عَنْ أبي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمن عَبْدِ اللّه بن عُمرَ بن الخطَّاب رضي اللّه عنهما عن النَّبيِّ صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم قال: «إِنَّ اللّهَ عزَّ وجَلَّ يقْبَلُ توْبةَ العبْدِ مَا لَم يُغرْغرِ» رواه الترمذي وقال: حديث حسن.
Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah the Mighty and Majestic accepts the repentance of a servant as long as he has not begun to gargle (i.e., the death rattle has not reached his throat)." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who graded it as a good (hasan) hadith.
الشرح · explanation
يغرغر: المراد الاحتضار ووصول الروح إلى الحلقوم وهو أسفل الحلق.
"Gargle" (yugharghir): meaning the state of dying, when the soul reaches the throat (halqum), which is the lower part of the gullet.
الدروس · lessons
أنّ من شروط التوبة أن تقع من المكلّف قبل أن يصل إلى حالة لا يستطيع الحياة بعدها عادة. من تاب إلى اللّه، وهو يرجو الحياة، فإن توبته مقبولة.
Among the conditions of repentance is that it must occur before the person reaches a state from which he cannot normally survive. Whoever repents to Allah while he still has hope of living, his repentance is accepted.