(51) Chapter: Hope in Allah's Mercy

Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, stretches His Hand during the night so that those who commit sins by day may repent, and He stretches His Hand in the day so that those who commit sins by night may repent. He keeps doing so until the sun rises from the West". [Muslim]. Commentary: This Hadith has been mentioned before. Allah's stretching of His Hands is one of His Attributes, and as Muslims we have to believe in this without reasoning, as is the case with His other Attributes. This has been the stand of our pious predecessors (As-Salaf-usSalih). The process of acceptance of penitence by Allah will continue until the Day of Resurrection when the sun will rise from the West and repenting or accepting Islam will not avail. Therefore, one should not make any delay in penitence. We must add here that, we must not name or qualify Allah except with what He or His Messenger (PBUH) has named or qualified Him; without changing them or ignoring them completely or twisting the meanings or giving resemblance to any created things: "The Most Gracious (Allah) rose over the (Mighty) Throne". (20:5) above the seventh heaven; and He only descends to the first (nearest) heaven during the day of `Arafah (Hajj, i.e., the 9th Dhul-Hijjah) and also during the last third part of every night, as mentioned by the Prophet (PBUH), but He is with us by His Knowledge only, not in His essence (Bi Dhatihi): "There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer". (42:11)