the Fire. As for those who hold that he will remain forever in the Fire—such as the Khārijites (1), the Mu'tazilites, and some of the Shia—they maintain that reward and punishment cannot both apply to the same individual.

Numerous Prophetic reports establish that some people will be brought out of the Fire through intercession, and that whoever has even an atom’s weight of faith in his heart will be brought out of it. On this basis, anyone who considers it permissible to curse Yazīd [and others like him] (2) needs to establish two things: first, that he was among the flagrantly sinful wrongdoers whom it is permissible to curse, [and that he died persisting in that] (3); and second, that it is permissible to curse a particular individual from among them. Those who dispute this challenge both premises, particularly the first.

As for the words of Allah Most High:

“Surely Allah’s curse is upon the wrongdoers.”

[Sūrat Hūd: 18]

This is a general verse, like the verses of warning. It is comparable to His words:

“Indeed, those who unjustly consume the property of orphans are only consuming fire into their bellies, and they will burn in a blazing Fire.”

[Sūrat al-Nisā': 10]

This means that the sin is a cause of being cursed and punished. However, its consequence may be averted by an overriding countervailing factor: repentance, good deeds that erase sins, or afflictions that expiate them. How, then, can anyone know that Yazīd—or any other wrongdoer—did not repent of these deeds (4), had no good deeds that erased his wrongdoing, and was not subjected to afflictions that expiated it for him, [or that Allah would not forgive him for it, despite the words of Allah Most High] (5):

“Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives anything less than that for whomever He wills.”

[Sūrat al-Nisā': 48]

It is established in Sahīh al-Bukhārī (6)