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An-Nisa (The Women)

Verse 18of 176

وَلَيْسَتِ ٱلتَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبْتُ ٱلْـَٰٔنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا﴿١٨

Translation (Sahih International)

But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.

Word-by-word meaning

وَلَيْسَتِwalaysatiAnd not
ٱلتَّوْبَةُl-tawbatu(is) the acceptance of repentance
لِلَّذِينَlilladhīnafor those who
يَعْمَلُونَyaʿmalūnado
ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِl-sayiātithe evil deeds
حَتَّىٰٓḥattāuntil
إِذَاidhāwhen
حَضَرَḥaḍaraapproaches
أَحَدَهُمُaḥadahumuone of them
ٱلْمَوْتُl-mawtu[the] death
قَالَqālahe says
إِنِّىinnīIndeed I
تُبْتُtub'turepent
ٱلْـَٔـٰنَl-ānanow
وَلَاwalāand not
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose who
يَمُوتُونَyamūtūnadie
وَهُمْwahumwhile they
كُفَّارٌ ۚkuffārun(are) disbelievers
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَulāikaThose
أَعْتَدْنَاaʿtadnāWe have prepared
لَهُمْlahumfor them
عَذَابًاʿadhābana punishment
أَلِيمًۭاalīmanpainful

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Repentance is Accepted Until one Faces deathAllah states that He accepts repentance of the servant who commits an error in ignorance and then repents, even just before he sees the angel who captures the soul, before his soul reaches his throat. Mujahid and others said, "Every person who disobeys Allah by mistake, or intentionally is ignorant, until he refrains from the sin.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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