Is an idolater forgiven if he repents, and what is the meaning of the two noble verses: "Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease, what has passed will be forgiven for them; but if they return, then the custom of the former peoples has already passed" and "Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly forged a tremendous sin"?

The one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin. If a polytheist repents from his polytheism, he is forgiven. There is no contradiction between the two verses. The verse in Surah Al-Anfal means that if disbelievers embrace Islam, their past sins are forgiven. The verse in Surah An-Nisa means that Allah does not forgive those who die in a state of polytheism. As for other sins, lesser than polytheism, their doer is under Allah's will, and even if not forgiven immediately, their ultimate destination is Paradise. Repentance forgives all sins, including polytheism, in accordance with His, the Almighty’s, saying: "O son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and hope in Me, I will forgive you for what you have done, and I do not mind. O son of Adam, even if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky, and then you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I do not mind. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with an earth full of sins, and then you met Me, not associating anything with Me, I would come to you with an earth full of forgiveness."