How can one reconcile the virtue of the People of Badr, in that their sins are forgiven and they will enter Paradise, with the religious obligations of the rest of the Muslims to worship and their fear of an unknown destiny?

The hadith referred to in the Two Sahihs: "Do as you wish, for I have forgiven you," does not mean permission for the people of Badr to do whatever they wish without blame. Rather, it means that Allah Almighty will grant them success in obedience, and if they sin, they will hasten to sincere repentance, thus bringing about the means of forgiveness. Ibn al-Qayyim emphasized that this address was to a people whom Allah knew would not abandon their religion and would die upon Islam, and that if they sinned, they would be guided to repentance. Thus, forgiveness is contingent upon adherence to commands and the absence of impediments, and it is not a license for extravagance or abandoning obligations.