How can we reconcile the noble Prophetic saying that the door of repentance remains open and will not close until the sun rises from the west, with the noble verses that show that Allah closed the door of repentance in the face of Iblis, Abu Lahab, and some hypocrites? And is it possible that Allah could close the door of repentance in the face of someone in our current era?
The door to repentance is open, and Allah rejoices at the repentance of His servant and expiates his sins. However, there are those whom Allah knew would never repent, so He informed us that they are among the people of the Fire, such as Abu Lahab and a third of those who fled in battle, whom Allah will never forgive, and the twelve hypocrites who will not enter Paradise. Allah knew that these individuals would not be guided to repentance, and this does not contradict the opening of the door to repentance, for Allah knows who is worthy of repentance. Allah is just in His actions and rulings; He guides whom He wills and leads astray whom He wills, and He knows who thanks Him for His blessings and who does not, so He bestows His favor upon the thankful. These disbelievers and hypocrites chose disbelief and persisted in it; some of them died upon that, and some are still alive, and Allah knew that they would not repent. Their recompense is hypocrisy in their hearts that prevents them from repenting due to their breaking their promise to Allah and their lies.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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