it gathers four things: remorse in the heart, seeking forgiveness with the tongue, intending not to return to it, and avoiding bad company. If it entails a right due to Allah, the Exalted, or to a human being, such as withholding Zakat or usurpation (ghasb), then repentance from it is by what we have mentioned, and by relinquishing the injustice as much as one is able, by paying the Zakat and returning the usurped property, or its equivalent if it is fungible, otherwise its value. If one is unable to do so, one should intend to return it whenever one is able to. If there is a right upon the body in it, and it is a right for a human being, such as retaliation (qisas) or the punishment for slander (hadd al-qadhf), it is a condition for repentance that one makes oneself available and submits oneself to the one who is entitled to it. If it is a right for Allah, the Exalted, such as the punishment for adultery or drinking intoxicants, then one's repentance is also through remorse and the resolve not to return to it, and acknowledging it is not a condition. If the matter has not become known about him, it is better for him to conceal himself and repent between himself and Allah, the Exalted, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever commits any of these impurities, let him conceal himself with the concealment of Allah, for whoever reveals to us his person (lit. palm of his hand/face), we will apply the hadd punishment upon him." When al-Ghamidiyyah acknowledged adultery, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not disapprove of her doing that. If it is a notorious sin, the Qadi stated that it is better to acknowledge it so that the hadd may be carried out upon him, because if it is notorious, there is no benefit in failing to carry out the hadd upon him. The correct view is that refraining from acknowledgment is better, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) hinted to the one who acknowledged it before him to retract his acknowledgment; he hinted to Ma'iz and to the one who acknowledged theft before him to retract it, even though it was well-known from his acknowledgment, and he disliked the acknowledgment, to the extent that it was said when he cut the hand of the thief: It was as if ash had been scattered upon his face. There is no command to acknowledge, nor is there any urging to do so in the Book or the Sunnah, and no analogy is valid for it; rather, the Law (Shar') came with concealment, the covering of sins, and hinting to the one who acknowledges to retract his acknowledgment, and he said to Hazzal, who was the one who...