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ʾinnamā t-tawbatu ʿalā llāhi li-lladhīna yaʿmalūna s-sūʾa bi-jahālatin thumma yatūbūna min qarībin fa-ʾulāʾika yatūbu llāhu ʿalayhim wa-kāna llāhu ʿalīman ḥakīman
[Acceptance of] repentance by Allah is only for those who commit evil out of ignorance and then repent promptly. It is such whose repentance Allah will accept, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nisa',Verse 17
17. "Verily repentance with Allah is only for those who do evil ignorantly and then repent soon. So, these are they toward whom Allah returns (mercifully) and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise."
In the previous verse, the subject of the fulfilment of stripes upon those who commit indecency, fornication, as their punishment with repentance, was clearly stated. In the above verse, some of its conditions are mentioned, too. It says:
The purpose of the usage of the term 'ignorantly' in the above mentioned verse is the violence of instincts and the domination of the strong low desires, and their conquest over the strength of intellect and faith. In this state, the knowledge of man about sins, although does not vanish completely, under the influence of those strong instincts becomes affected and, actually, remains futile. So, when the knowledge of man loses its effect, it will practically be equal to ignorance.
In the next sentence, the Qur'an has pointed to one of other conditions of repentance, where it says:
That is, they regret from their actions soon and return to Allah, since a complete repentance is that which, on the whole, wipes out the remaining effects of sins from the spirit and mind of the person. After mentioning the conditions of repentance, the verse concludes as such: