4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Fadl ibn ‘Uthman al-Muradi who has said the following: “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah saying,

‘The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘If four things are found in a person Allah will not allow his destruction to take place unless he is one of those doomed to destruction: (1) a servant (of Allah) intends to perform a good deed and actually does it, (2) even if he does not do it Allah still writes for him one good deed because of his good intention, but if he actually does perform it Allah will write ten good deeds for him. (3) One may intend to commit an evil deed and if he does not do it nothing will be written against him, however, (4) if he does commit such act he will be given seven hours. The angel for the good deeds will say to the one for the evil deeds who is on the left side, ‘Do not hurry, perhaps he may perform a good deed that will cancel the evil deed as Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, says, ‘The good deeds remove the bad deeds,’ (11:115) if he may say, ‘I ask forgiveness from Allah, besides whom no one deserves to be worshipped. He knows the unseen and the manifest, He is the most majestic, the most wise, the forgiving, the merciful, glorious and honorable and 1 turn in repentance to Him,’ nothing will be written against him. If seven hours pass, and he performs no good deed or repentance the angel for the good deeds will say to the one for the evil deeds, ‘Write it down against the wicked and deprived one that he is.’”