Editing Islamic eschatology (section)

==== Ash'arism ====
{{further|Ash'ari}}
Ashʿarism (/æʃəˈriː/; Arabic: أشعرية: al-ʾAshʿarīyah), one of the main [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[schools of Islamic theology]], founded by the [[Islamic scholar]], [[Shafiʽi school|Shāfiʿī]] [[Faqīh|jurist]], [[Al-Ash'ari|Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī]] in the 10th century,<ref name="Islamica 2015">{{cite encyclopedia |author-last=Javad Anvari |author-first=Mohammad |year=2015 |title=al-Ashʿarī |translator-last=Melvin-Koushki |translator-first=Matthew |editor1-last=Madelung |editor1-first=Wilferd |editor2-last=Daftary |editor2-first=Farhad |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Islamica |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |doi=10.1163/1875-9831_isla_COM_0300 |issn=1875-9823}}</ref> is known for an optimistic perspective on salvation for Muslims, repeatedly addressing God's mercy over God's wrath.<ref name="IslamicLaw">{{cite book|author1-last=Reinhart|author1-first=Kevin|author2-last=Gleave|author2-first=Robert|year=2014|chapter=Sins, expiation, and non-rationality in fiqh|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tYyfAwAAQBA|editor-last=Lange|editor-first=Christian|editor-link=Christian Lange (Religious studies)|title=Islamic Law in Theory: Studies on Jurisprudence in Honor of Bernard Weiss|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|isbn=9780567081612}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>{{rp|p=165}}<ref name=CLPaHiIT2016:177-78/> However,  according to Ash'arism, God is neither obligated to punish disobedience nor to reward obedience.<ref name="IslamicLaw"/>{{rp|p=167}}

Ash'aris hold revelation necessary to understand good and evil, as well as religious truths.<ref name="Rationalistic"/>{{rp|p=109}} Accordingly, revelation is necessary to reach moral and religious truths and thus, people who hear from a prophet or messenger are obligated to follow the revealed religion. However, those who have not received revelation are not obligated, and can hope for salvation.<ref name="Pluralism"/>{{rp|p=215}} 

Ash'arite scholar [[al-Ghazali]] divided non-Muslims into three categories for purposes of the Afterlife according to [[Mohammad Hassan Khalil]]:<ref name="Diversity">{{cite book |author1-last=McKim |author1-first=Robert| year=2016 |orig-date= |chapter= Pluralism in Jewish, Christian and Muslim thought|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BoByDQAAQBAJ |editor-last=|editor-first=|editor-link= |title=Religious Perspectives on Religious Diversity |location= |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |pages=|doi= |isbn=9789004330436|lccn=}}</ref><ref name=Khalil-2013-111/>

#Those who never heard the message of Islam, who live in far away lands, such as the Byzantines ("Romans"). These will be forgiven.
#Those who were only exposed to a distorted understanding of Islam and had no opportunity to hear the correct version. These too will be forgiven.
#People who heard of Islam because they lived in neighboring lands and/or mixed with Muslims. These have no hope of salvation.<ref name=Khalil-2013-111/>
Of these three, only the last group would be punished.<ref name="Diversity"/>
[[Al-Ghazali|Ghazali]] distinguished between the "saved" and "those who will attain success". Therefore, righteous non-Muslims will neither enter hell nor Jannah, but will stay in [[Araf (Islam)|al-Araf]] (a realm between Jannah and Jahannam  inhabited by those who are neither entirely evil nor entirely good).<ref name=MHIatFoO2012-45-6>{{cite book|first1=Mohammad Hassan |last1=Khalil |title=Islam and the Fate of Others: The Salvation Question |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= USA |date=2012 |isbn=978-0-199-79666-3 |pages=45–46}}</ref>