Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "There was a man among the Children of Israel who had killed ninety-nine people. Then that man set out to inquire about this matter. He came to a monk and asked: Is there any possibility of repentance for him? The monk replied: No. So that man killed the monk as well. Then he kept inquiring, and a person said to him: Go to such-and-such town. Then death came to that man and he passed away. There was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment regarding him. So Allah Almighty revealed to this (part of) the land to come closer, and to the other part to move farther away. Thus, the man was found to be a handspan closer to that (part, i.e., where he was going), so he was forgiven."