Some criminals are put by police and court into jail, for some months or so.
Then after releasing them, they may return to do their crimes.
Then after repeating their crimes: stealing or transgression or whatsoever ... after repeating their crimes two or three times, it will be usual for them, and they will be familiar with committing such crimes.
When a killer is put in jail, according to the West laws, he will try to escape from prison, and if any opportunity for him to escape he will certainly take it to run away from prison.
So it depends on the kind of the crime and on the kind of punishment and retribution.
I think for this reason, God will decide
>> the idolater ,
>> the associater who associates (idols, angels, Jesus, Jewish sages, saints, Ali and others) with God - by the way of enthusiasam and by the way of claiming they are his intercessors and redeemer ..etc.
>> In addition to disbelievers in the messengers
>> and in addition to atheists.
All these God will decide for them the everlasting punishment and forever imprisonment in Hell, and no intercession will avail them.
Because it may be, even if they are released they will return to their past ways and programs.
While other major crimes and guilts [of the believers] may need only some long period of time in Hell.
But how long will this everlasting punishment last?
God is the All-Knowing; I ask His forgiveness and hope for His mercy.
{Quran 11: 105. On the day when it [Doomdsdy] will come, no soul will speak [with intercession] save only according to His permission k; then some of them will be the wretched l and [others] the happy m.
106. Those who are wretched shall be in the Fire: there shall be for them sobbing and exhalation [of fire. n]
107. They will remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth will endure o,
save for that your Lord [O Mohammed] will [to pardon them so He takes them out of the Fire.]
Your Lord surely does all that He likes.
Then God – be glorified – made an exception: the sinners among the ‘devoted to God alone’…
108. But those who will be happy [on that day]: they will be in the Garden (or Paradise): to remain therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure, p save for [anyone] that your Lord [O Mohammed] will [to drive out of it]: a gift unfailing q.}
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n i.e. for them will be suffocating gases.
o i.e. as long as there is in the universe, planets circling around a sun. It means: as long as there is in the universe a solar system.
p Then God – be glorified – made an exception: anyone who waxes proud in Paradise (or the Garden), or he does not comply with God’s command when He commands him with anything, so that He will drive him out of Paradise as did He drive out Iblies (or Satan) when he rebelled against God’s command and waxed proud over Adam …
q i.e. not to be stopped or decreased.
The interpretation is by Mohammed-Ali Hassan Al-Hilly.