Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
tabarani:14912 – Abū al-Zinbāʿ Rawḥ b. al-Faraj al-Miṣrī > Saʿīd b. ʿUfayr > Ibn Lahīʿah > Yazīd b. Abū Ḥabīb > Abū al-Khayr > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] He heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: "The example of one who does evil deeds and then does good deeds is like a person who had a tight ring around his neck that choked him, but then he did a good deed and one ring was opened, and then he did another good deed and another ring was opened, until he is set free on the Earth."  

الطبراني:١٤٩١٢ – حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزِّنْباعِ رَوْحُ بْنُ الْفَرَجِ الْمِصْرِيُّ ثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عُفَيْرٍ ثَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْخَيْرِ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ

أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «إِنَّ مَثَلَ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ يَعْمَلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ دِرْعٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ قَدْ خَنَقَتْهُ ثُمَّ عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً فَانْفَكَّتْ حَلْقَةٌ ثُمَّ عَمِلَ أُخْرَى فَانْفَكَّتْ حَلْقَةٌ أُخْرَى حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ»  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad, Suyūṭī
ahmad:17307 – ʿAlī b. Isḥāq > ʿAbdullāh / Ibn al-Mubārak > Ibn Lahīʿah > Yazīd b. Abū Ḥabīb > Abū al-Khayr > ʿUqbah b. ʿĀmir

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Verily, the example of one who does evil deeds and then does good deeds is like the example of a man who was wearing a tight chainmail that was choking him. Then he did a good deed, and one of the rings of the chainmail broke. Then he did another good deed, and another ring broke. And so on, until he is set free on the earth."  

أحمد:١٧٣٠٧ – حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي يَزِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْخَيْرِ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُقْبَةَ بْنَ عَامِرٍ يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّ مَثَلَ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ يَعْمَلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ دِرْعٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ قَدْ خَنَقَتْهُ ثُمَّ عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً فَانْفَكَّتْ حَلْقَةٌ ثُمَّ عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً أُخْرَى فَانْفَكَّتْ حَلْقَةٌ أُخْرَى حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ  

suyuti:19854a –
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السيوطي:١٩٨٥٤a –

"مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ السَّيِّئات ثم يعْمَلُ الْحَسَنَاتِ، كَمَثل رجُلٍ علَيهِ دِرعٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ قَدْ خَنَقَتْهُ، فَكُلَّما عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً انْقَضَتْ حَلَقَةٌ ثُمَّ أُخْرَى، حتى يخْرُجَ إِلى الأَرْضِ".  

[حم] أحمد وابن أَبي الدنيا في التوبة، [طب] الطبرانى في الكبير عن عقبة بن عامر
suyuti:7088a –
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السيوطي:٧٠٨٨a –

"إِنَّ مَثَلَ الَّذِى يَعْمَلُ السَّيِّئَات ثم يَعْمَلُ الحسناتَ كَمَثَلِ رَجُل كانت عَلَيْهِ دِرْعٌ ضِيِّقةٌ قد خَنَقَتْهُ، ثُمَّ عَمِلَ حَسَنَةً فَانْفَكَّتْ حَلْقَةٌ ثم عمل أُخْرَى فَانْفَكَّتْ الأُخرى حتى يخرجَ إِلى الأرض".  

[طب] الطبرانى في الكبير عن عقبة بن عامر ؓ