Shaykh al-Islām—may Allah have mercy on him—also said:

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Whoever repents of any sin whatsoever, Allah accepts his repentance, as He Most High says:

“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’”

“And return to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.”

“And follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly, while you are unaware.”

In this verse, Allah declares that He forgives sins—that is, for those who repent. In another verse, He says:

“Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives anything less than that for whomever He wills.”

This concerns those who have not repented. Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, whereas anything less than that rests with Allah: if He wills, He punishes it, and if He wills, He pardons it. One form of associating partners with Allah is for a servant to call upon someone other than Allah, such as one who seeks deliverance in times of fear