SHAFAQNA – Imam Ali (AS) said: Atonement (Kaffarah) is different from punishment (Kayfar); atonement is like medicine, a series of punishments have been mentioned in the Quran which they are considered as Divine Torments; but these atonements which have been mentioned in the Quran and narrations are constructive. Therefore, Imam Ali (AS) said: If a person commits a sin, when he/she solves another person’s problem, this is considered as his/her atonement; this is not a jurisprudential atonement, rather it is an ethical atonement [1].
[1] Nahjul Balaghah, Elequent Saying 24. (Explanation by: The Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli)
Source: PERSIAN SHAFAQNA