صحیح ابن حبان
Ibn Hibban
كتاب الرقائقBook of Heart-Softeners
باب الأدعية - ذكر إباحة الاقتصار على دون ما وصفنا من الاستغفار
Chapter of Supplications - Permissibility of seeking forgiveness less than what has been described
Hadith 928
أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ ، عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي الْمُهَاجِرِ ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : " مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا أَكْثَرَ أَنْ يَقُولَ : أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ " . قَالَ أَبُو حَاتِمٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : كَانَ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْتَغْفِرُ رَبَّهُ جَلَّ وَعَلا فِي الأَحْوَالِ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا وَصَفْنَاهُ ، وَقَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ ، وَلاسْتِغْفَارِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَعْنَيَانِ : أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ وَعَلا بَعَثَهُ مُعَلِّمًا لِخَلْقِهِ قَوْلا وَفِعْلا ، فَكَانَ يُعَلِّمُ أُمَّتَهُ الاسْتِغْفَارَ وَالدَّوَامَ عَلَيْهِ ، لِمَا عَلِمَ مِنْ مُقَارَفَتِهَا الْمَآثِمَ فِي الأَحَايِينِ بِاسْتِعْمَالِ الاسْتِغْفَارِ ، وَالْمَعْنَى الثَّانِي : أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَسْتَغْفِرُ لِنَفْسِهِ عَنْ تَقْصِيرِ الطَّاعَاتِ لا الذُّنُوبِ ، لأَنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ وَعَلا عَصَمَهُ مِنْ بَيْنِ خَلْقِهِ ، وَاسْتَجَابَ لَهُ دُعَاءَهُ عَلَى شَيْطَانِهِ حَتَّى أَسْلَمَ ، وَذَاكَ أَنَّ مِنْ خُلُقِ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا أَتَى بِطَاعَةٍ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهَا وَلَمْ يَقْطَعْهَا ، فَرُبَّمَا شُغِلَ بِطَاعَةٍ عَنْ طَاعَةٍ حَتَّى فَاتَتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا ، كَمَا شُغِلَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الرَّكْعَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ بِوَفْدِ تَمِيمٍ ، حَيْثُ كَانَ يَقْسِمُ فِيهِمْ وَيَحْمِلُهُمْ حَتَّى فَاتَتْهُ الرَّكْعَتَانِ اللَّتَانِ بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ ، فَصَلاهُمَا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ ، ثُمَّ دَاوَمَ عَلَيْهِمَا فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ فِيمَا بَعْدُ ، فَكَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِتَقْصِيرِ طَاعَةٍ أَنْ أَخَّرَهَا عَنْ وَقْتِهَا مِنَ النَّوَافِلِ لاشْتِغَالِهِ بِمِثْلِهَا مِنَ الطَّاعَاتِ الَّتِي كَانَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْوَقْتِ أَوْلَى مِنْ تِلْكَ الَّتِي كَانَ يُوَاظِبُ عَلَيْهَا ، لا أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَسْتَغْفِرُ مِنْ ذُنُوبٍ يَرْتَكِبُهَا .
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I have not heard anyone else recite this phrase more frequently than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "I seek forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance."
(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The Noble Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek forgiveness from his Lord in various circumstances, as we have mentioned, even though Allah Almighty had already forgiven his past and future sins. There can be two meanings to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) seeking forgiveness. One is that Allah Almighty sent him as a teacher for his people in both word and deed, so he would invite his Ummah to seek forgiveness and to be regular in it, because he knew that his Ummah would often fall into sins. Thus, they would continue to act upon the practice of seeking forgiveness. The second meaning is that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would seek forgiveness for himself regarding any shortcoming in performing good deeds. He did not seek forgiveness from sins, because Allah Almighty kept him pure (from sins) among all His creation, and He accepted his supplication regarding the (innate) devil that is with everyone, until he became a Muslim. So, the situation is such that this was included in the character of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He would act regularly in obedience to Allah Almighty. He would not discontinue it, to the extent that sometimes, due to being engaged in another good deed, he would not be able to perform a particular good deed, and that good deed would be missed by him. Just as, due to being busy, he could not perform the two rak‘ahs after Dhuhr, because a delegation from the tribe of Tamim had come and he was distributing wealth among them and providing them with mounts. Because of this, the two rak‘ahs after Dhuhr were missed by him, so he performed them after ‘Asr. After that, he continued to perform those rak‘ahs regularly at that time. So, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) seeking forgiveness was regarding the shortcoming in good deeds, that due to being busy, he could not perform them at their prescribed time, and he was engaged in other good deeds which, at that time, were more necessary than the ones he regularly performed. It was not that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sought forgiveness from sins that he had committed.
(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The Noble Mustafa (peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek forgiveness from his Lord in various circumstances, as we have mentioned, even though Allah Almighty had already forgiven his past and future sins. There can be two meanings to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) seeking forgiveness. One is that Allah Almighty sent him as a teacher for his people in both word and deed, so he would invite his Ummah to seek forgiveness and to be regular in it, because he knew that his Ummah would often fall into sins. Thus, they would continue to act upon the practice of seeking forgiveness. The second meaning is that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would seek forgiveness for himself regarding any shortcoming in performing good deeds. He did not seek forgiveness from sins, because Allah Almighty kept him pure (from sins) among all His creation, and He accepted his supplication regarding the (innate) devil that is with everyone, until he became a Muslim. So, the situation is such that this was included in the character of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He would act regularly in obedience to Allah Almighty. He would not discontinue it, to the extent that sometimes, due to being engaged in another good deed, he would not be able to perform a particular good deed, and that good deed would be missed by him. Just as, due to being busy, he could not perform the two rak‘ahs after Dhuhr, because a delegation from the tribe of Tamim had come and he was distributing wealth among them and providing them with mounts. Because of this, the two rak‘ahs after Dhuhr were missed by him, so he performed them after ‘Asr. After that, he continued to perform those rak‘ahs regularly at that time. So, the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) seeking forgiveness was regarding the shortcoming in good deeds, that due to being busy, he could not perform them at their prescribed time, and he was engaged in other good deeds which, at that time, were more necessary than the ones he regularly performed. It was not that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sought forgiveness from sins that he had committed.
