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ʾinna lladhīna kafarū baʿda ʾīmānihim thumma zdādū kufran lan tuqbala tawbatuhum wa-ʾulāʾika humu ḍ-ḍāllūna
Indeed those who turn faithless after their faith, and then advance in faithlessness, their repentance will never be accepted, and it is they who are the astray.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah 'Ali-Imran, Verse 90
90. "Verily those who disbelieve after their belief, then increase in infidelity; their repentance will never be accepted; and these are they who are astray."
Occasion of Revelation
Some commentators have said that this verse was revealed about a group of the People of the Book who had believed in the Prophet of Islam (S) before his advent, but when he was appointed to prophet hood they disbelieved in him.
A Vain Repentance
In the previous verse, the statement was about those who regretted from their deviated path sincerely and repented truly and, consequently, their repentance was accepted. But, in this verse, the speech is about those whose repentance is not accepted. It says:
The repentance of these people is extrinsic; because when they see the triumph of the advocators of Truth, helplessly express their apparent regretful ness and repentance. Thus, it is natural that such repentance can not be accepted.