﴿ ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَٰلَةٍۢ ثُمَّ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ ﴾

“And once again: Behold, thy Sustainer [shows mercy] to those who do evil out of ignorance and afterwards repent and live righteously: behold, after such [repentance] thy Sustainer is indeed much forgiving, a dispenser of grace.”

But towards those who did wrong out of ignorance, and afterwards, repent and make amends, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.Sahl said:No one ever disobeyed God, Exalted is He, save through ignorance, yet many an act of ignorancegives rise to knowledge. Knowledge is the key to repentance. Making amends (iṣlāḥ) is [a sign of] a sound repentance. Whoever does not make amends as ⸢a part of (fī)⸣ his repentance,[will find] his repentance is soon ruined, for God, Exalted is He, has said, and afterwards, repent and make amends.Sahl was asked about the ignorant person [referred to in the verse]. He said:He is the one who takes himself as his guide (imām), and has no virtuous guide (imām ṣāliḥ) whom he follows.His words: