Will a Night Last Three Nights Before the Sun Rises From the West?
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is there an authentic hadith about a night as long as three nights before the sun rises from the west, after which repentance will not be accepted?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Understanding the Hadith on a Prolonged Night
The hadith is isolated in this chain (gharib min hadha al-wajh).
Gharib (isolated) normally refers to a hadith in whose chain there is only one narrator at a particular stage. Imam Tirmidhi sometimes says, “Gharib min hadha al-wajh,” meaning the text of the hadith is well-known; however, this particular chain is Gharib.
‘Abdullah Ibn Abi Awfa (Allah be pleased with him) reported that I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace):
“Verily, a night will come upon the people which is equivalent to three of your nights. When it comes, those who engage themselves in worship during the night will recognize it. One of them will stand in prayer, read his daily litany (Hizb), and then go to sleep.
Thereafter, he will wake up (for the second time), read his Hizb in prayer, and go to sleep. While this is the situation, the people will begin to shout, scream, and call one another. They will say, ‘What’s this?’ With fear, they will run to the mosque. To their surprise, they will see that the sun has risen from the west.
When it reaches the middle of the sky, it will return and set in the west.” He said, “That is when faith will not benefit anyone (who brings faith after seeing the sign).” [Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur; Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, al-Nihaya]
There are similar hadiths related to this:
The Closing of Repentance When the Sun Rises from the West
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will accept his repentance.” [Muslim]
Safwan ibn ‘Assal reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“Verily, Allah has placed a gate for repentance in the west, the width of which is like seventy years of travel. It will not close until the sun rises in its direction. That is the word of Allah Almighty: ‘On the Day your Lord’s signs arrive, belief will not benefit those who did not believe earlier or those who did no good through their faith.’” [Quran, 6:158] [Tirmidhi]
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
