107 Preface خالِدينَ فيها ما دامَتِ السَّماواتُ وَالأَرضُ إِلّا ما شاءَ رَبُّكَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعّالٌ لِما يُريدُYusuf AliThey will dwell therein1 for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: for thy Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He planneth.Khalidin: This is the word which is usually translated “dwell forever” or “dwell for aye”. Here it is definitely connected with two conditions, viz: (1) as long as the heavens and the earth endure, and (2) except as God wills. Some Muslim theologians deduce from this the conclusion that the penalties referred to are not eternal, because the heavens and the earth as we see them are not eternal, and the punishments for the deeds of a life that will end should not be such as will never end. The majority of Muslim theologians reject this view. They hold that the heavens and the earth here referred to are not those we see now, but others that will be eternal. They agree that God’s Will is unlimited in scope and power, but that it has willed that the rewards and punishments of the Day of Judgment will be eternal. This is not the place to enter into this tremendous controversy.