Dear Teacher, in verses 107 and 108 of Sūrat Hūd, God says that the people of Paradise and the people of Hell will remain there for as long as the heavens and the earth endure.
But is it not the case that, on the Day of Resurrection, people will be raised up, the earth will expand, and their deeds will be reckoned? Then they will enter either Paradise or Hell. After that, will the earth again continue to exist? According to these two verses, it seems that it will. But does the earth not last only until the Resurrection?
If it does continue to exist, what purpose will an uninhabited earth serve?
In verse 11 of Sūrat al-Takwīr, God says: “When the sky is stripped away.” This tells us that the sky will be dismantled.
Yet Sūrat Hūd speaks of the heavens enduring. Of course, the heavens have different levels, and we are familiar only with the sky we see.
In verse 12 of Sūrat al-Nabaʾ, God says: “And We built above you seven mighty heavens.”
Then, in verse 9 of Sūrat al-Mursalāt, He says: “And when the sky is split open.” Its being split suggests that the sky will be ruined and collapse.
In verses 8 and 9 of Sūrat al-Qiyāmah, the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and moon are brought together.
These verses point to the dismantling of the earth and the heavens.
I came across the following verse after asking my question. In verse 48 of Sūrat Ibrāhīm, God says: “On the day when the earth is changed into another earth, and the heavens as well, and they appear before God, the One, the All-Subduing.” So, in light of this verse, will the earth and heavens still exist after the Resurrection?