36/32. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4070 — The Door of Repentance
The rising of the Sun from the west (the place of its setting)
Hadith About the Door of Repentance Before the Sun Rises from the West
Sunan Ibn Majah : 4070
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 4070
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ إِسْرَائِيلَ، عَنْ عَاصِمٍ، عَنْ زِرٍّ، عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ عَسَّالٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " إِنَّ مِنْ قِبَلِ مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ بَابًا مَفْتُوحًا عَرْضُهُ سَبْعُونَ سَنَةً فَلاَ يَزَالُ ذَلِكَ الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحًا لِلتَّوْبَةِ حَتَّى تَطْلُعَ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ فَإِذَا طَلَعَتْ مِنْ نَحْوِهِ لَمْ يَنْفَعْ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا " .
Safwan bin 'Assal Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Towards the west (i.e., the place of the setting of the sun) there is an open door, seventy years wide. That door will remain open for repentance until the sun rises from this direction. When it rises from this direction, faith will not benefit any soul that did not believe before or earn anything good through its faith.”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 4070In-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 145English translation : Vol. 5, Book 36, Hadith 4070
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 4070
This hadith about repentance gives hope and warning together. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that toward the west there is an open door, seventy years wide. That door remains open for repentance until the sun rises from that direction. When it rises from the west, faith will not benefit a soul that did not believe before or earn good through its faith. The message is very direct: repentance should not be delayed. The hadith does not ask the believer to guess when this sign will happen. It calls the heart to use the open door now. Faith is not only a word said at the end; the narration also mentions earning good through faith before that time arrives.
What we learn from this hadith
- A door for repentance is described as open until the sun rises from the west.
- The hadith encourages repentance before the final sign appears.
- Faith and good deeds are both mentioned in the warning.
- The narration teaches urgency without giving a date.
