Repentance, Seeking Forgiveness, Regret, and Admission (of Guilt) — Hadith 13

13. One of our companions narrated from ʿAlī ibn Shajarah, from ʿĪsā ibn Rāshid, from Abū ʿAbdillāh (a) whom he heard saying, “There is no believer who commits a sin but that he is given respite for seven hours, so if he seeks forgiveness from Allah [during that time], he is forgiven. Indeed, he may recall his sin after twenty years and thus seek forgiveness from Allah and he is [thereby] forgiven. But as for the disbeliever, he forgets his sin so that he may not seek forgiveness from Allah. ”