How can one reconcile the Hadith, "For one of you to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than to touch a woman he is not lawful to touch," which indicates punishment for touching a woman, with the Hadith of the man who treated a woman without touching her, and for whom Allah forgave, as stated in His saying, "And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of night. Indeed, good deeds do away with evil deeds. That is a reminder for those who remember"?

Prophetic hadiths sometimes come to clarify the severity of certain actions, and sometimes to illustrate the vastness of Allah's mercy and the virtue of repentance. The first hadith (definition) warns against touching a non-mahram (definition) woman and shows the gravity of this act, while the other hadith explains that good deeds erase bad deeds, and that one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin. Allah Almighty may forgive a servant and accept his repentance by His grace and mercy, and He may expiate for him through affliction. Committing a sin does not necessarily mean immediate punishment if the servant repents.