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Hadith #463 of 500 • Muwatta Imam Malik • Sahih

Muwatta Imam Malik 499 (Book 15, Hadith 30) — Forgiveness and Repentance

Narrated by Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) • Grade: Sahih (Salim al-Hilali (Sahih))

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Hadith Translation Language:
#463 • Muwatta Imam Malik 499 (Book 15, Hadith 30)Muwatta Imam MalikForgiveness and Repentance
Sahih (Authentic)
Primary Companion Narrator
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه)

Recorded with full connected chain (Isnad) in the source collection.

Book & Reference: The Qur'an (Book 15, Hadith 30)
Scholarly Grading Source: Salim al-Hilali (Sahih)

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَغَرِّ، وَعَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرُ فَيَقُولُ مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Abdullah al-Agharr and from Abu Salama from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the heaven of this world when the last third of the night is still to come and says, 'Who will call on Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask Me so that I may give him? Who will ask forgiveness of Me so that I may forgive him?

— Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley / Muhammad Rahimuddin (Muwatta Imam Malik)

Audio Policy: Out of reverence for the words of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, synthetic or AI-generated speech is strictly disabled for Hadith narrations.
IslamTools Editorial Study Notes (Distinct from Prophetic Text)Forgiveness and Repentance

Main Lesson & Core Meaning

Every child of Adam errs, and the best of those who err are those who repent; Allah increases a servant who pardons others in nothing but honor.

Practical Daily Application

Turn to Allah in sincere Tawbah and daily Istighfar without despair, and pardon those who wrong you so that Allah may pardon you.

Key Islamic Terms & Vocabulary

Tawbah (التوبة)

Sincere repentance: leaving the sin, regretting it, and resolving not to return.

Istighfar (الاستغفار)

Seeking Allah's forgiveness and protection from the consequences of sin.

'Afw (العفو)

Graciously pardoning and overlooking faults when able to retaliate.

Scholarly Context & Jurisprudence Note

Even though the Prophet ﷺ was forgiven all past and future faults, he sought Allah's forgiveness more than seventy to a hundred times each day.

Educational Note: This library is for Islamic study and education. Applying Hadith to complex personal legal matters (Fiqh) requires qualified scholarly guidance.

Noble Companion & Hadith Transmitterرضي الله عنه

أبو هريرة عبد الرحمن بن صخر الدوسي

Abu Hurairah (Abu Hurairah 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi)

The foremost transmitter of Prophetic Hadith among the Companions. From the tribe of Daws in Yemen, he embraced Islam and migrated to Madinah in 7 AH (the year of Khaybar), dedicating his life in As-Suffah to accompanying the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and preserving his words.

Source Verification & Scholarly Audit Record

APPROVED_FOR_PUBLICATION
Collection: Muwatta Imam Malik (Muwatta Imam Malik 499 (Book 15, Hadith 30))
Scholarly Grading Source: Salim al-Hilali (Sahih)
Salim al-Hilali: Sahih
SOURCE_IDENTIFIEDARABIC_TEXT_VERIFIEDREFERENCE_VERIFIEDNARRATOR_VERIFIEDAUTHENTICITY_VERIFIEDTRANSLATION_VERIFIEDCOPYRIGHT_VERIFIEDEDITORIAL_REVIEWEDAPPROVED_FOR_PUBLICATION

Related Quranic Ayahs

Related Prophetic Hadith

Book & Reference: The Book of Repentance (Bk. 50, No. 12)

حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عِيَاضٌ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْفِهْرِيُّ - حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ ‏ "‏ لَوْ أَنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا اللَّهُ لَكُمْ لَجَاءَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ لَهُمْ ذُنُوبٌ يَغْفِرُهَا لَهُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Abu Ayyub Ansari reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:If you were not to commit sins, Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by another people who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah, and He would have granted them pardon

— Abdul Hamid Siddiqui (Sahih Muslim English Translation)

Scholarly Grading Source: Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (Ijma' / Scholarly Consensus)
Full Reference & Explanation
Primary Companion Narrator:Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه)
Book & Reference: Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab) (Bk. 78, No. 99)

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَخِي ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ كُلُّ أُمَّتِي مُعَافًى إِلاَّ الْمُجَاهِرِينَ، وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْمَجَانَةِ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ الرَّجُلُ بِاللَّيْلِ عَمَلاً، ثُمَّ يُصْبِحَ وَقَدْ سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ، فَيَقُولَ يَا فُلاَنُ عَمِلْتُ الْبَارِحَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَقَدْ بَاتَ يَسْتُرُهُ رَبُّهُ وَيُصْبِحُ يَكْشِفُ سِتْرَ اللَّهِ عَنْهُ ‏"‏‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying. "All the sins of my followers will be forgiven except those of the Mujahirin (those who commit a sin openly or disclose their sins to the people). An example of such disclosure is that a person commits a sin at night and though Allah screens it from the public, then he comes in the morning, and says, 'O so-and-so, I did such-and-such (evil) deed yesterday,' though he spent his night screened by his Lord (none knowing about his sin) and in the morning he removes Allah's screen from himself

— Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan (Sahih al-Bukhari English Translation)

Scholarly Grading Source: Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (Ijma' / Scholarly Consensus)
Full Reference & Explanation
Book & Reference: The Book Pertaining to the Remembrance of Allah, Supplication, Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness (Bk. 48, No. 53)

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ أَبِي، بُرْدَةَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الأَغَرَّ، وَكَانَ، مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُحَدِّثُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنِّي أَتُوبُ فِي الْيَوْمِ إِلَيْهِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Al-Agharr al-Muzani who was from amongst the Companions of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) reported that Ibn 'Umar stated to him that Allah's Messenger (may peace 'be upon him) said:O people, seek repentance from Allah. Verily, I seek repentance from Him a hundred times a day

— Abdul Hamid Siddiqui (Sahih Muslim English Translation)

Scholarly Grading Source: Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (Ijma' / Scholarly Consensus)
Full Reference & Explanation
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