Punishment

Eternity of Punishment for the Disbelievers

Dear Respected Scholars in Islam,Assalamu Alaikum, Until recently I have usually felt confident discussing Islamic beliefs with non-Muslims. However there is one issue that I am not able to explain to satisfy my own reason or heart. This is the belief of ?eternal? punishment for the disbelievers. It does not seem fair to punish a disbeliever for eternity, I can understand a very long period of time, but eternal punishment (even if it  was only one disbeliever) is a horror difficult to contemplate or rationalise against the All-Merciful (whose Mercy overcomes His Anger).Even, if a disbeliever underwent punishment in hell-fire even for a million years for every millisecond of his or her disbelief, then this would be understandable, but then this would be still a grain of sand compared to the never ending beach of eternal punishment. We know that even the lightest levels of Hell have unimaginable punishments. All of Islamic law is based upon proportionality and justice in this world, but this does not seem to apply to the crime of disbelief (as all other Sins can be forgiven after punishment). Although there are many descriptions in the Qur?an and Hadith regarding the nature of afterlife, I know it is dangerous to contemplate the issues regarding the unseen;  however the only way I can reconcile this issue with the beauty of Islam would be to say that disbelievers, though they will never taste the fruits of Paradise for their crime of Shirk, will undergo a unimaginably long punishment (within which they are neither dead or alive) and after which they will either cease to exist or perhaps a live never a ending existence that will neither be the severe torture of Hell nor the joys of Jannah. Please, I do not mean to offend with this question nor question Allah?s limitless mercy and forgiveness, I ask it in the utmost sincerity and zeal to seek the truth.JazakAllah,Allah Knows Best.Is it undoubtable according to Islamic text that people will suffer punishment for eternity, or are the words used in decribing the hereafter describing a very long period of time or even a indefinite period of time.

Homosexuality: Islamic View

salaam aleikoum i have a question about homosexuality, some poeple ( they say that they are moslims) say:  "that homosexuality is not forbidden (haram) in the islam, and that the arguments in de quran which talk about homosexuality means acts and practice of homosexaulity  and not to be homo. theze people think that it is halal to be homo and that Allah who create these feelings in people and that's why it is allowed in the islam". some other people say: "that homosexuality doesn't depends of religion but of culture and that because it's not allowed in arabic culture that's why some moslims think that homosexuality is haram, but in the fact it is not haram". some people say that: " it is haram to practice homosexuality, but it is not haram to be a homo, and that people who have homo's feelings have no sin if they practice homosexuality because Allah create them so, these people think that the problem is the feeling and not intentions or acts, and that some people born homo's so they don't have any sin to do that". can u explain me these punts,and is homosexuality haram ? is het haram to be homo or not?and is it true that some people have these feelings( homosexuel feelings) and born with it? is it possible for a person to born gay?and can that Allah punish someone that gay born is? how can that Allah punish someone because of a sin which he has not done but comes from Allah?and it is true thatIs it true that if someone has a bad intention  to do something haram, but he has not done then  Allah won't punish him?and that's why these people say that it is halal to be a homo and that Allah won't punish u because u didn't prcatice it.and they take that hadith as an argument: Dit is een hadith Qudsi:Allah has said: "If My servant considers doing a sin, do not record it against him. If he acts upon it, record it as one sin. If he considers doing a good deed and does not do it, record it as one good deed, and if he actually does it, record it as 10 good deeds." [Recorded by Imam Muslim]so they think that homosexuality is not haram but the acts of homosexuality is haram, and they say also that it is not haram to get bad intentions to do bad things unless if u did that bad thing. conclusion:they think that there is difference between acts, intentions and feelings and that all that come from Allah and not from satan.nB: i believ that homosexuality haram is, and that also get bad intentions to pratice homosexuality also haram, and that nonone born as a gay, as noone born addict on alcohol or addict on zina. but i want to answear these people... wasalaam aleikom warahmatoAllahi wabarakatuh