Thus, whoever regards a penitent whom Allah has chosen and guided as deficient on account of a sin from which he has repented—even though after repenting he has become better than he was before—is ignorant of the religion of Allah Most High and of the message with which Allah sent His Messenger. If, despite what has been mentioned, this entails no deficiency, then everything they allege rests on the premise that it does. It is indeed a deficiency if one does not repent of it; or one may remain inferior to someone who had been his equal if, after repenting, he does not regain an equal standing. But if he repents with a repentance that completely erases the sin’s effects and transforms his evil deeds into good deeds, then no deficiency remains in his condition. If, after repenting, he becomes better than or equal to his peer, he is not inferior to him (1).

We do not say that everyone who sins and repents is better than someone who did not commit that sin. Rather, this varies according to people’s differing circumstances. Some people become better after repenting; some return to their former state; and some do not return to an equivalent state. Within each of these three categories are those who are better than someone who did not sin and repent, those who are equal to him, and those who are below him.

This subject encompasses many issues, but this is not the place to discuss them in detail. They may be treated fully elsewhere; the purpose here is merely to draw attention to the matter.

For this reason, the Salaf—consisting of the Companions, the Successors who followed them with excellence, and other leading Muslim scholars—were agreed upon what the Book and the Sunnah indicate concerning the circumstances of the prophets. No one among them is known to have upheld the doctrines introduced by the Mu'tazilah, the Rāfidah, and those who—