As Muslims, we must beware of sins because they are ominous, their repercussions are dispraised and their punishments are painful. Hearts that love them are diseased, being safeguarded from them is a condition to be prized; any wellbeing they bring is useless and being afflicted with them, especially in old age, is a great disaster.
Allah The Almighty accepts the repentance of His slave no matter how great the sin is, even if it is Shirk (polytheism). Allah The Almighty accepts repentance and pardons His slaves for their evil deeds; rather, He replaces these evil deeds with good ones. The evidence lies in the Hadeeth (narration) about the man who killed a hundred people. Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
"There was a person before you who had killed ninety-nine persons and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on earth (who could show him the way to salvation). He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine persons and asked him whether there was any hope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: "No." He killed him also and thus completed one hundred. He then asked about the most learned person on earth and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that he had killed one hundred persons and asked him whether there was any hope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: "Yes; what stands between you and repentance? You had better go to such-and-such land; there are people devoted to prayer and worship and you should also worship along with them and do not come to this land of yours since it is an evil land." So he went away and he had hardly covered half the distance when death came to him and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said: ‘This man has come penitent and remorseful to Allah’ and the angels of punishment said: ‘He has done no good at all.’ Then there came another angel in the form of a human being in order to decide between them. He said: ‘Measure the land to which he has drawn near.’ They measured it and found him nearer to the land where he intended to go (the land of piety), and so the angels of mercy took possession of his soul." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
A different narration in the Saheeh reads: "He was one span closer to the good village, so he was counted from among its people."
In another narration in the Saheeh: "Allah ordered the village (towards which he was going) to come closer to him, and ordered the village (whence he had come), to go far away, and then He ordered the angels to measure the distances between his body and the two villages. So he was found to be one span closer to the village (he was going to). So he was forgiven."
Another narration reads: "As death approached him, he crawled upon his chest (and managed) to slip into the land of mercy.”
People are divided into various categories with respect to repentance. Some are not guided to sincere repentance; rather, evil deeds are facilitated for them from the beginning of their lifetime till they die upon them and this is the state of those who are miserable. Even more awful is he who is guided at the beginning of his life to good deeds and obedience, then, he ends his life with an evil deed until he dies in this state as mentioned in the authentic Hadeeth (narration): "One of you may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of Hell and enters Hell."
Others spend their lifetime in heedlessness and idleness and then they are guided to a good deed, so they die in this state. This is the case of a man who does the deeds characteristic of the people of Hell, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it. Then what has been written (by the angel) comes to pass, and so he starts doing the deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise.
Among such people are those who are awakened from heedlessness before their death with a period of time that enables them to increase their good deeds to end their life with and those who are awakened when death comes to them so they are guided to sincere repentance on which they die. ‘Aa’ishah said, "If Allah intends good for one of His slaves, He will appoint an angel before one year of his death to help him and guide him to do good deeds till he dies in his best state and people would say: so-and-so died in his best state."
Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet said: “Satan said to Allah, ‘By Your Glory, I will not stop tempting Your slaves so long as their souls are in their bodies.’ Allah The Exalted said, ‘By My Glory and Majesty, I will continue to forgive them so long as they ask Me for forgiveness.’” [Ahmad and Al-Haakim] [Al-Albaani: Hasan]
The last category of people regarding repentance, which is the most honorable and elevated, are those who spend their lives in obedience and become even more careful with the approach of death. They do so in order to be diligent in increasing their good deeds and to prepare for departure with a deed that is suitable for meeting Allah The Almighty, with which they can conclude their work in this world.
Ibn ‘Abbaas stated that after the revelation of the verse (which means): {When the Victory of Allah has come and the conquest}, the Messenger of Allah began to work so intensely and devotedly for the Hereafter as he had never done before. Umm Salamah said that the Prophet during his last days very often recited the following words sitting and standing, going out of the house and coming back to it: Subhaan Allah wa-bi hamdih (Glory and praise be to Allah). One day, she asked, "Why do you recite these words so often, O Messenger of Allah"? He replied: “I have been enjoined to do so.” Then he recited this Chapter (Soorah)."
The Prophet used to observe I‘tikaaf (staying in seclusion for worship) every year in Ramadan for ten days and would go over the Quran with Jibreel once. However, in this year, he observed I‘tikaaf for twenty days and studied the Quran twice.
Once a worshipper became ill, so some medicine was prescribed for him. In his dream a voice said to him: Are you drinking medicine while the Hoor (celestial maidens) are being prepared for you? He woke up scared. He, then prayed for three days, until his back became bent, then he died on the third day. What a fine example of making the most of one's allocated time before death!
Conditions and Rulings of Repentance - I
Conditions and Rulings of Repentance - II