Does trusting in Allah's mercy forgive all sins and save one from torment, and how does this reconcile with His Almighty saying: "Are those who know equal to those who do not know?"

The believer lives between praiseworthy fear and hope, which drive him to acts of obedience and away from sins. As for the fear that makes a servant despair, or the hope that emboldens him to commit sins, both are blameworthy. Some scholars have considered persisting in sins, while relying on Allah's mercy, a major sin, citing the Almighty's words: "So no one feels secure from the plan of Allah except the people who are losers." Boldness in committing sins is a great danger, as Ibn al-Qayyim quotes Bilal ibn Sa'd as saying: "Do not look at the smallness of the sin, but look at the One Whom you have disobeyed," and Ibn Abbas as saying: "O committer of sin, do not feel secure from its evil consequence, for what follows the sin is greater than the sin itself when you commit it."