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How can the evidence of the threat of Hellfire and the promise of Paradise be reconciled if they converge in a single person who commits sins and performs good deeds?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

One who has mixed good deeds with bad will have their deeds weighed on the Day of Resurrection. If their good deeds outweigh their bad, they will be among the people of Paradise. If their bad deeds outweigh their good, then they are under the will of Allah: if He wills, He will forgive them, and if He wills, He will punish them for their sins, after which their ultimate destination will be Paradise.

Scholars have clarified that disobedient people among the monotheists fall into three categories: 1. The first category: Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad. They will enter Paradise and the Fire will never touch them. 2. The second category: Those whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal. These are the People of the Araf, who will stand between Paradise and Hellfire, and then they will be granted permission to enter Paradise. 3. The third category: Those who met Allah persisting in major sins, while still holding to the principle of monotheism, and whose bad deeds outweighed their good deeds. These will enter the Fire for a period commensurate with their sins, and then they will be brought out of it by intercession or by the mercy of Allah. No one who died upon monotheism will remain in the Fire forever.

There is no contradiction between the disobedient person being under the will of Allah and those whose bad deeds lead them to Hellfire. For those whom Allah forgives, their reckoning will be easy. As for those who enter Hellfire due to their sins, they are the ones whose accounts are discussed. The texts promising reward and warning of punishment are conditional upon the presence of certain conditions and the absence of impediments.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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