Hell might not be eternal

[Angrboda]

I have spent a lot of time studying the theory of hell in Islam, and this is my final conclusion on the matter of hell being eternal or not .

This opinion was built on a verse in the Quran, it's called "the exceptional verse". In the language of the Quran, the exception is when god attaches something to his will.

Verse :
"But the miserable ones/ the tired ones, are in hell, to them in it an exhalation & inhalation () dwelling in it as long as the earth & the skies last, except what god have wished, god does what he wants "

This part in red, attaches the eternal punishment to god's will. The blue part then is what made this idea clearer. The next verse explains why this idea does prove itself to be true ; that hell isn't eternal :

My interpretation of the phrase "god does what he wants" in the first verse was that this was a direct reference to Allah's merciful nature in that he may suspend the natural fate of the dead and deliver them unto eternal bliss instead (cf. the Protestant Christian concept of sola gratia). In that sense, the discretion of Allah which is at issue is not that of the duration of punishment but rather his discretion in choosing not to punish at all. Furthermore, it's not clear that the verse is saying anything beyond that Allah is possessed of the possibility of suspension of sentence, not that he will do so, or ever in fact does. (And I can't help but wonder if this deference to Allah's potency and choice isn't in some sense a literary or idiomatic expression of 'Islam' [submission].)

Beyond that, I don't know much about Islam, but I have noticed in prior discussions that you seem to discount the validity of reasoning from ahadith or sunnah, which while certainly your prerogative, is to my understanding, rather unorthodox. [Though in this perhaps you are simply expressing a rather extreme opinion against the practice of kalam.] Regardless, doing so lands you in the swamp of hermeneutical problems which plagues anyone who uses a text — any text — as foundational [in the philosophical sense as serving as the foundation for knowledge]. The same problems, and their implications, similarly plague fundamentalist Christians and other literalists, despite them, and you, being oblivious to the consequences of such for their arguments and beliefs. However, I am going to defer here on the epistemological problems of literalism, as there is plenty of elaboration on that elsewhere here and on the web.

"I contacted the Tolkein estate with a proposal for an exciting new rewrite of the Silmarillion. As of yet, they haven't responded to my queries. All the same, I remain hopeful."