The third interpretation:

5003 - Ali ibn al-Husayn narrated to us, Yahya ibn Khalaf, al-Muqaddami, and Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us, who said: Mu'tamir ibn Sulayman narrated to us, from al-Hakam ibn Aban, from 'Ikrimah regarding His saying: "For those who do evil in ignorance," he said: The entire world is ignorance.

His saying, the Exalted: "Then repent soon thereafter"

[The first interpretation]

5004 - Yunus ibn Habib narrated to us, Abu Dawud narrated to us, Shu'bah narrated to us, Ibrahim ibn Maymun informed me, a man from Balharith named Ayyub informed me, who said: I heard Abdullah ibn 'Amr saying: Whoever repents one year before his death, it is accepted from him; whoever repents one month before his death, it is accepted from him; whoever repents one week before his death, it is accepted from him; whoever repents one day before his death, it is accepted from him; and whoever repents one hour before his death, it is accepted from him. So I said to him: "The acceptance of repentance by Allah is only for those who do evil in ignorance, then repent soon thereafter," and he said: I only narrate to you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

5005 - My father narrated to us, Abu Salih narrated to us, Mu'awiyah ibn Salih narrated to me, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talhah, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: "Then repent soon thereafter," he said: "Soon" is what is between him and the moment he looks at the Angel of Death.

The second interpretation:

5006 - Abu Sa'id al-Ashajj narrated to us, Yunus—meaning ibn Bukayr—narrated to us, from al-Nadr ibn Tahman, who said: I heard al-Dahhak saying regarding: "Then repent soon thereafter," he said: Whatever is before death is considered "soon."

The third interpretation:

5007 - Muhammad ibn Hammad al-Tahrani narrated to us, Hafs ibn 'Umar al-'Adani informed us, al-Hakam ibn Aban narrated to me, from 'Ikrimah regarding His saying: "Then repent soon thereafter," he said: All of the world is "soon."