💎[The Categories of People in Repentance]

By al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī (d. 795 AH)

People fall into various categories when it comes to repentance:

1️⃣ The first are those who are never granted success in sincere repentance. Instead, they are enabled to commit sins from the beginning of their lives until the end, dying while persisting in disobedience. This is the condition of the wretched.

Even more disgraceful is the one who is granted the ability to perform acts of obedience early in life, but whose end is sealed with evil deeds—so he dies having abandoned righteousness. As mentioned in the authentic narration:

“Indeed, one of you may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise until there remains between him and it only an arm’s length, then what is written overtakes him, and he acts with the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.”

And in another narration reported by the authors of the Sunan:

“Indeed, a servant may act with the deeds of the people of Paradise for seventy years. But when death approaches, he commits injustice in his will and thereby enters the Fire.”

How difficult it is to descend from vision into blindness—and more difficult still is to fall from guidance into misguidance, or from piety into sin.

2️⃣ The second are those who spend their lives in heedlessness and idleness, then are granted success in a righteous deed near the end, and die upon it.

This resembles the one who acted like the people of Hell until there remained between him and it only an arm’s length—then what is written overtakes him, and he performs the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.

Indeed, deeds are judged by their conclusions. And in the ḥadīth:

“When Allah wills good for a servant, He ‘sweetens’ him.”
They asked, “And what is his ‘sweetening’?”
He said, “He enables him to perform a righteous deed, and then takes his soul while he is upon it.”

Some among these are awakened before death with enough time to gather provisions of righteous deeds with which to end their lives. Others are awakened at the moment of death itself and are granted the success of sincere repentance upon which they die.

And then there remains a final category—the most noble and exalted of all. This is the one who spends his life in obedience and is then alerted to the nearness of death, prompting him to increase his striving, gather more righteous deeds, and prepare for departure with a sound conclusion and hopeful meeting with his Lord.

Ibn ʿAbbās said: When the verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

“When the help of Allah comes and the victory…” [al-Naṣr 110:1]

—Ibn ʿAbbās said: It was a sign that the Prophet’s ﷺ end had drawn near. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ increased his effort and striving for the Hereafter more than ever before.

Adapted from Laṭāʾif al-Maʿārif by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī.

💎[Adam said: If I repent and set things right, will You return me to Paradise?]

⭐️It has been authentically reported, as a mawqūf narration with the ruling of being marfūʿ (attributable in meaning to the Prophet), from Ibn ʿAbbās - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted:

﴿ فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ﴾ [البقرة: ٣٧]

{Then Ādam received from his Lord words, and He accepted his repentance} [Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:37]:

«قَالَ آدَمُ: أَي رَبِّ، أَلَمْ تَخْلُقْنِي بِيَدِكَ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى،

“Ādam said: O my Lord, did You not create me with Your own Hand? He said: Yes, indeed.

قَالَ: أَي رَبِّ، أَلَمْ تَنْفُخْ فِيَّ مِنْ رُوحِكَ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى،

He said: O my Lord, did You not blow into me from Your Spirit? He said: Yes, indeed.

قَالَ: أَي رَبِّ، أَلَمْ تُسْكِنِّي جَنَّتَكَ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى،

He said: O my Lord, did You not settle me in Your Paradise? He said: Yes, indeed.

قَالَ: أَي رَبِّ، أَلَمْ تَسْبِقْ رَحْمَتُكَ غَضَبَكَ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى،

He said: O my Lord, did Your mercy not precede Your anger? He said: Yes, indeed.

قَالَ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ تُبْتُ وَأَصْلَحْتُ، أَرَاجِعِي أَنْتَ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ؟قَالَ: بَلَى،

He said: So, if I repent and set things right, will You return me to Paradise? He said: Yes, indeed.

قَالَ: فَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿ فَتَلَقَّى آدَمُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ﴾ [البقرة: ٣٧]».

He [Ibn ʿAbbās] said: So that is His saying: {Then Ādam received from his Lord words, and He accepted his repentance} [al-Baqarah 2:37].”

📚 This was narrated by al-Firyābī, ʿAbd ibn Ḥumayd, Ibn Abī al-Dunyā in al-Tawbah, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, al-Ḥākim (who declared it authentic), and Ibn Mardawayh. Authenticated by al-Albānī in his book al-Tawassul (p. 90).