Acceptance of Repentance While at Odds With Brother
Question

                If a man is having a dispute with someone and is not speaking to him, will his repentance be accepted if he repents from any sin? And if he says as-salamu ‘alaykum to them will he have reconciled with them?
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    Shunning a Muslim is not 
    permissible, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 
    said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more 
    than three days, each of them turning away from the other when they meet. 
    The better of them is the first to greet the other with salaam.”

    Narrated by al-Bukhari (5727) 
    and Muslim (2560). 

    An exception is made allowing 
    shunning, as the scholars said, if it serves an interest, such as shunning 
    the one who commits sin if it is known that shunning him is in his interests 
    or in the interests of someone else, such as if he will give up his sin or 
    others will not be tempted because of his example. 

    Shunning is ended if the 
    greeting is given, so if one person greets another with salam, then he is no 
    longer shunning him, because of the hadeeth (Prophetic narration) quoted 
    above: “The better of them is the first to greet the other with salam.”  

    See also question no. 
    
    93888. 

    Secondly: 

    If a person repents from his 
    sin, Allah accepts his repentance, as He says (interpretation of the 
    meaning): 

    “And He it is Who accepts 
    repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do.”

    [al-Shoora 42:25] 

    “Know they not that Allah 
    accepts repentance from His slaves and takes the Sadaqat (alms, charity), 
    and that Allah Alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most 
    Merciful?”

    [al-Tawbah 9:104] 

    Repentance is valid at all 
    times, except when the death rattle reaches the throat and when the sun 
    rises from its place of setting, because of the report narrated by al-Tirmidhi 
    (3537) and Ibn Majah (4253) from Ibn ‘Umar  (may Allah be pleased with him), 
    that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah 
    accepts the repentance of His slave so long as the death rattle has not yet 
    reached his throat.” 

    Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy 
    on him) said in Sharh Muslim: The scholars (may Allah be pleased with 
    them) are unanimously agreed that repentance is accepted so long as the 
    death rattle has not yet reached the throat, as it says in the hadeeth. 
    There are three pillars or essential parts of repentance: giving up the sin, 
    regretting what one has done and resolving not to go back to it. If he 
    repents from a sin then goes back to it, his repentance is not invalidated. 
    If he repents from one sin when he is committing another, his repentance is 
    still valid. This is the view of the people of truth, whereas the Mu’tazilah 
    (a deviant sect) differed concerning these two issues. 

    End quote. 

    Muslim (2703) narrated that Abu 
    Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allah (peace 
    and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever repents before the sun 
    rises from its place of setting, Allah will accept his repentance.” 

    With regard to what it says in 
    the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the 
    Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The 
    gates of Paradise are opened on Mondays and Thursdays, and every slave who 
    does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven, except a man between 
    whom and his brother is some grudge. It is said: Wait for these two until 
    they reconcile, wait for these two until they reconcile, wait for these two 
    until they reconcile”, it seems that this is speaking of Allah’s forgiveness 
    that He bestows on His slaves by His grace, without any repentance on their 
    part. 

    It does not mean that the 
    repentance of disputing parties from other sins is not accepted. If a person 
    has a dispute with his brother, but he repents to Allah from some other sin, 
    such as lying, for example, then Allah will accept his repentance, as is 
    indicated by the texts. 

    From the words of al-Nawawi 
    (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted above, it is clear that if a person 
    repents from one sin when committing another, his repentance is valid 
    according to Ahl al-Sunnah. 

    And Allah knows best.