And [there are] others, who have confessed their sins: confession of sin is the preservation of the light of preparedness, a malleability of disposition and where the trait of sin has not taken firm root in that person, as he possesses the capacity to return and to repent as well as [possessing] the guiding proof [that allows] for perceiving the vileness of sin, which [perception] can only be through the light of insight and the opening of the eye of the heart. For if darkness were to accumulate and the vice were to take firm root, he would not deem it vile and would not perceive it as sin, nay, he would see it as being a virtuous act corresponding as it would be to his state. If he is able to recognise the sin [as sin], then there is [still] some good in him; they have mixed a righteous deed with another that was bad, in other words they were at the level of the self-reproaching soul whose connection to the heart and illumination by its light so that this becomes a natural disposition has not occurred and which has not yet submitted in [complete] obedience to the heart, and so sometimes the heart has mastery over it and it does yield and becomes pliant and is illumined by its [the heart's] light and performs righteous deeds, while at other times it manifests itself through those attributes of its that veil the heart's light from it and veils itself with its darkness and performs evil acts. But if the lights of the heart and righteous deeds prevail over it and angelic thoughts come over it in succession such that its connection with the heart and its obedience to it as a natural disposition takes place, then its affair will be good and it will find salvation. That is the significance of His words: It may be that God will relent to them. However, if the dark configurations, which it earns from its being overcome [by its attributes] and its frequent engaging in evil deeds, accumulate in it, then the opposite will be the case: its preparedness will disappear totally and it will deserve everlasting chastisement. The prevalence of either of these sides over the other only comes as a result of companionship and keeping company with individuals from either of the two kinds and the mixing with good folk or evil folk.
