Is the repentance of a person who was extravagant with himself, and who did not repent until he was afflicted with a near-fatal illness with no hope of recovery, and then wished to repent after this illness, accepted? Or does he fall under the ruling of the verse: "But repentance is not for those who continue to do evil deeds until, when death approaches one of them, he says, 'Indeed, I have repented now...'"? And is the ruling of a malignant disease the same as the ruling of death?

Sincere repentance from a sick person is accepted if it occurs before the soul reaches the throat (before ghargarah), even if it is during a severe illness or in the throes of death. The proof for this is the acceptance of a sick person's conversion to Islam, as in the story of the Jewish boy who embraced Islam at his deathbed, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, presented Islam to his uncle during his fatal illness. It is stated in the Hadith: "Indeed, Allah Almighty accepts the repentance of His servant as long as he has not gurgled [i.e., his soul has not reached his throat]," and what is meant by ghargarah is the soul reaching the throat, meaning reaching a state where life thereafter is inconceivable. If the servant reaches this state, his repentance is not accepted.