Mercy
Hadith 37 of 42
Title
The scale of reward
Arabic
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ ذَلِكَ: فَمَنْ هَمَّ بِحَسَنَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً، وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عَشْرَ حَسَنَاتٍ إِلَى سَبْعِ مِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ إِلَى أَضْعَافٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً، وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً.
Translation
Allah has recorded good deeds and bad deeds, then clarified it: whoever intends a good deed but does not do it, Allah records it as a complete good deed. If he intends and does it, Allah records it as ten to seven hundred to many more times. If he intends a bad deed but does not do it, Allah records it as a complete good deed. If he intends and does it, Allah records it as only one bad deed.
Narrator
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (qudsī)
Source
Bukhārī · Muslim
Commentary
The accounting is tilted toward mercy beyond any human imagination. Even a sincere impulse toward good is credited; an impulse toward evil, restrained, is credited as good. The door closes only on persistent, acted-on sin — and even then a single tawbah reopens it.