Said by: One of the Imams (as), as reported in Al-Kafi in a marfu' (raised) narration — the narrator's chain does not name which Imam (as) in this entry
Status: ✅ Verified reference
Reference: Al-Kafi (Shaykh al-Kulayni), Volume 2, Kitab al-Iman wa al-Kufr, Chapter 191 (Bab al-Tawba — Repentance), Hadith 5.
Arabic — core saying (excerpt):
إِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَعْطَى التَّائِبِينَ ثَلَاثَ خِصَالٍ، لَوْ أَعْطَى خَصْلَةً مِنْهَا جَمِيعَ أَهْلِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَنَجَوْا بِهَا
English translation:
"Allah, the Most High, has given three things to the repenting people. Had even one of them been given to all of those in the heavens and the earth, all of them would have been saved by it." The Hadith then names the three from the Holy Quran: (1) "Allah loves those who repent and those who cleanse themselves" (2:222) — and whomever Allah loves, He will not punish; (2) the angels who carry the Throne ask forgiveness for those who repent and follow Allah's path, and pray that they be saved from Hell and admitted to the Gardens of Eden (40:7–9); (3) for those who repent, believe and do righteous deeds, Allah replaces their evil deeds with good deeds, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful (25:70).
Explanation: One act of sincere repentance brings three huge gifts at once: Allah's love, the angels' prayers for you, and your bad deeds turned into good deeds. Any one of these alone would be enough to save a person. That is how generous Allah is to the one who turns back to Him.
One act of sincere repentance brings three huge gifts at once: Allah's love, the angels' prayers for you, and your bad deeds turned into good deeds.