A Study of Allamah Tabatabai's Exegetic View on Eternity of Hell

The issue of the eternity of some of disbelievers in hellfire is a matter that has always been of interest to scholars, especially in contemporary times. Commentators and scholars in different theological sects have provided religious and nonreligious answers to this question. Allameh Tabatabai, according to the famous theory, has viewed hellfire to be eternal for some unbelievers. In proving this theory, he has used philosophical proofs and Quranic evidences and believes that with institutionalization of ugliness and immorality in human soul, he gradually penetrates into human life and becomes entangled with his soul, such a human being with the same ugly self, a self-made person enters the hereafter and remain there in eternal torment. In the view of Allamah, the eternity of fire for some unbelievers is based on the verses of the Quran and true traditions in such a way that one may not dispute them. Some contemporary commentators, criticizing this view, argue that the theory of evil in hellfire is incompatible with the Quranic principle of equality of punishment and deed, and Allame, influenced by his theological and philosophical assumptions, has imposed such a view on the Quranic verses. The paper, rejecting this criticism, has defended Allamah's view.