سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 18
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﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: "Now I repent;" nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَيْسَتِ
walaysati
And not
ٱلتَّوْبَةُ
l-tawbatu
(is) the acceptance of repentance
لِلَّذِينَ
lilladhīna
for those who
يَعْمَلُونَ
yaʿmalūna
do
ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ
l-sayiāti
the evil deeds
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
until
إِذَا
idhā
when
حَضَرَ
ḥaḍara
approaches
أَحَدَهُمُ
aḥadahumu
one of them
ٱلْمَوْتُ
l-mawtu
[the] death
قَالَ
qāla
he says
إِنِّى
innī
Indeed I
تُبْتُ
tub'tu
repent
ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ
l-āna
now
وَلَا
walā
and not
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
يَمُوتُونَ
yamūtūna
die
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
كُفَّارٌ ۚ
kuffārun
(are) disbelievers
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ
ulāika
Those
أَعْتَدْنَا
aʿtadnā
We have prepared
لَهُمْ
lahum
for them
عَذَابًا
ʿadhāban
a punishment
أَلِيمًۭا
alīman
painful
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
18. 1. This makes it clear that repentance made at the time of death is not accepted, just as it is mentioned in the hadith. Its necessary details have already been discussed in Al-Imran, verse 90.
