The Sun's Prostration Beneath the Throne and the Gate of Repentance

'Abd al-Malik said: Asad ibn Musa narrated to me from al-'Ala' ibn Hilal, from Wahb ibn Jabir, from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, that he said: "The sun rises from where the dawn rises, and sets where the dawn sets. When it intends to rise, it disappears until it sets with the deeds (of mankind). It says: 'O my Lord, when I rise, I am worshipped besides You.' Yet it rises upon them from the east and runs its course to the west, and likewise does the moon, until a day comes upon it wherein it sets. Then it is ascended with to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, from heaven to heaven, until it is halted before Allah. It offers greetings of peace, but its greeting is not answered; it prostrates, but is not looked upon; and it seeks permission, but permission is not granted to it. Then Gabriel (peace be upon him) ascends to the sun and the moon, and says:

"Indeed, Allah the Exalted commands you both to return to your places of setting; there shall be no illumination nor light for you after this night." Thereupon, both of them weep out of fear of their Lord and from the terror of the Day of Resurrection. While the people are in such a state, weeping and beseeching Allah the Exalted, and the negligent remain immersed in their negligence, suddenly a caller proclaims: "Behold, the gate of repentance has been shut, and the sun and the moon have risen from their place of setting!" People look, and suddenly they see the sun and the moon pitch-black like two loaded sacks, possessing no light whatsoever. That is the meaning of the words of Allah the Exalted: 'And the sun and the moon are joined together; man will say on that Day: Where is the escape?' (Al-Qiyamah: 9-10). Then both of them ascend like two yoked camels, each contending with the other in a race. The inhabitants of the earth scream out in lamentation, mothers become heedless of their infants, and every pregnant female drops her load. As for the righteous and pious, their weeping will benefit them, but as for the rebellious and wicked, their weeping on that day will not avail them in the least, and it shall be recorded against them as deep regret. When the sun and the moon reach the zenith of the sky, that is, its middle, Gabriel (peace be upon him) will come to them, seize them by their horns, and drive them back

to the west, yoking them together at the gate of repentance."

'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "And what is the gate of repentance, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "O 'Umar, Allah has created a gate for repentance, and it is one of the gates of Paradise. It has two leaves of gold, encrusted with pearls and jewels; the distance between its two leaves is a journey of forty years for a swift rider. That gate has remained open ever since Allah created it until the morning of that night when the sun and the moon rise from their place of setting. There is no servant among the servants of Allah from the children of Adam who repents with sincere repentance except that his repentance enters through that gate."

Mu'adh ibn Jabal said: "O Messenger of Allah, and what is sincere repentance?" He replied: "That he repents and then never returns to it." He said: "Then Gabriel (peace be upon him) will yoke them together at

that gate, and then he will shut the two door-leaves, and the space between them will knit together, becoming as though there had never been any crack or opening between them, by the power of Allah the Exalted. Once the gate of repentance is closed, no repentance initiated by a servant thereafter will be accepted, nor will any good deed he performs benefit him, except for someone who had already sent forth good for himself and was previously righteous, in accordance with the words of the Mighty and Majestic: 'The day that some of the signs of your Lord come, no soul will benefit from its faith who had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good' (Al-An'am: 158)."