man. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.”

“So that Allah may punish the hypocrites, men and women, and the polytheists, men and women, and turn in mercy to the believers, men and women. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Man is unjust and ignorant, and the highest attainment of believing men and women is repentance. Allah Most High has told us in His Book of the repentance of His righteous servants and His forgiveness of them.

It is authentically reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“No one will enter Paradise by his deeds.” They asked, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Not even me, unless Allah envelops me in mercy and bounty from Him.”

This does not contradict His words:

“Eat and drink with pleasure for what you did in days gone by.”

For the Messenger negated the sense of exchange and equivalence conveyed by the preposition bi (“by”), whereas the Quran affirmed its causal sense.

As for the saying, “When Allah loves a servant, sins do not harm him,” it means that when Allah loves a servant, He inspires him to repent and seek forgiveness, so that he does not persist in sin. Whoever thinks that sins do not harm someone who persists in them is misguided, opposing the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations and the imams. Rather, whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it. His praiseworthy servants are none other than those mentioned in His words, Most High:

“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-fearing.”

“Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, restrain their anger, and pardon others—and Allah loves those who do good.”

“And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves,