Al-Qurtubī said, “The scholars said: The reason no soul’s faith will benefit it when the sun rises from the west is that such terror will have penetrated people’s hearts that every desire of the soul will be extinguished and every bodily faculty will grow weak. Because they will be certain that the Hour is near, all people will be in the same condition as one facing death: every impulse toward the various forms of disobedience will have left them, and their bodies will no longer be capable of committing them. Thus, whoever repents in such a state will not have his repentance accepted, just as the repentance of one facing death is not accepted” (1).

Ibn Kathīr said, “If a disbeliever begins to believe on that day, it will not be accepted from him. As for one who was already a believer, if he had been righteous in his deeds, he will enjoy immense good; but if his deeds had been a mixture of good and evil and he only then repents, his repentance will not be accepted” (2).

This is precisely what is taught by the Noble Quran and the authentic hadiths. Allah Most High says:

“On the Day some of your Lord’s signs arrive, no soul will benefit from its faith if it had not believed before or earned some good through its faith.” [al-An‘ām: 158].

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Migration will not cease so long as repentance continues to be accepted, and repentance will continue to be accepted until the sun rises from the west. When it rises, every heart will be sealed according to what it contains, and no further deeds will avail people” (3).