40: The Age of Responsibility

Minimum Requirements for Salvation

According to the Quran, in order to be redeemed, an individual must fulfill a minimum of three basic requirements.

[2:62 & 5:69] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.

 إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ وَٱلنَّصَـٰرَىٰ وَٱلصَّـٰبِـِٔينَ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

These three conditions—belief in God, belief in the Last Day, and living righteously—form the universal foundation for salvation. While the way these conditions are fulfilled may vary depending on a person’s knowledge, guidance, and life circumstances, the requirements themselves remain constant. For example, someone who has access to the Quran in a language they understand is given more clarity and direction on how to fulfill these obligations, and thus bears a greater responsibility than someone who has never encountered its message.

To ensure that all souls can fulfill these requirements, God—out of His justice and mercy—has endowed every human being with innate knowledge so they can achieve redemption. This built-in guidance allows anyone, anywhere, at any time, to seek truth, recognize right from wrong, and pursue a path toward God’s salvation.

Belief in One God

God gave every human being the instinctive knowledge of monotheism (fit’ra).

[30:30] Therefore, you shall devote yourself to the religion of strict monotheism. Such is the natural instinct placed into the people by GOD. Such creation of GOD will never change. This is the perfect religion, but most people do not know.

 فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى فَطَرَ ٱلنَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Belief in the Hereafter

Additionally, before our arrival on Earth, God had all the Children of Adam bear witness that God alone is our only Lord and awareness of the Hereafter.

[7:172] Recall that your Lord summoned all the descendants of Adam, and had them bear witness for themselves: “Am I not your Lord?” They all said, “Yes. We bear witness.” Thus, you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, “We were not aware of this.”

 وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ شَهِدْنَآ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ

Leading a Righteous Life

Before a person can be considered righteous, two essential conditions must be met: the ability to distinguish between good and evil, and the freedom to choose between them. Without both moral awareness and free will, righteousness has no real meaning, as a person cannot be held accountable for choices they were either unable to recognize as right or wrong or were not free to make.

To illustrate, consider a toddler sitting at a table, happily drawing on a piece of paper. Moments later, the child begins drawing on the walls. While a parent may be understandably upset, they would not hold the child as responsible as they would a teenager or adult. The toddler lacks the moral understanding to know that drawing on the walls is inappropriate; to them, it’s simply an extension of play. This absence of awareness means the act, while undesirable, is not morally blameworthy. Without the capacity to discern right from wrong, the concept of righteousness or moral responsibility does not apply.

Yet moral awareness alone is not enough. Just as a person must know the difference between good and evil, they must also be free to choose between them. If someone is forced to act against their will—especially under threat or coercion—we instinctively shift blame away from the individual and toward the one applying the force.

For example, if a store clerk is ordered at gunpoint to hand over money, they may technically be participating in a robbery, but no reasonable person would call them guilty of wrongdoing. Their action was not a willful moral failure but a survival response under duress. This shows that the presence of both knowledge and freedom is necessary for an act to carry moral weight. Responsibility—and by extension righteousness—hinges not merely on what is done, but on the conditions under which it is done.

The Quran affirms this deeply intuitive understanding by rooting human moral responsibility in two divine gifts: the innate knowledge of good and evil, and the capacity for free choice. These endowments are what make us accountable before God.

First, God has placed within every human being a natural moral sense by being able to distinguish between right and wrong. The Quran states:

[91:7] The soul and Him who created it.
[91:8] Then showed it (ilham) what is evil and what is good.

 وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا
 فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا

This ilham (inspiration) is not something acquired through education or culture. It is an inner awareness placed by God in every human being—an instinctive sense of right and wrong. Just as a child may feel guilt after harming another, even before being taught why it’s wrong, every person carries within them the ability to recognize moral truth. It is this divine moral insight that makes our choices meaningful and our actions subject to divine judgment. Furthermore, God acknowledges that some sins are committed unintentionally or out of ignorance. In His mercy, He promises forgiveness to those who err without knowing and then repent and reform.

[16:119] Yet, as regards those who fall in sin out of ignorance then repent thereafter and reform, your Lord, after this is done, is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

 ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Still, as emphasized earlier, knowledge alone does not make one righteous or accountable. The second condition is freedom—the ability to act or refrain from action by one’s own will. Without it, moral responsibility cannot be justly assigned. The Quran teaches that this freedom was not forced upon humanity but was accepted voluntarily.

[33:72] We have offered the responsibility (freedom of choice) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were afraid of it. But the human being accepted it; he was transgressing, ignorant.

 إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا ٱلْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا

This Amanah (Trust) refers to the burden of free will—the unique human ability to choose between faith and disbelief, obedience and sin. Unlike the rest of creation, which obeys God by design, human beings were entrusted with the responsibility to choose. With that choice comes the potential for both righteousness and error—and, accordingly, accountability. Yet even here, God’s justice prevails. The Quran makes clear that those who are forced to act against their faith are not held responsible, provided their hearts remain firm.

[16:106] Those who disbelieve in GOD, after having acquired faith, and become fully content with disbelief, have incurred wrath from GOD. The only ones to be excused are those who are forced to profess disbelief, while their hearts are full of faith.*

 مَن كَفَرَ بِٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِيمَـٰنِهِۦٓ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُۥ مُطْمَئِنٌّۢ بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ وَلَـٰكِن مَّن شَرَحَ بِٱلْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

This verse acknowledges that true responsibility cannot be placed on someone whose freedom has been stripped away.

Therefore, righteousness in the Quranic worldview is not measured by outward actions alone, but by the presence of two divine gifts: moral insight and free will. Where these exist together, true responsibility is born. And it is only when a person is both aware of good and evil and free to choose between them that their actions can be considered truly righteous—or truly blameworthy. These qualities are not just prerequisites for moral accountability—they are the very foundation of what it means to live a righteous life.

People In Hell Were Given a Life-Long Chance

While our beliefs and actions undoubtedly carry real consequences in this life, we must ask a deeper question: At what point can a human being be justly held accountable for a decision that would determine their fate for all of eternity? Is there a specific age or stage of life at which a person’s choices become eternally binding?

Take, for instance, the case of a child who dies while practicing idol worship. Can it truly be just—or even rational—to believe that such a child deserves eternal punishment for decisions made under the influence of their upbringing and environment? No reasonable person would argue that a child, who is still developing cognitively and emotionally, has the capacity to independently assess truth, especially when surrounded by pressures and teachings they did not choose.

What about a teenager? Though many legal systems mark the age of 18 as the threshold of adulthood, does this align with the reality of human development? Is an 18-year-old truly capable of grasping the eternal weight of their spiritual decisions—especially when many at that age are still navigating identity, impulsivity, and the pull of social conformity?

And what of a person in their 20s or 30s, in the prime of their vitality? At this stage, many are immersed in the pursuits of career, relationships, and self-expression. Rarely is mortality front and center. Most haven’t yet experienced the sobering reality of aging, the shift in perspective that comes from raising children, or the role reversal of caring for aging parents. Life looks different when one begins to see their own limitations, fragility, and legacy with greater clarity.

The Quran provides a profound insight into this matter. It tells us that those who are condemned to Hell were not judged hastily or prematurely—but only after being given a “full life” to recognize the truth and choose their path.

[35:37] They will scream therein, “Our Lord, if you get us out of here, we will work righteousness, instead of the works we used to do.” Did we not give you a life-long chance (‘amimir), with continuous reminders for those who would take heed? Did you not receive the warner? Therefore, taste (the consequences). The transgressors will have no one to help them.

 وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلنَّذِيرُ فَذُوقُوا۟ فَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ

12	awalam	أَوَلَمْ	Did not
13	nuʿammir’kum	نُعَمِّرْكُم	we give you [all] a long life
14	mā	مَّا	that
15	yatadhakkaru	يَتَذَكَّرُ	he takes heed / receives reminders
16	fīhi	فِيهِ	during it / for he
17	man	مَن	who
18	tadhakkara	تَذَكَّرَ	he took heed?

This verse underscores a profound truth: those who enter Hell were not condemned based on a single mistake, a fleeting lapse, or a brief phase of ignorance. Rather, they were given the gift of an entire life span long enough for awareness, reflection, and the genuine opportunity to turn away from falsehood. It was not a passing moment, nor a short season, but a meaningful duration in which the conditions for moral responsibility were present. This is a testament to the absolute justice of God, who holds no one accountable without first granting them enough time to recognize and embrace the truth.

Eternal judgment, then, is not the result of youthful immaturity, cultural conditioning, or inherited beliefs. It is reserved for those who persist in rejecting truth after it has been made accessible and understandable to them—those who had the capacity to respond and the freedom to choose but knowingly turned away.

‘Ammir (Full Life) in the Quran

The Quran conveys this idea through the word ‘ʿammir’ ( عَمِّرْ ), used to describe a life of substantial length—a life that affords a person the opportunity to reflect, mature, and respond to divine guidance. But what qualifies as an “‘ʿammir” life? A closer examination of the Quran reveals that whenever this term appears in relation to human lifespan, it signifies not just longevity but a complete and ample life, rich with opportunities to change course.

For instance, in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:96), the term is used to describe someone who wishes to live for a thousand years—not simply to enjoy time, but to delay reckoning. The implication is clear: a truly long life offers no excuse for ignorance. Instead, it magnifies responsibility because the person has been given more time to recognize and respond to the truth.

[2:96] In fact, you will find them the most covetous of life; even more so than the idol worshipers. The one of them wishes to live a thousand years. But this will not spare him any retribution, no matter how long he lives. GOD is seer of everything they do.

 وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ حَيَوٰةٍ وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ

9	yawaddu	يَوَدُّ	[He] wishes
10	aḥaduhum	أَحَدُهُمْ	one of them
11	law	لَوْ	if
12	yuʿammaru	يُعَمَّرُ	he (could) be granted a life (of)
13	alfa	أَلْفَ	a thousand
14	sanatin	سَنَةٍ	year(s).
15	wamā	وَمَا	But not
16	huwa	هُوَ	it
17	bimuzaḥziḥihi	بِمُزَحْزِحِهِۦ	ever spare him
18	mina	مِنَ	from
19	l-ʿadhābi	ٱلْعَذَابِ	the punishment / retribution
20	an	أَن	although
21	yuʿammara	يُعَمَّرَ	he is granted life.

Thus, when the Quran speaks of those who are judged after having lived a full life (‘ʿammir’), it signals that they had every reasonable chance to turn to God. Their condemnation is not arbitrary—it is the result of a willful, informed, and persistent rejection of guidance, despite the time and clarity they were afforded. This framework reaffirms the moral clarity and divine justice at the heart of the Quranic message: no one is wronged, and everyone is given a fair chance.

If we look at all the verses where this word is used, it always constitutes a person who lived a full life. For example, the Quran uses this word again to signify people who live to an old age.

[21:44] We have provided for these people and their ancestors, up until an old age. Do they not see that every day on earth brings them closer to the end? Can they reverse this process?

 بَلْ مَتَّعْنَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ طَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْعُمُرُ أَفَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّا نَأْتِى ٱلْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَآ أَفَهُمُ ٱلْغَـٰلِبُونَ

1	bal	بَلْ	Nay,
2	mattaʿnā	مَتَّعْنَا	we gave provision
3	hāulāi	هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ	(to) these
4	waābāahum	وَءَابَآءَهُمْ	and their forefathers / ancestors
5	ḥattā	حَتَّىٰ	until
6	ṭāla	طَالَ	lasted long
7	ʿalayhimu	عَلَيْهِمُ	for them,
8	l-ʿumuru	ٱلْعُمُرُ	the life.

The Quran also informs us that there is a cutoff to the age that constitutes a full life. For example, the Quran informs us that after a person reaches this age, they revert to weakness from then on.

[36:68] Whomever we permit to live for a long time, we revert him to weakness. Do they not understand?

 وَمَن نُّعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِى ٱلْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ

1	waman	وَمَن	And whom
2	nuʿammir’hu	نُّعَمِّرْهُ	we grant him long life,
3	nunakkis’hu	نُنَكِّسْهُ	we reverse him / we make him weak
4	fī	فِى	in
5	l-khalqi	ٱلْخَلْقِ	the creation.
6	afalā	أَفَلَا	Then will not
7	yaʿqilūna	يَعْقِلُونَ	they understand?

This same idea is reflected in verses that describe the natural progression of human physical development—advancing through stages of strength and maturity until eventually reaching a threshold, after which physical decline begins. Moreover, through deductive reasoning, if the Quran points to an “oldest” or upper limit to this stage of life, it logically implies that there is also a lower threshold—a minimum age at which a person enters this period of full accountability and maturity.

[22:5] O people, if you have any doubt about resurrection, (remember that) we created you from dust, and subsequently from a tiny drop, which turns into a hanging (embryo), then it becomes a fetus that is given life or deemed lifeless. We thus clarify things for you. We settle in the wombs whatever we will for a predetermined period. We then bring you out as infants, then you reach maturity. While some of you die young, others live to the worst age, only to find out that no more knowledge can be attained beyond a certain limit. Also, you look at a land that is dead, then as soon as we shower it with water, it vibrates with life and grows all kinds of beautiful plants.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّنَ ٱلْبَعْثِ فَإِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ عَلَقَةٍ ثُمَّ مِن مُّضْغَةٍ مُّخَلَّقَةٍ وَغَيْرِ مُخَلَّقَةٍ لِّنُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَنُقِرُّ فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَآءُ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوٓا۟ أَشُدَّكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُتَوَفَّىٰ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَيْلَا يَعْلَمَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا وَتَرَى ٱلْأَرْضَ هَامِدَةً فَإِذَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهَا ٱلْمَآءَ ٱهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنۢبَتَتْ مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍۭ بَهِيجٍ

41	waminkum	وَمِنكُم	And among you [all] (is)
42	man	مَّن	(he) who
43	yutawaffā	يُتَوَفَّىٰ	he dies (young).
44	waminkum	وَمِنكُم	And among you [all] (is)
45	man	مَّن	(he) who
46	yuraddu	يُرَدُّ	he returns / reverts
47	ilā	إِلَىٰٓ	to
48	ardhali	أَرْذَلِ	(the) worst (oldest)
49	l-ʿumuri	ٱلْعُمُرِ	[the] age,

[16:70] GOD created you, then He terminates your lives. He lets some of you live to the oldest age, only to find out that there is a limit to the knowledge they can acquire. GOD is Omniscient, Omnipotent.

 وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَىْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ

5	waminkum	وَمِنكُم	And among you [all] (is)
6	man	مَّن	(one) who
7	yuraddu	يُرَدُّ	he reverts
8	ilā	إِلَىٰٓ	to
9	ardhali	أَرْذَلِ	(the) worst / lowest (oldest)
10	l-ʿumuri	ٱلْعُمُرِ	(of) the age,

Additionally, the following verse again shows that there is a cutoff for when a life is considered full and when it is considered snapped short.

[35:11] GOD created you from dust, then from a tiny drop, then He causes you to reproduce through your spouses. No female becomes pregnant, nor gives birth, without His knowledge. No one survives for a long life, and no one’s life is snapped short, except in accordance with a pre-existing record. This is easy for GOD.

 وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَىٰ وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِۦ وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ مِنْ عُمُرِهِۦٓ إِلَّا فِى كِتَـٰبٍ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

9	wamā	وَمَا	And not
20	yuʿammaru	يُعَمَّرُ	he is granted long life / survives
21	min	مِن	any
22	muʿammarin	مُّعَمَّرٍ	one who is aged / had a long life
23	walā	وَلَا	and not
24	yunqaṣu	يُنقَصُ	it is lessened
25	min	مِنْ	from
26	ʿumurihi	عُمُرِهِۦٓ	his life

How Many Years Constitutes a Full Life?

The above verses show a cutoff to this age, but so far, we have not determined precisely when this cutoff occurs.

The first clue to the exact age to what constitutes a full life can be found in the following verse regarding Moses. When Pharoah attempted to rebuke Moses, he said the following.

[26:18] He (Pharoah) said, “Did we not raise you from infancy, and you remained a long life with us?
[26:19] “Then you committed the crime that you committed, and you were ungrateful.”

 قَالَ أَلَمْ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيدًا وَلَبِثْتَ فِينَا مِنْ عُمُرِكَ سِنِينَ
 وَفَعَلْتَ فَعْلَتَكَ ٱلَّتِى فَعَلْتَ وَأَنتَ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

26:18:6	walabith’ta	وَلَبِثْتَ	and you remained
26:18:7	fīnā	فِينَا	among us
26:18:8	min	مِنْ	of
26:18:9	ʿumurika	عُمُرِكَ	your life
26:18:10	sinīna	سِنِينَ	years?

This verse suggests that Moses spent a significant number of years in Egypt—the duration of time to meet the threshold of moral and spiritual accountability. While the Quran does not specify his exact age when he fled Egypt, historical and biblical sources indicate that he was around 40 years old at the time. According to historical accounts, Moses spent 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in Midian, and 40 years leading the Israelites through the wilderness. This three-phase life pattern is reflected in the following passage from the Book of Acts.

²³ “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. ²⁴ He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. ²⁵ Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. ²⁶ The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’ ²⁷ “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? ²⁸ Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ ²⁹ When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. ³⁰ “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. ³¹ When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to get a closer look, he heard the Lord say: ³² ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

Another clue regarding this age threshold can be found in a verse that references Muhammad’s life. In condemning the actions of the people of Lot, the Quran swears by the Prophet’s life. Although the verse does not specify his exact age, it shows that he reached this threshold at this point of the revelation.

[15:72] By your life, they were totally blinded by their lust.

 لَعَمْرُكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَفِى سَكْرَتِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

1	laʿamruka	لَعَمْرُكَ	By your life,
2	innahum	إِنَّهُمْ	indeed, they
3	lafī	لَفِى	surely (were) in
4	sakratihim	سَكْرَتِهِمْ	their intoxication (lust),
5	yaʿmahūna	يَعْمَهُونَ	[they] wander blindly / blunder.

Forty Years = A Full Life

And here lies the breakthrough—the eureka moment that defines the age of full moral accountability in the Quran. While many verses hint at what constitutes a complete and responsible life, the Quran gives us a clear and definitive statement through the words instructed to the Prophet.

[10:16] Say, “Had GOD willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would you have known anything about it. I have lived among you a whole life before this (and you have known me as a sane, truthful person). Do you not understand?”

 قُل لَّوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَآ أَدْرَىٰكُم بِهِۦ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّن قَبْلِهِۦٓ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

12	labith’tu	لَبِثْتُ	I stayed
13	fīkum	فِيكُمْ	among you [all]
14	ʿumuran	عُمُرًا	a lifetime
15	min	مِّن	from
16	qablihi	قَبْلِهِۦٓ	before it.

This verse is profound. It tells us that the Prophet had already lived a “whole life” (ʿumuran min qablih) before receiving revelation. And we know from history that he received the Quran at the age of 40.

This verse sets a powerful precedent: it identifies the cutoff age at which a person can justly be held fully accountable for their ultimate choices—for all of eternity. According to the Quran, 40 years marks the age of a full life, representing the minimum amount of time required on earth before one can be eternally judged. In the Quranic view, for someone to be held eternally responsible for their decision, they must have lived a complete life—and the Quran establishes 40 years as the minimum threshold for that accountability.

The Age of Responsibility is the Age of Forty

With this understanding, the following verse becomes more apparent as to why forty is designated as the age of responsibility. In the following verse we read:

[46:15] We enjoined the human being to honor his parents. His mother bore him arduously, gave birth to him arduously, and took intimate care of him for thirty months. When he reaches maturity, and reaches the age of forty, he should say, “My Lord, direct me to appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do the righteous works that please You. Let my children be righteous as well. I have repented to You; I am a submitter.”

 وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَـٰنًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُۥ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ ثَلَـٰثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

The verse above informs us that two conditions must be met for a person to be held fully responsible. The first is maturity, which not only includes reaching physical maturity—commonly marked by puberty—but also having a sound and capable mind. This naturally excludes individuals with significant mental impairments that prevent them from attaining the level of understanding required for moral accountability. In addition to this general maturity, the Quran highlights 40 years of age as a distinct and separate threshold—further emphasizing that full responsibility is not assigned until both intellectual maturity and the passage of sufficient life experience have been reached.

Only when both these requirements are met can one be held eternally responsible for their moral decisions in this life. In Appendix 32 of the Quran, The Final Testament, translated by Rashad Khalifa, PhD, he writes the following regarding this concept

The Crucial Age of 40

What is the age of responsibility? If a child dies at the age of 12, without even hearing about God, does this child go to Heaven or Hell? What if the child is 15 years old, or 21, or 25? At what age will the human being be held responsible for his or her beliefs? This question has puzzled researchers of all religions for a long time.

The Quran sets the age of responsibility at 40; anyone who dies before this age goes to Heaven (46:15). If the person believed in God and benefitted from belief by nourishing and developing the soul (see Appendix 15), he or she goes to the High Heaven. Otherwise, the person goes to the Lower Heaven.

Your first reaction to this piece of information is objection: “What if the person was really bad, evil, and an atheist, will he go to Heaven if he died before the age of 40?” This is because you are mean, while God is the Most Merciful. Our tendency is to “put them all in Hell.”

People who objected strongly to this Divine mercy cannot come up with a cut-off age of responsibility. They ask questions like, “What if the person was really wicked?” The answer is, “Does God know that this person was wicked?” “Yes.” “Does God know that this person does not deserve to go to Heaven?” “Yes.” “Therefore, this person will not die before the age of 40.” As simple as that. God is the only one who terminates our lives on this earth. He knows exactly who deserves to go Heaven and who deserves to go to Hell.

Early in 1989 a man by the name of Theodore Robert Bundy was executed for killing a number of women. The whole nation agreed that he was one of the most vicious criminals in history. So much so that his execution was one of the rare occasions where the opponents of capital punishment did not protest. On the contrary, many people actually celebrated his execution. Numerous journalists, editorials, and politicians lamented the fact that justice took eleven years to execute Ted Bundy. They stated that Bundy should have been executed within a maximum of six years after his conviction. According to the Quran, this would have been the greatest favor anyone could have done to Bundy. He was 42 years old when executed. Had he been executed five years earlier, at the age of 37, he would have gone straight to Heaven, and he did not deserve that.

As it turns out, Bundy was one of the signs God has given us to confirm that anyone who dies before 40 goes to Heaven. Bundy’s name, Theodore Robert Bundy, consists of 19 letters, and he confessed to killing 19 women just one day before his execution. There were many other signs from God.

Delivering this important piece of information is one of the responsibilities given to me as God’s Messenger of the Covenant. It is not my personal opinion.

It is noteworthy that both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were assassinated just a couple of months before their 40th birthdays.

God Controls Life and Death

A common objection to people, in addition to what was addressed above, is what is stopping someone who is under 40 from taking their own life and securing their place in the Hereafter? This objection shows a complete lack of understanding of God’s system.

Throughout the Quran, God informs us that He alone controls life and death (15:23, 25:3, 50:43, 3:156, 7:158, 9:116, 10:56, 23:80, 40:68, 44:8, 53:44, 57:2, 92:13).

[40:68] He is the only One who controls life and death. To have anything done, He simply says to it, “Be,” and it is.

 هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ

The Quran informs us that only God is the One who knows the life span of any human. If one thinks they can dictate when they leave this world, they think that they have access to information that is only available to God alone.

[6:2] He is the One who created you from mud, then predetermined your life span, a life span that is known only to Him. Yet, you continue to doubt.

 هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰٓ أَجَلًا وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُۥ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ

This means that only God controls the moment we are brought into this world and the moment we are taken out of it. No one else has any control over this decision.

[35:11] GOD created you from dust, then from a tiny drop, then He causes you to reproduce through your spouses. No female becomes pregnant, nor gives birth, without His knowledge. No one survives for a long life, and no one’s life is snapped short, except in accordance with a pre-existing record. This is easy for GOD.

 وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُم مِّن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ مِن نُّطْفَةٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا وَمَا تَحْمِلُ مِنْ أُنثَىٰ وَلَا تَضَعُ إِلَّا بِعِلْمِهِۦ وَمَا يُعَمَّرُ مِن مُّعَمَّرٍ وَلَا يُنقَصُ

When Abraham debated with the king, the king was under the false impression that he could choose who lived and died.

[2:258] Have you noted the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord, though GOD had given him kingship? Abraham said, “My Lord grants life and death.” He said, “I grant life and death.” Abraham said, “GOD brings the sun from the east, can you bring it from the west?” The disbeliever was stumped. GOD does not guide the wicked.

 أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ فِى رَبِّهِۦٓ أَنْ ءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ رَبِّىَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا۠ أُحْىِۦ وَأُمِيتُ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْتِى بِٱلشَّمْسِ مِنَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ ٱلْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ ٱلَّذِى كَفَرَ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

Just like one cannot change the rotation of the earth, neither can anyone dictate when one comes to life and when they are put to death.

[23:80] He is the One who controls life and death, and He is the One who alternates the night and day. Do you not understand?

 وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ وَلَهُ ٱخْتِلَـٰفُ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

The most direct example of this can be found in the following verses, where some individuals—after battle—wrongly believed that those who were martyred would have survived had they not gone to war. In response, God clarifies that those destined to die would have met their end regardless, even if they had stayed home—they would have been crawling toward their deathbeds.

[3:154] After the setback, He sent down upon you peaceful slumber that pacified some of you. Others among you were selfishly concerned about themselves. They harbored thoughts about GOD that were not right— the same thoughts they had harbored during the days of ignorance. Thus, they said, “Is anything up to us?” Say, “Everything is up to GOD.” They concealed inside themselves what they did not reveal to you. They said, “If it was up to us, none of us would have been killed in this battle.” Say, “Had you stayed in your homes, those destined to be killed would have crawled into their death beds.” GOD thus puts you to the test to bring out your true convictions, and to test what is in your hearts. GOD is fully aware of the innermost thoughts.
[3:155] Surely, those among you who turned back the day the two armies clashed have been duped by the devil. This reflects some of the (evil) works they had committed. GOD has pardoned them. GOD is Forgiver, Clement.
[3:156] O you who believe, do not be like those who disbelieved and said of their kinsmen who traveled or mobilized for war, “Had they stayed with us, they would not have died or gotten killed.” GOD renders this a source of grief in their hearts. GOD controls life and death. GOD is Seer of everything you do.

 ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ عَلَيْكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ٱلْغَمِّ أَمَنَةً نُّعَاسًا يَغْشَىٰ طَآئِفَةً مِّنكُمْ وَطَآئِفَةٌ قَدْ أَهَمَّتْهُمْ أَنفُسُهُمْ يَظُنُّونَ بِٱللَّهِ غَيْرَ ٱلْحَقِّ ظَنَّ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِيَّةِ يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ مِن شَىْءٍ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُۥ لِلَّهِ يُخْفُونَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِم مَّا لَا يُبْدُونَ لَكَ يَقُولُونَ لَوْ كَانَ لَنَا مِنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ شَىْءٌ مَّا قُتِلْنَا هَـٰهُنَا قُل لَّوْ كُنتُمْ فِى بُيُوتِكُمْ لَبَرَزَ ٱلَّذِينَ كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقَتْلُ إِلَىٰ مَضَاجِعِهِمْ وَلِيَبْتَلِىَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِى صُدُورِكُمْ وَلِيُمَحِّصَ مَا فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

 إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا۟ مِنكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَى ٱلْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا ٱسْتَزَلَّهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا۟ وَلَقَدْ عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ حَلِيمٌ

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَقَالُوا۟ لِإِخْوَٰنِهِمْ إِذَا ضَرَبُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَوْ كَانُوا۟ غُزًّى لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ عِندَنَا مَا مَاتُوا۟ وَمَا قُتِلُوا۟ لِيَجْعَلَ ٱللَّهُ ذَٰلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَٱللَّهُ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ

Anyone who believes they can take their own life before they reach the age of forty and guarantee a place in paradise fundamentally misunderstands God’s system. One cannot outmaneuver or deceive God. If it is not a person’s time to die, nothing in this world can cause their death prematurely. Likewise, if their appointed time has come, nothing can delay it—no matter the circumstances. Life and death are ultimately in God’s hand, and they unfold according to His perfect wisdom and timing.

[16:61] If GOD punished the people for their transgressions, He would have annihilated every creature on earth. But He respites them for a specific, predetermined time. Once their interim ends, they cannot delay it by one hour, nor advance it.

 وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

God Chooses Who Is Worthy of Faith & Redemption

Another common misconception regarding the age of forty is the idea that one can live a life of sin now and simply repent later—waiting until they reach that age to turn back to God. This mindset reveals a serious misunderstanding of God’s system and a flawed view of faith itself. This is like thinking one can commit sin their whole life and then repent and reform before their death because God says those who repent and reform God will transform their sins into credit. Such a strategy is doomed for failure.

[25:70] Exempted are those who repent, believe, and lead a righteous life. GOD transforms their sins into credits. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

 إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

True belief is not something we can switch on at will. It is not simply a matter of timing or personal control. According to the Quran, faith is a gift from God—granted to those who are sincere and deserving. And sincerity is proven through action. If someone truly believes that sin corrupts the soul, invites suffering in this life, and leads to loss in the next, they would not delay in abandoning it. They would act immediately, not out of fear alone, but because their belief compels them to respond.

[5:54] O you who believe, if you revert from your religion, then GOD will substitute in your place people whom He loves and who love Him. They will be kind with the believers, stern with the disbelievers, and will strive in the cause of GOD without fear of any blame. Such is GOD’s blessing; He bestows it upon whomever He wills. GOD is Bounteous, Omniscient.

 يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَن يَرْتَدَّ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِى ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُۥٓ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ يُجَـٰهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَآئِمٍ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

To illustrate: imagine your mother tells you, “Do not go outside—there is a wild leopard waiting to attack.” If you believe her, you will avoid going outside. But if you go out anyway, your actions demonstrate you did not believe her warnings. The same is true with God’s commands. If God warns us that sin leads to ruin and that righteousness is the path to salvation and bliss both in this life and the Hereafter, then delaying obedience is not just procrastination—it’s a sign of disbelief. It shows we don’t truly take God’s words to heart.

[25:73] When reminded of their Lord’s revelations, they never react to them as if they were deaf and blind.

 وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا۟ عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا

Even more dangerous is the assumption that we control our own belief. Many people think they can live as they please and simply “choose” faith later, as if belief is entirely in their hands. But the Quran makes clear that persistent, willful sin can blind the heart. If a person knowingly continues in sin, they may come to see evil as good and lose the ability to distinguish right from wrong. And once that moral compass is broken, sincere repentance may never come. They won’t even want to repent—because they won’t see a need to.

[35:8] Note the one whose evil work is adorned in his eyes, until he thinks that it is righteous. GOD thus sends astray whoever wills (to go astray), and He guides whoever wills (to be guided). Therefore, do not grieve over them. GOD is fully aware of everything they do.

 أَفَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُۥ سُوٓءُ عَمَلِهِۦ فَرَءَاهُ حَسَنًا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ فَلَا تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَٰتٍ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

This is why delaying the practice of truth is not just spiritually reckless—it’s evidence of a heart that does not truly believe. A genuine believer doesn’t look for loopholes in God’s system. They don’t gamble with eternity. They respond to the truth immediately, knowing that obedience is not merely a command but a reflection of the belief they claim to hold.

[49:7] And know that GOD’s messenger has come in your midst. Had he listened to you in many things, you would have made things difficult for yourselves. But GOD made you love faith and adorned it in your hearts, and He made you abhor disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience. These are the guided ones.

 وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِى كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلْإِيمَـٰنَ وَزَيَّنَهُۥ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ ٱلْكُفْرَ وَٱلْفُسُوقَ وَٱلْعِصْيَانَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلرَّٰشِدُونَ

[18:103] Say, “Shall I tell you who the worst losers are?
[18:104] “They are the ones whose works in this life are totally astray, but they think that they are doing good.”

 قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُم بِٱلْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَـٰلًا
 ٱلَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا

In short, those who delay action are not outsmarting God—they are only deceiving themselves, without even realizing it. True faith does not hesitate. It moves, it acts, and it submits—because it trusts that God’s words are true and urgent.

[2:9] In trying to deceive GOD and those who believe, they only deceive themselves without perceiving.

يُخَـٰدِعُونَ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Humans Have 40 Years to Repent and Reform

Another common misconception is the belief that a person is not held accountable for the sins they committed before the age of forty. This is incorrect. The age of forty, as identified in the Quran, does not mark the point at which accountability begins—it marks the deadline by which one is held responsible to have repented and reformed. It is the minimum span of life God grants a person to come to full moral maturity, recognize their errors, and make a sincere decision about their eternal destiny.

This means that sins committed before the age of forty are very much recorded and real—but God, in His mercy, grants a window of opportunity for repentance. If a person repents and reforms before or by the age of forty, those past sins can be forgiven. In fact, God promises that for those who truly turn back to Him, He will not only erase their sins but convert them into credits (25:70).

However, if a person reaches the age of forty without repentance or reform, and dies in that state, they bear the full burden of all their unrepented sins. The age of forty is thus not a reset point—it is a threshold. It marks the closing of the window of excuse, after which one’s moral and spiritual record becomes fixed if they have not sincerely turned back to God before their death.

In this light, the age of forty is not a delay in responsibility, but a divine opportunity for mercy. It is the time given to solidify belief, correct one’s path, and consciously choose submission to God. To ignore this opportunity is to reject the clearest warning and the greatest gift—time to change.

Therefore, to assume that sins committed before forty carry no consequence is not only a misunderstanding—it is a dangerous delusion. Accountability exists throughout one’s life, but God, in His justice and mercy, gives every soul a fair and extended chance to be redeemed—and that chance is meant to be acted upon, not postponed.

Sin Has Consequences

According to the Quran, all sin carries consequence. Anyone who knowingly commits a sin must face the result of that transgression—either in this world or the next. This applies to everyone, regardless of age. However, the distinction lies in when and how that accountability is enforced.

Those who die before reaching the age of forty—the age identified in the Quran as the threshold of full moral responsibility—must have settled their moral account in this life. Whether through sincere repentance, righteous deeds, or even through the experience of divinely imposed hardship, their sins would have been purified before death. On the other hand, for those who live beyond the age of forty, if they persist in sin without repenting, they carry the full weight of their sins into the Hereafter—with potentially eternal consequences. God makes this principle clear:

[25:68] They never implore beside GOD any other god, nor do they kill any soul—for GOD has made life sacred—except in the course of justice. Nor do they commit adultery. Those who commit these offenses will have to pay.

 وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا

Despite this, God—out of His mercy—offers a path to redemption. The consequences of sin can be erased in this life through sincere repentance and the consistent performance of righteous deeds. Such deeds do not merely fulfill obligations; they actively cleanse the soul of past wrongdoing.

[11:114] You shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) at both ends of the day, and during the night. The righteous works wipe out the evil works. This is a reminder for those who would take heed.

 وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ طَرَفَىِ ٱلنَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ إِنَّ ٱلْحَسَنَـٰتِ يُذْهِبْنَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ذَٰلِكَ ذِكْرَىٰ لِلذَّٰكِرِينَ

However, when repentance is delayed and sin persists, God may impose hardship—not out of cruelty, but as a form of divine correction. These trials serve to awaken the heart, restore humility, and steer the soul back toward truth.

[16:112] GOD cites the example of a community that used to be secure and prosperous, with provisions coming to it from everywhere. But then, it turned unappreciative of GOD’s blessings. Consequently, GOD caused them to taste the hardships of starvation and insecurity. Such is the requital for what they did.

 وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ

This intervention is not cruel. On the contrary, God has no desire to punish people, but He uses hardship to awaken the soul and lead it back to the path of salvation and to remove sin from one’s record.

[4:147] What will GOD gain from punishing you, if you became appreciative and believed? GOD is Appreciative, Omniscient.

 مَّا يَفْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَءَامَنتُمْ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا

There is, however, a critical exception in God’s system—sins committed out of ignorance. When someone errs without full awareness, but then sincerely repents and reforms, God promises forgiveness and mercy.

[4:17] Repentance is acceptable by GOD from those who fall in sin out of ignorance, then repent immediately thereafter. GOD redeems them. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.

إِنَّمَا ٱلتَّوْبَةُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَتُوبُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

[16:119] Yet, as regards those who fall in sin out of ignorance then repent thereafter and reform, your Lord, after this is done, is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

God’s system is perfectly balanced between justice and mercy. All sins have consequences, but God offers multiple opportunities for redemption—whether through repentance, righteous deeds, or divine correction through hardship. He also distinguishes between deliberate defiance and genuine ignorance. His goal is not to punish, but to guide, purify, and ultimately save.

Thus, while eternal responsibility is not assigned until the age of forty, we can trust with full confidence that anyone who dies before that age has already faced the necessary reckoning in this life, by God’s perfect justice—either through inner transformation or external trial.

Conclusion

Time is the one resource granted equally to every human being—unbiased, irreversible, and divinely measured. While people may differ in wealth, intelligence, health, or opportunity, time is the great equalizer. It is through the steady passage of time that God tests our choices, shapes our souls, and ultimately holds us accountable. Since time is a shared constant, it follows with perfect logic that every soul should be given a fair and equal window in which to make the decision that will determine its eternal fate.

The question, then, is not if there is a time limit to lock in our final decision, but how long that window lasts. No reasonable person would argue that a child should face eternal Hell for a decision they were too immature to fully understand. Even teenagers or young adults, still wrestling with self-identity and morality, lack the full weight of perspective and reflection. The real question is: when does that excuse expire?

The Quran answers this with clarity. Those who are condemned in the Hereafter are described as having been given a “complete life”—one sufficient for reflection, understanding, and the freedom to choose.

[35:37] They will scream therein, “Our Lord, if you get us out of here, we will work righteousness, instead of the works we used to do.” Did we not give you a life-long chance (‘amimir), with continuous reminders for those who would take heed? Did you not receive the warner? Therefore, taste (the consequences). The transgressors will have no one to help them.

 وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلنَّذِيرُ فَذُوقُوا۟

This “complete life” is not left undefined. In Surah Yunus (10:16), the Prophet is instructed to say, “I have lived among you a whole life before this…”—a reference to the forty years he lived prior to receiving revelation. That age, universally acknowledged as the point of full maturity, becomes the Quranic threshold for eternal responsibility.

[46:15] We enjoined the human being to honor his parents. His mother bore him arduously, gave birth to him arduously, and took intimate care of him for thirty months. When he reaches maturity, and reaches the age of forty, he should say, “My Lord, direct me to appreciate the blessings You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do the righteous works that please You. Let my children be righteous as well. I have repented to You; I am a submitter.”

 وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَـٰنًا حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا وَحَمْلُهُۥ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ ثَلَـٰثُونَ شَهْرًا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

These verses together establish a principle: God, in His justice and mercy, gives every soul a full span—forty years—to reflect, repent, and return. This is not the age when sin begins to count, but the age by which one must have reformed, if they are to be counted among the redeemed upon death.

And since life and death are fully in God’s control, no one dies before their time. Those who pass away before reaching forty are not eternally accountable; their reckoning occurs in this life, whether through repentance, good deeds, or divinely ordained trials that purify the soul. No injustice is ever done. God is never unjust to His creation.

Others may ask about the sins committed before forty. Indeed, all sins are recorded, but God, in His mercy, leaves the door of redemption wide open. The age of forty is not a beginning, but a deadline. It is the final opportunity to wipe the slate clean through sincere repentance, righteous action, and moral reform. Even the gravest sins can be forgiven—or transformed into good—so long as the soul returns before the window closes.

Some may think they can exploit this system—living recklessly with plans to repent at forty. But such thinking only reveals a heart that lacks true belief. Sincere faith does not delay obedience. If someone genuinely fears God and trusts in His Word, they would not postpone righteousness. Deliberate delay is not a strategy—it is spiritual self-deception. And God, who sees the depths of every heart, is never deceived.

No one can outwit God’s system. No one slips through the cracks of His judgment. He is the One who controls every breath, every heartbeat, every chance to turn back. The forty years He grants are not random—they are sacred. They are the time in which truth is made clear, belief is tested, and eternal destinies are decided.

So let no one delay. Let no one assume they can believe tomorrow. Let no one gamble with eternity as if it begins later. The truth is unmistakable: forty years is the divine benchmark—the time God has ordained as sufficient to understand, to choose, and to change.