Ibn Taymiyyah's statement regarding the extinguishing of the Fire.

The questioner : What is the authenticity of Ibn Taymiyyah's statement regarding the extinguishing of the Fire?

The Shaykh : It is authentic from him, perhaps he retracted it.

The questioner : This is authentic. In which book did he retract it?

The Shaykh : His student Ibn al-Qayyim transmitted it from him in some of his books; I think it is "Hadi al-Arwah ila Bilad al-Afrah." Al-San'ani also transmitted it in his book which I edited and wrote an introduction for, "Raf' al-Astar li-Ibtal Adillat al-Qa'ilin bi-Fana' al-Nar." This refers to Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. There is a manuscript that I photographed containing his words on this matter.

The questioner : Regarding... what is the authenticity of...?

The Shaykh : It can be relied upon. It will be said that the benefit of... relying on his student now.

The questioner : The discussion is about... what contradicts Ibn Taymiyyah's statement in his collection "Minhaj al-Sunnah"? ... meaning his retraction from the statement that contradicted...?

The Shaykh : I told you: perhaps he retracted it; because Ibn Taymiyyah has two statements; a statement... Did you not read the book I mentioned earlier that al-San'ani authored, "Raf' al-Astar"?

The questioner : I read it, but I did not read this issue... .

The Shaykh : How did you read it? This is a specific work on the subject. Ibn al-Qayyim fell into strange matters. And something initially exists in "Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da'ifah," Volume One. When I published the hadith: , Ibn al-Qayyim made a great effort to free it from weakness. Is it in your possession? The hadith is narrated through al-Hasan al-Basri from 'Umar, and al-Hasan al-Basri did not meet 'Umar. He attempts, in very strange words, through... for al-Hasan; that al-Hasan must have been... through a reliable intermediary from 'Umar. So I said in the book... his Shaykh is the most knowledgeable of people. But Ibn al-Qayyim has a statement in "al-Wabil al-Sayyib fi al-Kalim al-Tayyib" saying: "The Fire is two fires; a fire that perishes and a fire that remains. The fire that perishes is for the disobedient believers, and the one that does not perish is for the disbelievers." And this resolves the problem.

The questioner : So we say the intended meaning in the statement of... Ibn al-Qayyim is the fire of the disobedient, excluding the disbelievers.

The Shaykh : Yes, provided that this statement = -- may Allah reward you with good -- = means that although it is explicit in the second part that the fire of the disbelievers does not perish, regarding the first part it is not precise; because it will be said to him: What makes you know that it perishes? It is permissible that it remains; because it is not important to narrate about the Fire in detail that this fire perishes. The important thing is what is the destination of those who enter it? Some of them come out, and some do not come out. As for the issue of the fire they were in perishing, this requires... But what concerns us from his statement is his saying that the fire of the polytheists does not perish; because this is explicit in the Qur'an: , so it does not... and to the end of the texts, and the hadith of the slaughter of Death in the form of a ram. After it is slaughtered, a caller calls out: . These are decisive texts that prevent the statement of the extinction of the Fire and the extinction of its people. As for it being said that the fire of the believers perishes, this is like... of the speech. The fire of the polytheists does not perish, and the fire of the believers perishes. Rather, the truth is to say: Those who enter it, even if they are disbelievers as He - the Exalted - said: . The fire is the same, but among them is one who enters it and remains in it, and among them is one who... And the exit varies from person to person - for example - one who is punished for a day or part of a day, a month or more or less, and so on.