If his repentance is sound, his sins are forgiven. If he returns to the sin, he must repent again; and if he repents, Allah accepts his repentance again.

The scholars have differed concerning someone who repents of disbelief, then apostatizes after embracing Islam, and subsequently repents of his apostasy and embraces Islam again: are his earlier deeds restored? There are two views, depending on whether apostasy nullifies one’s deeds unconditionally or only if one dies in that state. The position of Abū Hanīfa and Mālik is that it nullifies them unconditionally, whereas al-Shāfi‘ī’s position is that it nullifies them only if one dies in that state.

Apostasy is the opposite of repentance, and no sin other than apostasy erases all good deeds. Allah Most High says:

“Turn to Allah in sincere repentance.”

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—explained “sincere repentance” as repenting and then not returning to the sin. This is the complete repentance that is obligatory.

Whoever repents of drinking wine and wearing silk will wear the latter in the Hereafter, as stated in the authentic hadith:

“Whoever drinks wine and then does not repent of it will be deprived of it.”

Some people, including some of Ahmad’s followers, have held that he will never drink it under any circumstances. They have missed the correct view, which is held by the majority of Muslims.