Al-Nisa (The Women): (18) And not repentance is for those...

It is known that after the Almighty mentioned the conditions for acceptable repentance, He followed it by explaining the repentance that is not accepted. There are several issues in this verse:

Issue 1: The verse indicates that the repentance of one facing death and witnessing its horrors is not accepted.

This issue contains two discussions:

1. This verse itself: It is explicit regarding the matter.
2. The Almighty's saying: $\text{{But their faith was not of any benefit to them when they saw Our punishment} (Ghafir: 85)}.
3. Regarding Pharaoh: \text{{Until, when he was drowned, he said, "I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Children of Israel believed, and I am of the Muslims." * "Now? And you have disobeyed before and were of the corrupters!"} (Yunus: 90-91)}. Allah did not accept his repentance upon witnessing the torment. Had he professed this faith a moment earlier, it would have been accepted.
4. The Almighty's saying: \text{{Until, when one of them is approached by death, he says, "My Lord, send me back, * So that I may do righteousness in what I have left behind." No! It is only a word he is saying.} (Al-Mu'minun: 99-100)}.
5. The Almighty's saying: \text{{And spend from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says, "My Lord, if only You would delay me for a short term so that I might give charity and be among the righteous." * But never will Allah delay a soul when its appointed term has come.} (Al-Munafiqun: 10-11)}. In these verses, Allah informs that repentance is not accepted when death approaches.
6. Hadith narration: Abu Ayyub narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Allah accepts the servant's repentance until the soul reaches the throat (i.e., gargling). 'Ata said: Even if it is just before death by the time it takes a she-camel to yield milk between its udders. Al-Hasan said that when Iblis was cast down to earth, he swore, "By Your might, I will never leave the son of Adam as long as his soul is in his body." Allah replied, "By My might, I will not close the door of repentance upon him until the soul gargles."

The phrase \text{{Until, when death approaches one of them}} (An-Nisa: 18) means when the signs and proximity of death become apparent, similar to His saying: \text{{Prescribed for you, when death approaches one of you...}} (\text{Al-Baqarah: 180}).

The scholars of deep insight state that the mere proximity of death does not prevent the acceptance of repentance. Rather, the barrier is witnessing the states and horrors at which knowledge of Allah becomes compulsory (iḍṭirārī).

We assert that the mere nearness of death does not prevent acceptance for several reasons:

1. Allah caused a group of people (like some of the Children of Israel and the children of Job, peace be upon him) to die and then revived them. Allah then imposed obligations upon them after this revival, indicating that witnessing death does not nullify accountability (taklīf).
2. The distress experienced by one near death is comparable to the distress of colic, or even greater than the distress a woman experiences during labor. If these severe pains do not prevent accountability, then the pains associated with death should not either.
3. When the pains near death intensify, the servant's need (iḍṭirār) becomes more intense. Allah says: \text{{Or who is it that answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him?} (An-Naml: 62)}. Therefore, the increase in pain at that time is more likely to be a cause for the acceptance of repentance than a cause for its rejection.

Thus, based on these points, the mere proximity of death, and the increase in pain and hardship, cannot be a barrier to the acceptance of repentance.

The barrier is that when a person nears death, they witness states and horrors that make their knowledge of Allah compulsory upon witnessing those horrors. When knowledge becomes compulsory, the religious obligation (taklīf) is lifted from them. Do you not see that the inhabitants of the Hereafter, whose knowledge has become compulsory upon witnessing the Resurrection and Judgment (before entering Hellfire), have their repentance rejected?

A Deep Scholastic Discussion:

There is a profound issue here concerning the people of the Hereafter. They witness being brought back to life after being dead, and they witness the great Fire and various horrors. Yet, all this does not necessarily make knowledge of Allah compulsory.

• For most Mu'tazilite scholars, the knowledge that life returns after non-existence requires a speculative/deductive (naẓarī) understanding of the Agent (Allah). Even if one argues this knowledge is compulsory, the knowledge that revival can only be by Allah is certainly speculative.
• Similarly, the knowledge that the agent of those great fires is none other than Allah is also inferential (istidlālī). How then can it be claimed that the people of the Hereafter know Allah by necessity (ḍarūrah) simply by witnessing its horrors?

Furthermore, even if that were the case, why do they claim that when knowledge of Allah becomes compulsory, the obligation (taklīf) ceases? A servant, even with compulsory knowledge of the rewarding and punishing God, might still commit sin, believing God is too Generous, or that the obedience of a servant does not benefit Him, nor does their sin harm Him. If this is the case, why do they say this necessitates the removal of obligation?

Moreover, the Mu'tazilites' claim that knowledge of Allah in the Abode of Obligation (dār al-taklīf) must be speculative, and if it becomes compulsory, the obligation ceases, is a weak argument. If the possibility of its opposite remains in one's heart, it is mere conjecture (ẓann), not knowledge. If the possibility of its opposite does not remain, it is impossible for another knowledge to be stronger or more certain than it. In that case, there remains absolutely no difference between compulsory knowledge and speculative knowledge.

Therefore, the things the Mu'tazilites mention are weak and baseless statements. Allah does what He wills and judges as He wills. By His Grace, He promised to accept repentance at certain times, and by His Justice, He informed that repentance is not accepted at other times. He has the power to reverse matters, making the accepted rejected, and the rejected accepted: \text{{He is not questioned about what He does, while they are questioned} (Al-Anbiya: 23)}.

Issue 2: Classification of Repentance

The Almighty mentioned two categories:

1. \text{{Repentance is incumbent upon Allah only for those who do evil out of ignorance...} (An-Nisa: 17)}. This implies that accepting their repentance is obligatory upon Allah.
2. \text{{And not repentance is for those who do evil deeds...}}. This asserts that Allah will not accept the repentance of these people.

By logical division between these two categories, a third category remains: those whose repentance Allah has neither guaranteed acceptance for nor guaranteed rejection for.

Since the first category is those who do evil out of ignorance, and the second category is those who only repent upon witnessing punishment, the intermediate category must be those who do evil intentionally (ʿamd) and then repent. Allah has not informed us that He accepts their repentance, nor that He rejects it; rather, He leaves their matter to His Will (mashī’ah), just as He left the forgiveness of lesser sins to His Will when He said: \text{{And He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills}}.

Issue 3: The meaning of \text{{and not those who die...}}

After explaining that repentance is not accepted when the signs of death approach, Allah says: \text{{and not those who die...}} (referring to those who die while committing sins). There are two interpretations:

1. Meaning: It refers to those whose death is near. The meaning is that just as repentance from sins is not accepted near death, faith (īmān) is also not accepted near death.
2. Meaning: It refers to disbelievers (kuffār) who die upon their disbelief. If they repent in the Hereafter, their repentance will not be accepted.

Issue 4: The Mu'tazilites' Reliance on this Verse

The Mu'tazilites based their doctrine on this verse in two ways:

1. They argue: Allah said: \text{{And not repentance is for those who do evil deeds, until when death approaches one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," nor for those who die while they are disbelievers.}} They note that \text{{those who do evil deeds}} is conjoined (maʿṭūf) to \text{{those who die while they are disbelievers}}. Since the conjoined must differ from the thing it is conjoined to, the first group (those who do evil deeds) are not disbelievers. Yet, Allah says concerning all of them: \text{{For them We have prepared a painful torment}}. This implies that this severe warning encompasses both disbelievers and grave sinners (fussāq).
2. They argue: Allah informed that repentance is not accepted upon direct witnessing (of punishment/death). If He were to forgive them despite the lack of repentance, this announcement would be meaningless.

The Response:

1. We have already compiled the general threatening verses in Surah Al-Baqarah when explaining \text{{Yes, whoever earns an evil and is encompassed by his sin, those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally}} (Al-Baqarah: 81), and we provided numerous answers to their reliance on such generalities; there is no need to repeat them here. Furthermore, the pronoun (hum) in \text{{For them We have prepared...}} should refer to the nearest mentioned noun, which is \text{{nor for those who die while they are disbelievers}}. Thus, it is possible that \text{{For them We have prepared a painful torment}} refers only to the disbelievers. The reality is that Allah informed that the repentance of those who only repent at death is unacceptable, and then He mentioned the disbelievers, clarifying that their faith at death is also unacceptable. The disbeliever is certainly more reprehensible in action and lower in rank before Allah than the grave sinner. Therefore, it is appropriate for Him to single out the disbelievers with an intensified humiliation and disgrace, making the statement \text{{For them We have prepared a painful torment}} specific to them, as a clarification that they are singled out for greater punishment due to their disbelief.
2. Regarding their second point: Informing that repentance is not accepted upon direct witnessing does not necessitate that forgiveness is impossible if repentance is not made. It allows for the possibility of punishment or forgiveness, which serves as a form of warning, similar to His saying: \text{{Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that of whom He wills}}. Moreover, this relies on the Argument of Omission (Dalīl al-Khitāb), which the Mu'tazilites do not accept. (And Allah knows best.)

Issue 5: Refutation of the Khawarij

Allah conjoined the disbelievers (kuffār) with those who repent at the sight of death. Since the conjoined must differ from the thing it is conjoined to, this implies that the grave sinner who performs prayer (fāsiq ahl al-ṣalāh) is not a disbeliever. This refutes the view of the Khawarij that the grave sinner is a disbeliever. It cannot be argued that the intended meaning is the hypocrite (munāfiq), because the correct view is that the hypocrite is a disbeliever, as Allah says: \text{{And Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are indeed liars}} (Al-Munafiqun: 1). (And Allah knows best.)

Issue 6: The Meaning of Aʿtadnā (We have prepared)

Aʿtadnā means "We have prepared and made ready." This is similar to His saying regarding the description of Hellfire: \text{{Prepared for the disbelievers}} (Al-Baqarah: 24, Al 'Imran: 131). Our scholars used this verse as evidence that Hellfire is created, because the painful torment can only be the Fire of Hell or its intense cold. Since Aʿtadnā is a report about the past, this indicates that the Fire was created from this perspective. (And Allah knows best.)

7 < \text{{O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women forcibly. And do not detain them in order to take [back] part of what you have given them, unless they commit a clear immorality. And live with them in kindness; for if you dislike them - perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.}}$