Will a murderer remain in Hell forever, despite being a Muslim?

Question

I was told that provided that you are a muslim even if you are thrown into hellfire you will eventually be removed. SO my question is that about those who killed a soul intentionally and they are muslim are they going to be remove from fire after they had been thrown into it?

Because there is verse in An-Nisa that says:

وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَآؤُهُۥ جَهَنَّمُ خٰلِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُۥ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُۥ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا

But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.

^{Quran 4:93}

Please i need additional explanation about it.

Answer 1

The word khulūd (Arabic: خلود) bears multiple meanings as per Al-Ma'ājim:

1. Eternal with no start and no end, e.g., the existence of Allah (الدَّوَامُ وَالبَقَاءُ لِلَّهِ لاَ بِدَايَةَ لَهُ وَلاَ نِهَايَةَ).
2. Eternal with a start and no end, e.g., the soul has a start but no end (خُلُود النَّفس: بقاؤها بعد فناء البدن مع الاحتفاظ بخصائصها ومميزاتها الفرديّة).
3. Being in a place for a long time (خَلَدَ بِالْمَكَان ِ: أَقَامَ فِيهِ وَدَامَ وَاسْتَقَرَّ طَوِيلاً).

Allah ﷻ informs us that the only sin that is not forgivable is to attribute partners to Allah in worship. Any sins other than shirk may be forgiven by Allah ﷻ as He wills:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا

Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom he pleases sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, has indeed strayed far away.

_{— Surat An-Nisa' 4:116}

Killing a believer intentionally is bound to be one of two cases:

1. While considering the act of murder to be permissible (halāl), or
2. While considering the act of murder to be prohibited (harām).

Killing a believer (or disbelievers for that matter) while considering the act of murder as permissible is considered kufr, hence punishable by eternity in Hellfire with no chance of getting out unless Allah wills otherwise:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَعَنَ الْكَافِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ سَعِيرًا خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا لَّا يَجِدُونَ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا

Verily, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and has prepared for them a flaming Fire (Hell). Wherein they will abide forever, and they will find neither a Wali (a protector) nor a helper.

_{— Surat Al-Ahzab 33:64-65}

Note the use of the word abada (Arabic: أَبدا) in connection with the word khālidīn (Arabic: خالدين); it shows that there is no end to their time in Hellfire (unless Allah wills otherwise).

If killing a believer is done while the murderer acknowledges that the act is harām, this is considered an act that constitutes a major sin but does not reach the level of kufr, hence the punishment may not be without end (the verse does not use the word abada):

وَمَن يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُّتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا

And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.

_{— Surat An-Nisa' 4:93}

'Abdul-'Aziz ar-Rajihi said that the use of the word khulūd in this verse refers to staying in Hellfire for a considerable amount of time. Whoever believes that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah will eventually enter Jannah as the Prophet ﷺ said:

عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ النَّارِ مَنْ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ مَا يَزِنُ شَعِيرَةً ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ النَّارِ مَنْ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ مَا يَزِنُ بُرَّةً ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ النَّارِ مَنْ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ مَا يَزِنُ ذَرَّةً ‏"‏ ‏.

Anas b. Malik reported: Verily the Apostle (ﷺ) said: He who professed: There is no god but Allah, would be brought out of the Fire even though he has in his heart virtue equal to the weight of a barley grain. Then he who professed: There is no god but Allah, would come out of the Fire, even though he has in his heart virtue equal to the weight of a wheat grain. He would then bring out from the Fire he who professed: There is no god but Allah, even though he has in his heart virtue equal to the weight of an atom.

_{— Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 386}

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For more information, you may refer to these two Islam Q&A pages:

• The meaning of abiding for eternity in Hell
• The people of Hell will abide therein forever.

Answer 2

To supplement III-AK-III's answer:

The verse was revealed about a person who apostatized and killed a Muslim. So even if خٰلِدًا is interpreted as eternity, then it is applicable to one who does it while not considering it forbidden or wrong, and an implied exception exists for Muslims. This is similar to how an implied exception exists for killing as part of a Hadd (legal punishment), or Qisas (retaliation for murder), in self defense, or against armed rebellion etc. even though it is not mentioned explicitly in the verse.

وقد أجمعوا على أن الآية نزلت في مقيس بن صبابة ؛ وذلك أنه كان قد أسلم هو وأخوه هشام بن صبابة ؛ فوجد هشاما قتيلا في بني النجار فأخبر بذلك النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فكتب له إليهم أن يدفعوا إليه قاتل أخيه وأرسل معه رجلا من بني فهر ؛ فقال بنو النجار : والله ما نعلم له قاتلا ولكنا نؤدي الدية ؛ فأعطوه مائة من الإبل ؛ ثم انصرفا راجعين إلى المدينة فعدا مقيس على الفهري فقتله بأخيه وأخذ الإبل وانصرف إلى مكة كافرا مرتدا ، وجعل ينشد : قتلت به فهرا وحملت عقله سراة بني النجار أرباب فارع حللت به وتري وأدركت ثورتي وكنت إلى الأوثان أول راجع فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : لا أؤمنه في حل ولا حرم . وأمر بقتله يوم فتح مكة وهو متعلق بالكعبة . وإذا ثبت هذا بنقل أهل التفسير وعلماء الدين فلا ينبغي أن يحمل على المسلمين

It is agreed upon that this was revealed with regard to Muqis bin Sababah Al-Knany (مقيس بن صبابة الكناني). He and his brother Hasham bin Sababah became Muslims. Then Muqis found his brother dead among the Bani Najar tribe. When the Prophet heard of this, he wrote a letter to the tribe of Bani Najar that "Hand over to him the murderer of his brother". The Prophet sent with him a person from the tribe of Bani Fahr.

Bani Najar replied that they did not know who had murdered Muqis's brother, but they said they would pay the blood money. Then they gave them one hundred camels and sent them back to Medinah. On the way back, Muqis murdered his (innocent) companion from the tribe of Bani Fahr, became a disbeliever and apostate and went to Mecca and used to recite poetry [ eulogizing his actions ] ...

Then on the day of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet commanded that he should be killed, even if he is clinging to the Kaabah. When this is proven in the Tafsir, then applying it to Muslims in general is not appropriate.

^{— Tafsir Qurtubi}

The established madhab of the Sunnis is that a Muslim who dies on belief but has committed major sins, including murder, may be forgiven by Allah (for the disobedience to Allah, the violation of the victim's rights still needs to be settled on the day of Judgement^{See Bukhari}):

ولا يقتلون النفس التي حرم الله إلا بالحق ... ومن يفعل ذلك يلق أثاما يضاعف له العذاب يوم القيامة ويخلد فيه مهانا ... إلا من تاب وآمن وعمل عملا صالحا فأولئك يبدل الله سيئاتهم حسنات وكان الله غفورا رحيما

do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right ... And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated. Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

^{— Quran 25:68-70}

And when they are condemned to Hell, they may be removed from it eventually:

قال النار مثواكم خالدين فيها إلا ما شاء الله

He will say, "The Fire is your residence, wherein you will abide eternally, except for what Allah wills.

^{— Quran 6:128}

خالدين فيها ما دامت السماوات والأرض إلا ما شاء ربك إن ربك فعال لما يريد

[They will be] abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except what your Lord should will. Indeed, your Lord is an effecter of what He intends.

^{— Quran 11:107}

Answer 3

If you already committed the murder, then you amy be able to get some clemency depending on how you approach the victim's family, and your sincereity of your tawbah.

If you haven't yet but are contemplating murder, then hell is forever. Don't do it.