—as long as he deems it good—for the first step in repentance is to realise that one’s action is evil so that he may repent of it, or to realise that he has neglected a good deed that was commanded, whether as an obligation or as a recommended act, so that he may repent and perform it. As long as he thinks his deed is good while in reality it is evil, he will not repent.

Yet repentance is still possible and does occur when Allah guides and directs him until the truth becomes clear to him, just as the Sublime and Exalted has guided, from among the unbelievers, the hypocrites, and the various groups of innovators and strayers, whomever He willed. This comes about when a person follows of the truth whatever he already knows; for whoever acts upon what he knows, Allah grants him knowledge of what he did not know. The Most High says in Sūrat Muḥammad (47:17): “As for those who are guided, He increases them in guidance and grants them their God-fearingness.”

He also says in Sūrat al-Nisāʾ (4:66-68): “If only they had done what they were admonished to do, it would surely have been better for them and more stabilising; then We would have granted them from Us a tremendous reward and guided them to a straight path.”

And in Sūrat al-Ḥadīd (57:28): “O you who believe, be mindful of Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will grant you a double share of His mercy and will provide you with a light whereby you shall walk.”

And in Sūrat al-Baqarah (2:257): “Allah is the Protector of those who believe; He brings them out of darkness into light.”

And in Sūrat al-Māʾidah (5:15-16): “There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. Through it Allah guides those who seek His pleasure to the ways of peace …” The proofs of this are abundant in both the Book and the Sunnah.

Conversely, whoever turns away from following the truth he already recognises, preferring instead his own whims, that attitude breeds ignorance and misguidance until his heart becomes blind to the manifest truth. The Exalted says in Sūrat al-Ṣaff (61:5): “When they swerved, Allah caused their hearts to swerve.” He says in Sūrat al-Baqarah (2:10): “In their hearts is a disease, so Allah increased their disease.” And He says in Sūrat al-Anʿām (6:109-110): “They swear by Allah with their most solemn oaths that if a sign were to come to them they would surely believe in it. Say: ‘Signs are only with Allah.’ And what will make you realise that, when it comes, they will not believe? We shall turn their hearts and their sight …”

This is an interrogative meant for negation and repudiation, i.e. “What will make you aware that they will not believe when it comes, and that We will turn their hearts and their sight because they did not believe the first time?” According to the reading that pronounces innahā with a kasrah, it becomes an emphatic assertion: that they will indeed not believe when it comes, and that We do turn their hearts and their sight just as they did not believe in it the first time.

Hence some of the early generations, such as Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, said: “Part of the reward for a good deed is another good deed that follows it, and part of the punishment for an evil deed is another evil deed that follows it.”

It is authentically reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥs from Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Hold fast to truthfulness, for truthfulness leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man continues to speak the truth and to pursue truthfulness until he is recorded with Allah as a truthful person. And beware of lying, for lying leads to depravity and depravity leads to the Fire. A man continues to lie and to pursue falsehood until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.”

Thus the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that truthfulness necessitates righteousness, and that lying necessitates depravity. And the Most High has said in Sūrat al-Infitar