Is the repentance of a sorcerer accepted, if he had not harmed anyone before being apprehended, and does he fall under the verse: "Except for those who repent before you apprehend them. And know that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" (5:34)? If his repentance is not accepted, can he apply the prescribed punishment upon himself?

A man must repent to Allah for perusing books of magic and attempting to practice it. The repentance of a sorcerer is accepted if it fulfills its conditions. There is no disagreement among scholars that his repentance is accepted inwardly, benefiting him in the Hereafter. As for the execution of the prescribed punishment upon him, what has been mentioned about him does not fall under the description of a sorcerer for whom the prescribed punishment is obligatory. The magic for which there is a prescribed punishment is that which involves real harm, such as the act of Labid ibn al-A'sam. If people see uprightness from him, they should assist him.