Hadith 5.2
Supplications
‘Uqba b. ‘Amir reported God’s messenger as saying, “One who does evil deeds and afterwards does good deeds is like a man who was wearing a tight coat of mail which choked him, then did a good deed and a ring was loosened, then did another and another was loosened, so that it fell at last to the ground.” It is transmitted in <i>Sharh as-sunna</i>.
عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِنَّ مَثَلَ الَّذِي يعْمل السَّيئَة ثُمَّ يَعْمَلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ دِرْعٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ قَدْ خَنَقَتْهُ ثُمَّ عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً فَانْفَكَّتْ حَلْقَةٌ ثُمَّ عَمِلَ أُخْرَى فَانْفَكَّتْ أُخْرَى حَتَّى تَخْرُجَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ» رَوَاهُ فِي شَرْحِ السّنة
Hadith gradings, numbering and translations can differ between editions. For legal rulings or detailed interpretation, consult qualified scholarship and the referenced edition.