and that they do at times fall into some of the very sins other people commit. Yet Allah, exalted is He, does not leave them obstinately persisting in those sins; rather, He enables them to make a sincere repentance, to seek forgiveness, and to perform righteous deeds that erase the traces of their wrongdoing. Their being singled out for this—unlike others—is because that reality has already been realised for them and they have truly been forgiven. This, however, does not mean that forgiveness came about without any causes on their part, nor does it allow them to neglect the obligatory duties out of confidence in that forgiveness. If forgiveness could be secured without their continuing to uphold the divine commands, they would have no further need to pray, fast, perform Hajj, pay zakah, or strive in jihad—and that is impossible. Indeed, one of the greatest obligations after committing a sin is repentance; therefore, a guarantee of forgiveness can never justify abandoning the very means that lead to forgiveness.

Something similar appears in another hadith: “A servant committed a sin and said, ‘My Lord, I have committed a sin, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him. After a period as long as Allah willed, the servant committed another sin and said, ‘My Lord, I have committed a sin, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him. After another period, he committed yet another sin and said, ‘My Lord, I have committed a sin, so forgive me.’ Allah said, ‘My servant has realised that he has a Lord who forgives sin and also takes to task for it. I have forgiven My servant; let him do as he pleases.’” (1)

This statement is not an unrestricted licence or permission from Allah for the servant to indulge in prohibitions and crimes; it simply indicates that He will forgive him so long as, whenever he sins, he repents.

The favour shown to that servant—because it is known that he will not persist in any sin and that each time he sins he repents—is in fact a ruling that applies to anyone whose state is like his. That particular servant, however, was given an explicit guarantee, just as the people of Badr were given an explicit guarantee.