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Surah An-Nisa, Verse 18

سورة النساء، الآية ١٨

4:18 Juz 4 Hizb 8 Page 80 of the mushaf Medinan surah

Text of verse 4:18

وَلَيْسَتِ ٱلتَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبْتُ ٱلْـَٰٔنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ۝١٨

Transliteration

walaysati l-tawbatu lilladhīna yaʿmalūna l-sayiāti ḥattā idhā ḥaḍara aḥadahumu l-mawtu qāla innī tub'tu l-āna walā alladhīna yamūtūna wahum kuffārun ulāika aʿtadnā lahum ʿadhāban alīman

Translation

But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 18 of Surah An-Nisa (4:18), a Medinan surah, is in juz 4, on page 80 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.

Listen to verse 18 of Surah An-Nisa

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Tafsir of verse 18

Al-Mukhtasar

Allah does not turn in mercy and forgiveness to those who continue in their disobedience, overstepping the limits and insisting on overstepping them, and not turning away from doing this until they are dying, then saying that they regret what they did and asking for Allah’s forgiveness. Also, Allah does not turn in mercy and forgiveness to those who die in disbelief – He has prepared a painful punishment for them.

Tafsir of the whole Surah An-Nisa

Other translations of verse 18

However, repentance is not for those who commit evil deeds until death approaches one of them, he then says, “Now I repent,” nor for those who die as disbelievers; for them We have prepared a painful punishment.

And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: "Now I repent;" nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment.

The forgiveness is not for those who do ill-deeds until, when death attendeth upon one of them, he saith: Lo! I repent now; nor yet for those who die while they are disbelievers. For such We have prepared a painful doom.

Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, "Now have I repented indeed;" nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them have We prepared a punishment most grievous.

And repentance is not for those who go on doing evil deeds, until when death comes to one of them, he says: Surely now I repent; nor (for) those who die while they are unbelievers. These are they for whom We have prepared a painful chastisement.

And relenting is not for the ones who do odious deeds until, when death is present to one of them, he says, "Surely now I repent, " neither (for) the ones who die (while) they are steadfast disbelievers; for those We have readied a painful torment.

Verse 18 word by word

  1. وَلَيْسَتِ walaysati And not ل ي س
  2. ٱلتَّوْبَةُ l-tawbatu (is) the acceptance of repentance ت و ب
  3. لِلَّذِينَ lilladhīna for those who
  4. يَعْمَلُونَ yaʿmalūna do ع م ل
  5. ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ l-sayiāti the evil deeds س و أ
  6. حَتَّىٰٓ ḥattā until
  7. إِذَا idhā when
  8. حَضَرَ ḥaḍara approaches ح ض ر
  9. أَحَدَهُمُ aḥadahumu one of them أ ح د
  10. ٱلْمَوْتُ l-mawtu [the] death م و ت
  11. قَالَ qāla he says ق و ل
  12. إِنِّى innī Indeed I
  13. تُبْتُ tub'tu repent ت و ب
  14. ٱلْـَٰٔنَ l-āna now أ و ن
  15. وَلَا walā and not
  16. ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
  17. يَمُوتُونَ yamūtūna die م و ت
  18. وَهُمْ wahum while they
  19. كُفَّارٌ kuffārun (are) disbelievers ك ف ر
  20. أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ulāika Those
  21. أَعْتَدْنَا aʿtadnā We have prepared ع ت د
  22. لَهُمْ lahum for them
  23. عَذَابًا ʿadhāban a punishment ع ذ ب
  24. أَلِيمًا alīman painful أ ل م

Hadiths that cite this verse

Good (hasan) Sunan Ibn Majah 4253

Allah, Blessed and Exalted, accepts the slave's repentance as long as the death rattle has not yet reached his throat

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, Blessed and Exalted, accepts the slave's repentance as long as his death rattle has not yet reached his throat."

‏ ‏"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَيَقْبَلُ تَوْبَةَ الْعَبْدِ مَا لَمْ يُغَرْغِرْ ‏"

Narrated by Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar + 1 other version Explained

Verses related to verse 18

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Ghafir 40:84–85

    فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا۟ بَأْسَنَا قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَحْدَهُۥ وَكَفَرْنَا بِمَا كُنَّا بِهِۦ مُشْرِكِينَ …

    And when they saw Our punishment, they said, "We believe in Allāh alone and disbelieve in that which we used to associate with Him." …

  • Al-An’am 6:158

    هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ رَبُّكَ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ بَعْضُ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِى بَعْضُ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَٰنُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ ءَامَنَتْ مِن قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِىٓ إِيمَٰنِهَا خَيْرًا قُلِ ٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ

    Do they [then] wait for anything except that the angels should come to them or your Lord should come or that there come some of the signs of your Lord? The Day that some of the signs of your Lord will come no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good. Say, "Wait. Indeed, we [also] are waiting."

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Al-Isra 17:10

    وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا

    And that those who do not believe in the Hereafter - We have prepared for them a painful punishment.

All similar verses of Surah An-Nisa

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