“Allah has indeed turned in mercy to the Prophet, the Emigrants, and the Helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship, after the hearts of a group of them had nearly swerved. Then He turned in mercy to them. Indeed, He is Most Kind and Merciful to them.”

[Surah al-Tawbah: 117],

then He said:

“And He also turned in mercy to the three who were left behind, until the earth, vast as it is, closed in on them, their own souls closed in on them, and they realized that there was no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned in mercy to them so that they might repent. Indeed, Allah alone is the Accepter of Repentance, the Most Merciful.”

[Surah al-Tawbah: 118].

The account of Ka‘b’s case makes it clear that Allah raised him in rank through repentance. For this reason, he said:

“By Allah, I know of no one whom Allah has tested for speaking the truth more severely than He tested me.” (1)

Similar words were spoken by some who had once been among the fiercest enemies of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—such as Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, al-Hārith ibn Hishām, and Abū Sufyān ibn al-Hārith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the cousin of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Abū Sufyān had been among the fiercest disbelievers in satirizing and harming the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—but when he repented and embraced Islam, he became one of the most exemplary Muslims and one of those who showed the greatest modesty and reverence toward the Prophet—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The same was true of al-Hārith ibn Hishām.

Al-Hārith said:

“I have not uttered anything sinful since I embraced Islam.” (2)

There are many similar examples in the accounts of penitents.