The same applies to the repentance of a murderer and others like him. The hadith of Abū Sa‘īd, recorded by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim, about the man who killed ninety-nine people demonstrates that his repentance is accepted. Nothing in the Quran or Sunnah contradicts this. Nor do the texts threatening punishment for murder and other major sins contradict the texts affirming the acceptance of repentance. Thus, the verse in Sūrat al-Furqān is not abrogated by the verse in Sūrat al-Nisā’, for there is no contradiction between them. It is known with certainty that, whenever a sin carries a threat of punishment, the fulfilment of that threat is conditional upon the absence of repentance. The texts concerning repentance clarify those texts, including the threats concerning associating partners with Allah, consuming usury, consuming an orphan’s wealth, sorcery, and other sins.

As for those scholars who say, “His repentance is not accepted,” the interpretation of their statement consistent with the foundations of Islamic law is that repentance alone removes Allah’s right to punish, whereas the wronged person’s right is not extinguished merely by repentance. This is true, and there is no difference in this respect between a murderer and other wrongdoers. Whoever repents of a wrong does not thereby extinguish the wronged person’s right. Rather, completing his repentance requires compensating that person in proportion to the wrong inflicted. If he does not compensate him in this world, compensation must be made in the Hereafter. The repentant wrongdoer should therefore accumulate good deeds so that, once those he wronged have received their due, he is not left bankrupt.

Nevertheless, if Allah wills to compensate the wronged person from His own bounty, none can withhold His grace, just as He may will to forgive anything short of associating partners with Him for whomever He wills. Hence, in the hadith concerning retribution, for which Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allāh travelled to ‘Abd Allāh ibn