In an internal combustion engine, inside an engine exhaust passage, a hydrocarbon feed valve (15) an exhaust purification catalyst (13), and a particulate filter (14) are arranged. If the hydrocarbon feed valve (15) feeds hydrocarbons by a period of within 5 seconds, a reducing intermediate is produced inside the exhaust purification catalyst (13). This reducing intermediate is used for NO x purification processing. When the stored SO x should be released from the exhaust purification catalyst (13), the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust purification catalyst (13) is made rich, the reducing intermediate built up on the exhaust purification catalyst (13) is made to be desorbed in the form of ammonia, and the desorbed ammonia is used to make the exhaust purification catalyst (13) release the stored SO x .