sins: it fends off those that have not yet arisen, shielding its possessor from falling into them; and it removes those that have already occurred by doing what cancels them out and by the heart’s refusal to persist in them—for the light of faith that dwells in a believer’s heart cannot coexist with persistent disobedience.
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Righteous deeds. This includes the works of the heart, the actions of the limbs, and the utterances of the tongue; “good deeds erase bad deeds.”
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Steadfastness in faith and guidance, together with constant growth in both.
Whoever perfects these four causes may rejoice in Allah’s comprehensive, all-embracing pardon. Hence He expressed it with an emphatic intensive form, saying, “Indeed, I am Ever-Forgiving” (Taha 82).
With these lessons let us suffice from the story of Moses, even though it contains many other benefits for those who reflect.