Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (18/307)

And he was asked about the hadith reported by Anas ibn Mālik from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:

“Seven things will neither die nor perish nor taste extinction: Hell and its inhabitants, the Tablet, the Pen, the Footstool, and the Throne.”

Is this hadith authentic or not?

He answered:

This report, in this wording, is not a statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but rather a statement of certain scholars. The early generations of this nation, its leading scholars, and all the people of the Sunnah and the community have agreed that some created things will neither cease to exist nor perish altogether, such as Paradise, Hell, the Throne, and others.

Only a group of speculative theologians who espoused religious innovations maintained that all created things would perish, such as al-Jahm ibn Safwān and those among the Mu'tazilah and others who agreed with him. This is a false view that contradicts the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, and the consensus of this nation’s early generations and leading scholars. These contain evidence that Paradise and its inhabitants will endure, as will other created things—evidence too extensive to mention on this sheet.

Various groups of speculative theologians and philosophers have also advanced rational arguments demonstrating the impossibility of all created things perishing. And Allah knows best.

وَسُئِلَ: عَنْ حَدِيثِ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: {سَبْعَةٌ لَا تَمُوتُ وَلَا تَفْنَى وَلَا تَذُوقُ الْفَنَاءَ: النَّارُ وَسُكَّانُهَا وَاللَّوْحُ وَالْقَلَمُ وَالْكُرْسِيُّ وَالْعَرْشُ} فَهَلْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ صَحِيحٌ أَمْ لَا؟ . فَأَجَابَ: هَذَا الْخَبَرُ بِهَذَا اللَّفْظِ لَيْسَ مِنْ كَلَامِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مِنْ كَلَامِ بَعْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ. وَقَدْ اتَّفَقَ سَلَفُ الْأُمَّةِ وَأَئِمَّتُهَا وَسَائِرُ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ عَلَى أَنَّ مِنْ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ مَا لَا يَعْدَمُ وَلَا يَفْنَى بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ كَالْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ وَالْعَرْشِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ. وَلَمْ يَقُلْ بِفَنَاءِ جَمِيعِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ إلَّا طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ كَالْجَهْمِ بْنِ صَفْوَانَ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُ مِنْ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ وَنَحْوِهِمْ وَهَذَا قَوْلٌ بَاطِلٌ يُخَالِفُ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَسُنَّةَ رَسُولِهِ وَإِجْمَاعَ سَلَفِ الْأُمَّةِ وَأَئِمَّتِهَا. كَمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ الدَّلَالَةِ عَلَى بَقَاءِ الْجَنَّةِ وَأَهْلِهَا وَبَقَاءِ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا لَا تَتَّسِعُ هَذِهِ الْوَرَقَةُ لِذِكْرِهِ. وَقَدْ اسْتَدَلَّ طَوَائِفُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ والمتفلسفة عَلَى امْتِنَاعِ فَنَاءِ جَمِيعِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ بِأَدِلَّةِ عَقْلِيَّةٍ. وَاَللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.