of Intensity, Proportionality, and Eternality of the Hellfire Punishment in the Quran

Document Type : Research Article

Author
Hamidreza Imanifar
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
10.22067/jquran.2026.97351.1932
Abstract
With the aim of answering the contemporary challenges regarding the revelatory authority of the Quran in explaining the mechanism of retribution, this paper provides a systematic re-reading of the concepts of “intensity”, “proportionality”, and “eternality” of the Hellfire punishment. The main problem of this study is confronting the accusation of “irrationality of infinite retributions” through moving beyond popular interpretations and relying on the analysis of the linguistic structure of the Quran and the ontology of the eschatological body. Using a qualitative content analysis method with an inductive approach, this paper examines the semantic network of revealed words. The findings of the first part (statistical analysis of the words) show that the Quran employs the pattern of “lexical specification” and thereby restricts the qualifier of eternality(abadan) to a specific group of the obstinate, while for the majority of sinners it maintains finitude of punishment. By examining characteristics of the eschatological body in the second part, it becomes clear that, contrary to the biological laws of the natural world, the body has been designed around “preserving the consciousness of the perceiving self” and “continuation of speech” (nutq) so that heedfulness and cognitive awakening become possible. Based on “the principle of correspondence” and “embodiment of the deeds”, the results reveal that in Quranic logic, the punishment is not a mere physical retaliation. Instead, it is a developmental and restorative process for existential purification and restoration of humans to the orbit of divine all-encompassing mercy. Therefore, Hell is not a brutal dead-end, but rather a crucible for transformation which loses its justification through decaying transient dispositions and ultimately finds its true meaning in the light of God’s essential mercy.
Keywords
Holy Quran
Eternity
Eternality of torment
Embodiment of the deeds
Eschatological body
Divine Mercy
Subjects
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Quran and Hadith Studies
Volume 58, Issue 1 - Serial Number 116
Spring & summer 2026
August 2026
Pages 33-55

  • Receive Date 27 January 2026
  • Revise Date 21 April 2026
  • Accept Date 13 May 2026