O you who believe when you converse in secret with the Messenger when you wish to converse with him privately offer some voluntary alms before your secret talk. That is better for you and purer for your sins. But if you find nothing to offer as alms then God is indeed Forgiving of your secret conversation Merciful to you. In other words nothing will be held against you for holding a secret conversation without having offered some voluntary alms beforehand. However He God abrogated this later by saying