What happens when the sun rises from the west? Is repentance still accepted?

The short answer

The sun rising from the west is one of the major signs before the Hour. When people see it, everyone will believe, but by then faith and repentance will no longer be accepted from those who did not believe or repent before. Until that day, the door of repentance stays open.

Explanation

The Quran speaks of a day when "some of the signs of your Lord will come" and on that day "no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good" 1. The Prophet ﷺ explained which sign this is. He said the Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the west, and when people see it, everyone on the earth will believe, "and that is (the time) when no good will it do to a soul to believe then, if it believed not before" 2. Commentators on this verse give the same example 6.

This is a mercy hidden inside a warning. It tells us that repentance is accepted right up until that moment: "He who seeks repentance... before the rising of the sun from the west, Allah turns to him with mercy" 3. Another hadith says repentance will not end until the sun rises in the west 4. However many sins a person has, as long as that sign has not come and death has not arrived, Allah's forgiveness is available.

The Prophet ﷺ also said that the sun rising from the west and the beast appearing to people in the forenoon come close together: whichever of the two happens first, the other follows soon after it 5.

After that, the Hour itself comes suddenly. Another narration says people will be in the middle of a sale, or lifting food to their mouths, when it strikes 7. So the lesson is simple: do not postpone tawbah (repentance) or good deeds for a "later" that may never come.

The evidence

  1. 1
    Quran Al-An'aam · 6:158

    When some of the signs of your Lord come, faith will not benefit a soul that did not believe before.

    هَلۡ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأۡتِيَهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَوۡ يَأۡتِيَ رَبُّكَ أَوۡ يَأۡتِيَ بَعۡضُ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّكَۗ يَوۡمَ يَأۡتِي بَعۡضُ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنفَعُ نَفۡسًا إِيمَٰنُهَا لَمۡ تَكُنۡ ءَامَنَتۡ مِن قَبۡلُ أَوۡ كَسَبَتۡ فِيٓ إِيمَٰنِهَا خَيۡرࣰ اۗ قُلِ ٱنتَظِرُوٓاْ إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ ۝١٥٨

    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

  2. 2
    Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari 4635
    Sahih Bukhari

    When the sun rises from the west, all will believe, but it will not benefit one who did not believe before.

    Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the West: and when the people see it, then whoever will be living on the surface of the earth will have faith, and that is (the time) when no good will it do to a soul to believe then, if it believed not before

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَارَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو زُرْعَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، رضى الله عنه قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، فَإِذَا رَآهَا النَّاسُ آمَنَ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا، فَذَاكَ حِينَ لاَ يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا، لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ ‏"‏‏.‏

  3. 3
    Hadith Sahih Muslim 2703
    Sahih Muslim

    Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah accepts his repentance.

    Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as say- ing:He who seeks repentance (from the Lord) before the rising of the sun from the west (before the Day of Resurrection), Allah turns to him with Mercy

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ يَعْنِي سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ حَيَّانَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الأَشَجُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ غِيَاثٍ - كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ هِشَامٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو خَيْثَمَةَ، زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لَهُ - حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ حَسَّانَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ مَنْ تَابَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا تَابَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

  4. 4
    Hadith Sunan Abi Dawud 2479
    Sahih graded by Al-Albani

    Repentance will not end until the sun rises in the west.

    Narrated Mu'awiyah: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Migration will not end until repentance ends, and repentance will not end until the sun rises in the west

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى الرَّازِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى، عَنْ حَرِيزِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي عَوْفٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هِنْدٍ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ لاَ تَنْقَطِعُ الْهِجْرَةُ حَتَّى تَنْقَطِعَ التَّوْبَةُ وَلاَ تَنْقَطِعُ التَّوْبَةُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

  5. 5
    Hadith Sahih Muslim 2941
    Sahih Muslim

    The sun rising from the west and the beast appearing in the forenoon are among the first signs, and one follows the other closely.

    Abdullah b. `Amr reported:I committed to memory a hadith from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and I did not forget it after I had heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The first sign (out of the signs of the appearance of the Dajjal) would be the appearance of the sun from the west, the appearance of the beast before the people in the forenoon and which of the two happens first, the second one would follow immediately after that

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي حَيَّانَ، عَنْ أَبِي زُرْعَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، قَالَ حَفِظْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَدِيثًا لَمْ أَنْسَهُ بَعْدُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ الآيَاتِ خُرُوجًا طُلُوعُ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا وَخُرُوجُ الدَّابَّةِ عَلَى النَّاسِ ضُحًى وَأَيُّهُمَا مَا كَانَتْ قَبْلَ صَاحِبَتِهَا فَالأُخْرَى عَلَى إِثْرِهَا قَرِيبًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏

  6. 6
    Tafsir Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir al-Quran · 6:158

    Those who deny the truth are not waiting for anything but for the angel of death and his assistants to come to them in order to take away their souls in the world; or for their Lord to come on the Day of Decision in the Afterlife, O Messenger, in order to make the final decision about them; or for some of the Lord’s signs that indicate the approach of the Final Hour. to come. On the day when some of your Lord’s signs come – such as the rising of the sun in the West – the faith of a disbeliever will not be of any benefit to him, nor will the good action of a believer who did not do good previously be of benefit to him. Say, O Messenger, to these idolaters who deny this, ‘Wait for one of these things; I am also waiting’.

  7. 7
    Hadith Sahih al-Bukhari 6506
    Sahih Bukhari

    The Hour will come so suddenly that a sale or a meal is left unfinished.

    Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The Hour will not be established till the sun rises from the west, and when it rises (from the west) and the people see it, then all of them will believe (in Allah). But that will be the time when 'No good it will do to a soul to believe then. If it believed not before.."' (6.158) The Hour will be established (so suddenly) that two persons spreading a garment between them will not be able to finish their bargain, nor will they be able to fold it up. The Hour will be established while a man is carrying the milk of his she-camel, but cannot drink it; and the Hour will be established when someone is not able to prepare the tank to water his livestock from it; and the Hour will be established when some of you has raised his food to his mouth but cannot eat it

    العربية

    حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْيَمَانِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعَيْبٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزِّنَادِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، رضى الله عنه أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ لاَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ مَغْرِبِهَا، فَإِذَا طَلَعَتْ فَرَآهَا النَّاسُ آمَنُوا أَجْمَعُونَ، فَذَلِكَ حِينَ لاَ يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا، لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ، أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا، وَلَتَقُومَنَّ السَّاعَةُ وَقَدْ نَشَرَ الرَّجُلاَنِ ثَوْبَهُمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَلاَ يَتَبَايَعَانِهِ وَلاَ يَطْوِيَانِهِ، وَلَتَقُومَنَّ السَّاعَةُ وَقَدِ انْصَرَفَ الرَّجُلُ بِلَبَنِ لِقْحَتِهِ فَلاَ يَطْعَمُهُ، وَلَتَقُومَنَّ السَّاعَةُ وَهْوَ يَلِيطُ حَوْضَهُ فَلاَ يَسْقِي فِيهِ، وَلَتَقُومَنَّ السَّاعَةُ وَقَدْ رَفَعَ أُكْلَتَهُ إِلَى فِيهِ فَلاَ يَطْعَمُهَا ‏"‏‏.‏

This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24

Report an issue

Tell us what is wrong. Every report is read.

What is the problem?