Overview
Paradise, Hell, and the Justice of the Hereafter
Key passage
Quran
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۗ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۖ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ ۗ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
سورة آل عمران · الآية ١٨٥
Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.
Quran 3:185
Translation: Saheeh International
summary
Life Continues After Death
interpretation
Paradise in Islam
Key passages
Quran
فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌۭ مَّآ أُخْفِىَ لَهُم مِّن قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍۢ جَزَآءًۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
سورة السجدة · الآية ١٧
And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.
Quran 32:17
Translation: Saheeh International
Quran
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَٰتِ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةًۭ فِى جَنَّٰتِ عَدْنٍۢ ۚ وَرِضْوَٰنٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
سورة التوبة · الآية ٧٢
Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.
Quran 9:72
Translation: Saheeh International
interpretation
Hell in Islam
interpretation
Christian Perspective: Heaven
Key passage
Bible
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows), such a one caught up into the third heaven.
I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows),
how he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4
Version: World English Bible
interpretation
Christian Perspective: Hell
scripture
Key Quranic Passages
scripture
Biblical Descriptions of Heaven and Hell
argument
Shared Convictions and a Major Difference
argument
The Central Difference
sources
Realities Beyond Present Experience
notes
Essential Questions
A: Yes. Paradise is lasting life, peace, and God’s pleasure.
Q: Is Hell real in Islam?
A: Yes. It is a warning for rejection and persistent wrongdoing. God remains perfectly just and merciful.
Q: Can a person be forgiven?
A: Yes. The Quran repeatedly calls people to sincere repentance before death.
Q: Do Muslims believe in inherited sin?
A: No. Each person is responsible for his or her own choices.
Q: What is the main difference from Christianity?
A: Islam teaches direct worship of the One God and salvation through faith, repentance, righteous action, and mercy.
summary
The Central Takeaway
Sources
Sources and further reading
Primary texts and works cited in this article.
The Quran — Tanzil Uthmani text with Saheeh International translation
quran
Source linkUthmani-script Arabic text from Tanzil with the Saheeh International English translation.
The Holy Bible, World English Bible (public domain)
bible
Source linkPublic-domain English translation from the World English Bible.
The Idea of the Holy: An Inquiry into the Non-Rational Factor in the Idea of the Divine
book | Rudolf Otto
Explores how both Western and Eastern religions attempt to describe the transcendent through human language and experience.
The Problem of Pain
book | C.S. Lewis
A Christian theological treatment of suffering and hell that grapples with how to understand divine justice and eternal consequences.
What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic
book | Shahab Ahmed
A scholarly investigation into how Islam as a comprehensive worldview encompasses theological doctrine, ethics, and metaphysics—providing context for understanding Islamic theological debates on eschatology and divine justice.
Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
book | N.T. Wright
A Christian account of hope in bodily resurrection and renewed creation, distinguished from the idea that final salvation is escape from the world into heaven.