, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said:

“A martyr is forgiven everything except debt.”

The human claimant, however, receives what he is owed from the murderer’s good deeds. Part of completing his repentance is therefore to accumulate good deeds until he has enough to satisfy the victim’s claim. Perhaps Ibn ‘Abbās considered murder the gravest sin after disbelief, so that the murderer would not have enough good deeds to satisfy the victim’s claim, and would inevitably retain sins for which he would be punished. What he said may apply to some people. The question thus remains concerning someone who repents sincerely but cannot accumulate enough good deeds to satisfy the wronged person’s claim: will some of the victim’s sins be transferred to him, for which he will be punished? This is a subtle issue, and the report from Ibn ‘Abbās should be understood as referring to a case of this kind.

None of this, however, contradicts what the verse entails: that Allah Most High forgives every kind of sin—associating partners with Him, murder, unlawful sexual intercourse, and others—as a general principle. The verse is thus general as to acts, but unqualified as to individuals.

A similar example is His saying:

“Kill the polytheists wherever you find them.”

It is general as to individuals and unqualified as to the circumstances of . . . (1) the feet, since they may be covered by leather socks, and the wording does not address their circumstances. Likewise, His saying, Most High:

“Allah instructs you concerning your children.”

It is general as to children, and general as to their circumstances? A child may share the parent’s religion or differ from it, and may be free or enslaved. The wording does not address these circumstances.