How are bad deeds changed into good deeds?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Bad deeds being changed into good deeds

اِلاَّ مَنْ تَابَ وَاٰمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلاً صَالِحًا فَاُو۬لٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللّٰهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ  

"... Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good." (al-Furqan, 70)

Haram deeds like polytheism, murder and fornication are mentioned in the verses before the verse above. It is stated that those who commit them will be punished severely and eternally on the Day of Judgment. (al-Furqan, 68-69)

Acting upon the verse above, some people think that the previous sins of those who repent and do righteous deeds will be changed into thawabs. However, that is an unsupported claim; it brings to mind the following question: "Are those who commit fewer sins at a loss in that case?" Tafsir scholars attract attention to the following meanings while explaining the verse:

-Those people change their bad deeds into good deeds. For instance, they worship Allah instead of worshipping idols. They fight together with Muslims against polytheists instead of fighting against Muslims.

-They regret and ask for forgiveness as they remember their sins. Thus, the sin is transformed into worship. They will find that sin recorded on the Day of Judgment but it will not harm them because that sin is deleted by repentance and asking for forgiveness. Their books of deeds contain the thawabs from that repentance and asking for forgiveness. (Ibn Kathir, VI, 137)

-Allah deletes their previous sins and records the thawabs of the good deeds they will do in the future. Or, He changes the faculty of sin and the things in the soul that lead him to sins into the faculty of good deeds. (Baydawi, II, 147; Abus- Suud, VI, 230; Alusi, XIX, 50)

Hasan al-Basri interprets the verse as follows:

"Some people say it will take place in the hereafter. However, it is not so. The change will take place in this world. Allah changes their polytheism into belief, their doubt into sincerity and their immorality into chastity." (Qurtubi, XIII, 52-53)

While interpreting the verse, Said Nursi attracts attention to the fact that the endless ability to commit evil in those people who repent and improve themselves is changed into the endless ability of doing good deeds. (Nursi, Sözler, p. 298)

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