Does unforgiveness invalidate God's forgiveness on the 15th of Sha’ban for those in dispute? Or does seeking forgiveness from one of the disputants remove the characteristic of "disputant" from him and he is forgiven? And are the two disputants never forgiven, or is the forgiveness in Sha’ban merely what is negated? And is the raising of the disputant's deeds contingent upon reconciliation?

Contentiousness prevents the forgiveness mentioned in the hadith about the middle of Sha'ban and similar narrations, such as the hadith: "The gates of Paradise are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and every servant who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven, except for a man between whom and his brother there is animosity. It is said: 'Wait for these two until they reconcile.'" This forgiveness could potentially be for all sins or only for the sin of abandonment.

If one of the contentious parties reconciles with the other, and the other does not accept, the one who reconciled is forgiven, and the punishment of delayed forgiveness remains for the one who did not reconcile. Abandonment, enmity, contentiousness, and hatred are grave sins, and a believer must be wary of them because they prevent forgiveness.

The point is that the punishment of delayed forgiveness is contingent upon reconciliation and the cessation of abandonment. The hadiths of warning should not be interpreted in a way that empties them of their deterrent effect.

As for the contention preventing one's deeds from being raised (accepted), there is nothing authentically reported about it other than the deferral of forgiveness.