وَلَيْسَتِ ٱلتَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبْتُ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا 18
Translations
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.
Transliteration
Wa laysat al-tawbatu lil-ladhina ya'malun al-sayyiat hatta idha hadara ahadahum al-mawt qala inni tubtu al-ana wa la al-ladhina yamutuun wa hum kuffar. Ulaika a'tadna lahum adhaban alima.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that sincere repentance (tawbah) is not accepted from those who continue committing sins until death approaches them, at which point they claim to repent—nor is it accepted from those who die as disbelievers. Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that Allah has prepared a painful punishment for such people because their deathbed repentance lacks sincerity and is motivated by desperation rather than genuine remorse. The ayah emphasizes that tawbah must be done while one has the capacity to change and before the soul reaches the throat (as referenced in related Quranic verses like 75:26).
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the Medinan surah An-Nisa, which addresses various legal and ethical matters of the Muslim community. The broader context discusses conditions for valid repentance, emphasizing that Allah's mercy is vast but not extended to those who persist in sin and defer repentance until death is imminent—a reality many believers encounter and must prepare for spiritually.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Allah accepts the repentance of a servant as long as the soul has not reached the throat' (Sunan Ibn Majah, Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim describes that when death comes, 'the gates of the sky are opened for him' only if he dies as a believer with sincere faith and righteous deeds.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah urges believers to repent sincerely and consistently during their lifetimes rather than delaying until death approaches, reminding us that true tawbah requires genuine change of heart, not mere verbal claims made out of fear. It serves as a profound spiritual wake-up call to prioritize reconciliation with Allah while we possess health, strength, and opportunity.