Others have said: “Those described (1) as remaining for ages are the sinful believers (2).” He replies, “This, too, is weak, for what comes (3) later in the sūrah refutes it.

Still others maintain that the meaning of Allah’s words, “remaining therein for ages” (4), is “without tasting any coolness or drink.” Their state, then, is that they remain for ages; after that the punishment endures forever, while they drink the beverages of Hell (5).

The second opinion is that the period is left unspecified—“7/1.” Its proponents say: this wording sets no limit, for whenever one age ends another follows it. Had He said, “remaining therein for ten ages” or “for five ages,” that would have indicated an endpoint. This is the view of Ibn Qutaybah (6) and others.

Abu’l-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzī said: “This is the position of Ibn Qutaybah and the majority (7). The proof of it is that the time of the people of Paradise and Hell can, in principle, fall under enumeration, as in Allah’s words: ‘morning and evening’ (8). In the same way people have argued that the words of Allah fall under number even though they are without end. The answer is that this is impossible: whatever has no end cannot be brought under number. Only what has a finite measure and is actually counted fits under number. However, when a portion of something endless is taken, that portion can be numbered, such as ‘morning and evening,’ which represents the length of a single day among the days of Paradise; they will recognize that by a light that appears to them, increasing (9)