Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ 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 اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ 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.
English Translation
'Ali ibn Ishaq narrated to us, he said: 'Abdullah - meaning Ibn al-Mubarak - told us, he said: Ibn Lahi'ah told us, he said: Yazid ibn Abi Habib told me, he said: Abu al-Khayr narrated to us, that he heard 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir say: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "The likeness of one who does evil deeds and then does good deeds is like a man who was wearing a tight coat of mail that had choked him; then he did a good deed and a ring loosened, then he did another good deed and another ring loosened, until it comes off him entirely down to the ground."