Question 414 - The Enlightening Answer Across the Ether, Vol 5

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, the Imams and the Mahdis. Repentance is accepted in every circumstance except when an overpowering divine miracle descends and leaves no scope for belief in the unseen by which a person’s faith could be accepted by Allah. At that point, repentance ceases to be accepted, and the person’s belief and repentance are not accepted, because it is one-hundred-percent material belief. This is the case when the punishment of Allah, Glorious and Exalted, descends upon those who deny the messengers. There will therefore be no time when repentance ceases to be accepted from all creation unless overpowering signs and miracles descend and encompass all of them, removing from all of them the space for belief in the unseen. When overpowering signs descend upon only a particular group, repentance ceases to be accepted from that group alone. Likewise, general signs can be overpowering for one people but not for others, according to the prior information and knowledge that reached them from Allah as a proof against them. The criterion for whether repentance is accepted is the continued existence of space for belief in the unseen, so that the repentance is on the basis of the unseen rather than an overpowering material miracle that leaves no space for the unseen. The Exalted said: ‘We certainly sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance so that people may uphold justice. And We sent down iron, in which there is mighty force and benefits for the people, and so that Allah may know those who support Him and His messengers in the unseen. Indeed, Allah is Strong, Mighty’ (^[17]). You may also read further detail in the book The Illuminations, Part Three, and also in the interpretation of a verse from Surat Yunus concerning this matter. May Allah grant you success. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. Ahmed Alhasan Dhu al-Hijjah 1430 AH