What happens to the good deeds of an apostate who returns to Islam

Whosoever becomes apostate, and returns back, what about his good deeds?

We say about him that he’s a disbeliever, but if he returns to Islam [becomes Muslim again] his [good] deeds come back to him. This is the most correct opinion amongst the scholars. Because Allah Djalla Wa ‘Alaa says:

وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ

“And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever.” [al-Baqarah 217]

The meaning of this verse is, that if he returns [back] to Islam, his [good] deeds will return back to him. And the [good] deeds will not be nullified only when a person dies on disbelief. And this is one of the two [different] opinions, narrated from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Sheikh ul Islam ibn Taymiyyah rahimahu Allah.

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