The Book Pertaining to Repentance and Exhortation to Repentance

Abu Sa'id Khudri reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said that a person amongst the earlier nations before you was conferred property and children by Allah, He said to his children: 'You must do as I command you to do, otherwise I will make others besides you as my inheritors. As I die, burn my body and blow my ashes in the wind as I do not find any merit of mine which would please Allah, and if Allah were to take hold of me, He would punish me. He took a pledge from them and they did as he commanded thein to do. Allah said: What prompted you to do this? He said: My Lord. Thine fear, and Allah did not punish him at all.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording and Qatada explained the word" lam yasiru" as: " I find no good in store for rxie in the eye of Allah."

Abu Huraira reported from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) that his Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, thus said. A servant committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive me my sins, and Allah (the Exalted and Glorious) said: My servant commited a sin and then he came to realise that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins and takes to account (the sinner) for the sin. He then again committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me my sin, and Allah, the Exalted and High, said: My servant committed a sin and then came to realise that he has a Lord Who would forgive his sin or would take (him) to account for the sin. He again committed a sin and said: My Lord, forgive me for my sin, and Allah (the Exalted and High) said: My servant sas committed a sin and then came to realise that he has a Lord Who forgives the sins or takes (him) to account for sin. 0 servant, do what you like. I have granted you forgiveness. 'Abd al-A'la said: I do not know whether he said thrice or four times to do" what you desire". The hadlth has been narrated on the authority of 'Abd al-A'la b. Hammad with the same chain of transmitters.

Abu Huraira reported lie heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying that a servant committed a sin. The rest of the hadith is the same, but there is a slight variation of wording.

Abu Mu'sa reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Stretches out His Hand during the night so that the people repent for the fault committed from dawn till dusk and He stretches out His Hand daring the day so that the people may reprint for the fault committed from dusk to dawn. (He would accept repentance) before the sun rises in the west (before the Day of Resurrection). A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters.

'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Nothing is more loveable to Allah than His praise as He has praised Himself and no one is more self-respecting than Allah Himself and it As because of this that He has prohibited abominable acts.

'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: None is more self-respectidg than Allah and it is because of this that He has prohibited abominable acts-both visible and invisible-and none loves His praise more than Allah Himself.

'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported it directly from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) that he said: None is more self-respecting than Allah and it is because of this that He has prohibited abominable acts-both visible and invisible and nothing is loved by Allah more than the praise of His Ownself and it is because of this that He has praised Himself.

Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: None loves one's own praise more than Allah, the Exalted and Glurious, does. It is because of this that He has praised Himself, and none is more self-respecting than Allah and it is because of this that He has prohibited abominable acts and there is none who is more anxious to accept the apologies of the people than Allah Himself and it is because of this that He has revealed the Book and sent the Messengers.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Allah is self-respecting and a believer is also self-respecting and the respect of Allah is injured if a believer does what He has forbidden him to do.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Asma' daughter of Abu Bakr, through another chain of transmitters.

Abu Salama reported from Abu Huraira that he narrated that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon hin) said: There is none more self-respecting than Allah, the Exalted and Glorious There is no mention of the narration of Asma'.

Asma' reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: There is none more self-respecting than Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him ) as saying: A believer is self-respecting and Allah is extremely self-respecting.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba through another chain of transmitters.

'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported that a person kissed a woman and he came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and made a mention of that to him. It was (on this occasion) that this verse was revealed: " And observe prayer at the (two) ends of the day and in the first hours of the night. Surely, good deeds take away evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful" (xi. 115). That person said: Allah's Messenger, does it concern me only? He (the Holy Prophet) said: It concerns every one of my Unimah, who acts according to it.

Ibn Mas'ud reported that a person came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and told him that he had kissed a woman or touched her with his hand or did something like this. He inquired of him about its expiation. It was (on this occasion) that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed this verse (as mentioned above).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Sulaiman Taimi with the same chain of transmitters that a person had taken liberty with a woman less than fomication. He came to 'Umar b. Khattab and he took it to be a serious offence. Then he came to Abu Bakr and he also took it to be a serious offence. Then he came the Allahs Apostle (may peace be upon him) and he made a mention of this to him. The rest of the hadith is the same.

'Abdullah reported that a person came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, I sported with a woman in the outskirts of Medina, and I have committed an offence short of fornication. Here I am (before you), kindly deliver verdict about me which you deem fit. Unar said: Allah concealed your fault. You had better conceal it yourself also. Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), however, gave no reply to him. The man stood up and went away and Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) sent a person after him to call him and be recited this verse:" And observe prayer at the ends of the day and in the first hours of the night. Surely, good deeds take away evil deeds. That is a reminder for the mindful" (xi. 115). A person amongst the people said: Allah's Apostle, does it concern this marn only? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: No, but the people at large.

This hadith has been transmitted by Abu al-Ahwas and in this (these words are) also found: Mu'adh said: Allah's Messenger, does it concern this particular case or to all of us? And he (the Holy Prophet) said: Of course, to all of you.

Anas reported that a person came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Allah's Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves imposition of haad, so impose it upon me according to the Book of Allah. Thereupon he said: Were you not present with us at the time of prayer? He said: Yes. Thereupon he said: You have been granted pardon.

Abu Umama reported: We were sitting in the mosque in the company of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). A person came there and said: Allah's Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves the imposition of hadd upon me, so impose it upon me. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kept silent. He repeated it and said: Allah's Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves the imposition of hadd upon me, so impose it upon me. He (the Holy Prophet) kept silent, and it was at this time that Iqama was pronounced for prayer (and the prayer was observed). And when Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) had concluded the payer that person followed Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). Abu Umama said: I too followed Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) after he had concluded the prayer, so that I should know what answer he would give to that person. That person remained attached to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Messenger, I have committed an offence which deserves imposition of hadd upon me, so impose it upon me. Abu Umama reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: Didn't you see that as you got out of the house, you performed ablution perfectly well. He said: Allah's Messenger, of course. I did it. He again said to him: Then you observed prayer along with us. He said: Allah's Messenger, yes, it is so. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: Verily, Allah has exempted you from the imposition of hadd, or he said. From your sin.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There was a person before you who had killed ninety-nine persons and then made an inquiry about the learned persons of the world (who could show him the way to salvation). He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: No. He killed him also and thus completed one hundred. He then asked about the learned persons of the earth and he was directed to a scholar, and he told him that he had killed one hundred persons and asked him whether there was any scope for his repentance to be accepted. He said: Yes; what stands between you and the repentance? You better go to such and such land; there are people devoted to prayer and worship and you also worship along with them and do not come to the land of yours since it was an evil land (for you). So he went away and he had hardly covered half the distance when death came to him and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment. The angels of mercy said: This man has come as a penitant and remorseful to Allah and the angels of punishment said: He has done no good at all. Then there came another angel in the form of a human being in order to decide between them. He said: You measure the land to which he has drawn near. They measured it and found him nearer to the land where he intended to go (the land of piety), and so the angels of mercy took possession of it. Qatada said that Hasan told him that it was said to them that as death approached him, he crawled upon his chest (and managed) to slip in the land of mercy.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying that a man killed ninety-nine persons and then he began to make an inquiry whether there was any way left for him for repentance. He came to a monk and asked him about that, and he said: There is no chance for repentance for you. He killed the monk also and then began to make an inquiry and moved from one village to another village where there lived pious persons, and as he had covered some distance, he was overtaken by death, but he managed to crawl upon his chest (to the side nearer to the place where the pious men lived). He died and then there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment and (when it was measured) he was found to be nearer to the village where pious persons were living equal to the Space of a span and he was thus included among them.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Qatida with the same chain of transmitters but (with this variation of wording): " Allah commanded the earth (from where) he wanted to come out to move itself away and to the other earth (where he wanted to go) to draw nearer."

Abu Musa' reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from Hell-Fire.

Abu Burda reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: No Muslim would die but Allah would admit in his stead a Jew or a Christian in Hell-Fire. 'Umar b. Abd al-'Aziz took an oath: By One besides Whom there is no god but He, thrice that his father had narrated that to him from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of 'Aun b. Utba.

Abu Burda reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with as heavy sins as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them and He would place in their stead the Jews and the Christians. (As far as I think), Abu Raub said: I do not know as to who is in doubt. Abu Burda said: I narrated it to 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz, whereupon he said: Was it your father who narrated it to you from Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him)? I said: Yes.