Shaykhul Islaam Ahmad ibn Taymeeyah 728AH (May Allah have mercy on him) said,

“If a believer does a sin then his punishment is repelled through 10 reasons:

1. He repents to Allah and Allah accepts his repentance, for indeed the one who repents from a sin is as if he hasn’t sinned

2. He seeks Allah’s forgiveness and is forgiven

3. He performs a good deed and the bad deed is wiped away. For indeed good deeds extinguishes bad deeds

4. His brothers supplicate for him that his sins be forgiven, while he is alive and after his death

5. His brothers gift the reward of their actions to him so that Allah may benefit it him through them

1. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) intercedes for him (on the Day of Judgement)

2. Allah afflicts him in the life of this world with misfortunes that will expiate him

3. Allah afflicts him in the grave and he is expiated through that

4. Allah afflicts him with a horror from the horrors of the Day of Judgement

5. or the Most Merciful has mercy on him

Whoever misses out from one of these ten then let him blame no one but himself.”

Taken from Majmu’ Fataawa 10/45