of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

Thus, Allah’s Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, establish that Allah accepts the repentance of everyone who repents. It is well known that if an unbeliever at war with the Messenger insults him, saying that he is a magician, a poet, a madman, someone taught by another, or a fabricator, and then repents, Allah accepts his repentance.

Some of those at war with the Prophet used to insult him, then embraced Islam and became good Muslims, and the Prophet accepted their conversion. Among them were Abū Sufyān ibn al-Hārith ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet’s cousin, and Abd Allah ibn Saʿd ibn Abī Sarh. The latter had apostatized and used to make false claims about the Prophet, saying, “I used to teach him the Quran.” He then repented and embraced Islam, and the Prophet accepted his pledge of allegiance on that basis.

If it is said, “Insulting the Companions is a matter of rights owed to individuals,” the reply is: Someone who regards insulting them as permissible, such as a Rāfidī, considers it part of his religion, just as an unbeliever considers insulting the Prophet part of his religion. If he repents and comes to love them, praise them, and pray for them, Allah erases his evil deeds through his good deeds. Likewise, if someone wrongs another person by slandering, backbiting, or insulting him, and then repents, Allah accepts his repentance.

However, if the wronged person knows about it, he must allow him to claim his due. If he slandered or backbit him and the matter has not reached him, the scholars hold two views, both reported from Ahmad. The stronger of the two is that he should not tell him, “I backbit you.” It has also been said that he should instead do good to him in his absence, just as he wronged him in his absence. As al-Hasan al-Basrī said:

“The expiation for backbiting is to ask forgiveness for the person you have backbitten.”

Thus, if a man has insulted the Companions or anyone else and then repents, he should do good to them by praying for them and praising them in proportion to