The Main Idea of the Hadith: Allah's Forgiveness and Mercy on the Nation
This Hadith is one of the clearest evidences of the ease and tolerance of Islam and the removal of hardship from its followers.
Imam An-Nawawi رحمه الله said that this Hadith contains several important benefits and aspects, if collected, they would need more space than this book (i.e. the Forty Hadith)
Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani رحمه الله said the three important matters in this Hadith covers every aspect of Fiqh (Jurisprudence) and deserves to be called half of the Religion. The Scholars of Fiqh depend on this Hadith for issuing various Fatawa. This Hadith is related to the Science of Fiqh.
Allah does not consider people sinful when their actions do not represent their intentions.
Explanation of the Hadith:
إن الله تجاوز
Verily, Allah has Pardoned
Allah is Merciful with His slaves. If He willed, He would punish them for these three matters, but because He is Merciful, He pardoned it.
لي
For my sake
This shows us the high status of the Prophet ﷺ with Allah, whom Allah favoured over all other Messengers, and specified with certain merits and privileges. Some of these are mentioned in the Hadith where the Prophet ﷺ said:
أُعْطِيتُ خَمْسًا لَمْ يُعْطَهُنَّ أَحَدٌ قَبْلِي نُصِرْتُ بِالرُّعْبِ مَسِيرَةَ شَهْرٍ وَجُعِلَتْ لِيَ الأَرْضُ مَسْجِدًا وَطَهُورًا فَأَيْنَمَا أَدْرَكَ الرَّجُلَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي الصَّلاَةُ يُصَلِّي وَأُعْطِيتُ الشَّفَاعَةَ وَلَمْ يُعْطَ نَبِيٌّ قَبْلِي وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ كَافَّةً وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ يُبْعَثُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ خَاصَّةً
"I have been given five things that were not given to anyone before me: I have been supported with fear being struck into the hearts of my enemy for a distance of one month's travel; the earth has been made a place of prostration and a means of purification for me, so wherever a man of my Ummah is when the time for prayer comes, let him pray; I have been given the intercession which was not given to any Prophet before me; and I have been sent to all of mankind whereas the Prophets before me were sent to their own people." [An-Nasaa'i]
أمتي
My Nation
Allah specified this nation with His great mercy and forgiveness. Why? For the sake of the Prophet ﷺ. Because of the status of the Prophet ﷺ with Allah, Allah honoured this nation above all other nations. Also, in Surah Al-Hajj [22:78]:
"And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion, Islam), and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, it is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Quran), that the Messenger (Muhammad) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), give Zakat and hold fast to Allah [i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper!"
Allah has chosen us. We are witnesses over all the previous nations.
Another reason Allah favoured this nation is because they enjoin good and forbid evil, and this shows us the importance of doing so. In Surah Aal-Imran [3:110]:
"You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah. And had the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) believed, it would have been better for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are Al-Fasiqun (disobedient to Allah - and rebellious against Allah's Command)."
How Allah favoured this nation above other nations
-> Allah completed all the divine laws with this Religion and made it the most perfect. In Surah Al-Maa'idah [5:3]:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."
-> Allah has made our Religion a Religion of easiness, and released us from the burden He placed on the previous nations. They used to be stubborn and refused to submit to the laws of Allah, so Allah placed more burdens upon them.
-> Allah used to prohibit the booty of war for the previous nations, but made it lawful for the Nation of Islam, as mentioned in the aforementioned Hadith.
-> Allah had also prescribed legal retribution on the Children of Israeel, while on our nation, we have the option of blood money. In Surah Al-Baqarah [2:178]:
"O you who believe! Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment) is prescribed for you in case of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But if the killer is forgiven by the brother (or the relatives, etc.) of the killed against blood money, then adhering to it with fairness and payment of the blood money, to the heir should be made in fairness. This is an alleviation and a mercy from your Lord. So after this whoever transgresses the limits (i.e. kills the killer after taking the blood money), he shall have a painful torment."
-> At the time of Bani Israeel, if impurity touched a mans clothes, he would cut the cloth off. In our Religion, we just need to wash it off.
In Surah An-Nisa [4:28]:
"Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you; and man was created weak (cannot be patient to leave sexual intercourse with woman)."
In Surah Al-Baqarah [2:286]:
"Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Suppor-ter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people."
-> The Prophet ﷺ said:
فُضِّلْنَا عَلَى النَّاسِ بِثَلاَثٍ جُعِلَتْ صُفُوفُنَا كَصُفُوفِ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ وَجُعِلَتْ لَنَا الأَرْضُ كُلُّهَا مَسْجِدًا وَجُعِلَتْ تُرْبَتُهَا لَنَا طَهُورًا إِذَا لَمْ نَجِدِ الْمَاءَ " . وَذَكَرَ خَصْلَةً أُخْرَى .
"We have been made to excel (other) people in three (things): Our rows have been made like the rows of the angels and the whole earth has been made a mosque for us, and its dust has been made a purifier for us in case water is not available. And he mentioned another characteristic too" [Muslim]
-> The Prophet ﷺ said:
نَحْنُ الآخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
"We (Muslims) are the last in the world, but will be foremost on the Day of Resurrection." [Bukhari]
And he ﷺ said:
عُرِضَتْ عَلَىَّ الأُمَمُ فَجَعَلَ يَمُرُّ النَّبِيُّ مَعَهُ الرَّجُلُ وَالنَّبِيُّ مَعَهُ الرَّجُلاَنِ، وَالنَّبِيُّ مَعَهُ الرَّهْطُ، وَالنَّبِيُّ لَيْسَ مَعَهُ أَحَدٌ، وَرَأَيْتُ سَوَادًا كَثِيرًا سَدَّ الأُفُقَ فَرَجَوْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ أُمَّتِي، فَقِيلَ هَذَا مُوسَى وَقَوْمُهُ. ثُمَّ قِيلَ لِي انْظُرْ. فَرَأَيْتُ سَوَادًا كَثِيرًا سَدَّ الأُفُقَ فَقِيلَ لِي انْظُرْ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا. فَرَأَيْتُ سَوَادًا كَثِيرًا سَدَّ الأُفُقَ فَقِيلَ هَؤُلاَءِ أُمَّتُكَ، وَمَعَ هَؤُلاَءِ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
"Some nations were displayed before me. A prophet would pass in front of me with one man, and another with two men, and another with a group of people. and another with nobody with him. Then I saw a great crowd covering the horizon and I wished that they were my followers, but it was said to me, 'This is Moses and his followers.' Then it was said to me, 'Look'' I looked and saw a big gathering with a large number of people covering the horizon. It was said, "Look this way and that way.' So I saw a big crowd covering the horizon. Then it was said to me, "These are your followers, and among them there are 70,000 who will enter Paradise without (being asked about their) accounts. "
.......هُمُ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَتَطَيَّرُونَ، وَلاَ يَسْتَرْقُونَ، وَلاَ يَكْتَوُونَ، وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
....These (70,000) are the people who do not draw an evil omen from (birds) and do not get treated by branding themselves and do not treat with Ruqya, but put their trust (only) in their Lord." [Bukhari]
-> The reward being multiplied. And if one intends to do a good deed and does not do it, it will be recorded as a good deed...etc.
-> The Hadith of today.
"إن الله تجاوز لي أمتي"
Verily, Allah has pardoned for my sake, my nation
Islam takes into consideration the shortcomings of human beings and the unavoidable situations one undergoes. This does not mean the believer should not be cautious; he should be cautious not to fall into the same mistake twice. The Prophet ﷺ said:
لاَ يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ وَاحِدٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ
The believer does not allow to be stung twice from one (and the same) hole. [Muslim]
We should take lessons from our mistakes.
Mans acts are divided into:
1) Willingly Performed -> He is held responsible
2) Unintentionally Performed / Unavoidable Errors -> He will not be held responsible; He is pardoned by Allah.
Both acts have consequences, and consequences are connected to the acts of the man. It is because of this that Ibn Al-Hajar said this Hadith is equal to half of the Religion.
Does Allah forgive the act or the consequences that are entailed by that act? Being excused for what we do does not mean that there will no consequences.
خطاء
Unintentional Mistakes
Mistakes are the opposite of intentional error. It is when one intends to do something but gets an unintentional result. Allah will pardon such a person.
E.g. Someone wants to hit a person, but kills him by accident.
In Surah Al-Ahzab [33:5]:
وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا أَخْطَأْتُم بِهِ وَلَٰكِن مَّا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
"And there is no sin on you if you make a mistake therein, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allah is Ever OftForgiving, Most Merciful."
There are some acts that have consequences, others which do not, and others which the Scholars differ regarding.
Acts which do not have Consequences
E.g. You drink what you think is water in a glass, and later you find out it is alcohol. There is no punishment on you; you will not be flogged.
Acts which do have Consequences
E.g. You kill a Muslim by mistake. Allah will forgive you and you will not be sinful, but you have to do two things for the side of the people:
1) Pay the Blood Money
The family of the killer should pay it, as a way of comforting the killer and helping him. Only the side of his father; like his uncle, brothers, cousin, grandfathers should altogether share and pay the ransom, each according to his Richness.
2) The Killer should free a Muslim slave
If he did not find a Muslim slave, he should fast two months consecutively.
Allah said in Surah An-Nisa [4:92]:
"It is not for a believer to kill a believer except (that it be) by mistake, and whosoever kills a believer by mistake, (it is ordained that) he must set free a believing slave and a compensation (blood money, i.e Diya) be given to the deceased's family, unless they remit it. If the deceased belonged to a people at war with you and he was a believer; the freeing of a believing slave (is prescribed), and if he belonged to a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance, compensation (blood money - Diya) must be paid to his family, and a believing slave must be freed. And whoso finds this (the penance of freeing a slave) beyond his means, he must fast for two consecutive months in order to seek repentance from Allah. And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise."
We do not apply this in the law nowadays.
Acts where the Scholars disagree regarding the Consequence
E.g. If a Muhrim accidentally kills an animal, he is forgiven by Allah, but the Scholars differ whether he should pay or not.
النسيان
Forgetfulness
Forgetfulness is the opposite of remembering. It is the failure to recall a thing at the time of its need. Allah will forgive the person who forgets to do something, as mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:286]:
"Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Suppor-ter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people."
Although he will be pardoned, it does not mean he will not be held responsible.
Forgetfulness where there are Consequences
If a person forgets to perform an obligatory act, he is still obliged to perform it.
E.g. If one forgets to perform ablution and then prays, he should perform ablution and repeat the prayer again.
E.g. One forgets to pray on time, and the time expires. Whenever he remembers, he should make up for it. The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ نَسِيَ صَلاَةً فَلْيُصَلِّهَا إِذَا ذَكَرَهَا
Whoever forgets a prayer, let him perform it when he remembers it. [Ibn Majah]
An exception to this rule is when the missed deed can no longer be performed.
E.g. One forgets to pray congregational Jum'ah prayer. This will be dropped on them.
Forgetfulness where the Scholars differ
E.g. If one forgetfully eats in Ramadan, he will be forgiven by Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
من أفطر في رمضان ناسياً فلا قضاء عليه ولا كفارة
Whoever breaks his fast in Ramadaan out of forgetfulness, he does not have to make that day up and he does not have to offer any expiation (kafaarah). [Narrated and classed Saheeh by Al-Haakim]
This is the opinion of the majority of Scholars, because they have this evidence. However, Imam Malik disagreed with this opinion, his evidence being the verses of fasting in general from Surah Al-Baqarah.
The Author of the Book says that perhaps this Hadith did not reach Imam Malik رحمه الله, which is why he said that the fasting person should repeat his fast.
و ما استكرهوا عليه
And what they have done under coercion
Compulsion is to compel a person to do something he hates under a threat of using force against him. It is prohibited in Islam, even in forcing people to accepting Islam. In Surah Al-Baqarah [2:256]:
"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
In order to say compulsion has taken place, there are conditions:
1) The one who is practicing compulsion should be able to carry out his threat.
If he is unable to carry out his threat, we cannot call it compulsion.
E.g. A man sees another man in the street and says, "Give me your money or I will kill you" and there is nothing is in his hand.
2) The one forced to carry out the act believes that the one forcing him will fulfill his threat
E.g. The husband threatens his wife that if she goes out, he will divorce her. If she thinks that he will fulfill his threat, it is called compulsion. If she is sure he will not fulfill his threat, it is not compulsion.
3) The one forced should be unable to get rid of the threat
E.g. He is jailed in a locked room.
4) The forced man should originally be reluctant to commit the act.
E.g. The man is originally reluctant to drink alcohol, and someone comes and forces him to drink. If the man drinks already, it is not considered a threat.
5) The threat should be more dangerous to him than the act he is doing
E.g. A man comes to a person and says, "Give me your money or I will slap your face". This is not more dangerous than your money being taken.
What are the types of compulsion? There are two types:
1) Compulsion in Speech
i.e. To force someone to say something he does not want to say. This is further divided into two types:
I) To force someone to utter a statement of Kufr. The Scholars agreed that if he is afraid of being killed, he can utter words of Kufr, as long as his heart is filled with faith, as what happened with Ammar Ibn Yaasir رضي الله عنهما. In Surah An-Nahl [16:106]:
"Whoever disbelieved in Allah after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Faith but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a great torment."
ii) Any other statement. The Scholars also agreed that it is allowed for him to say it.
E.g. He is forced to say, "I sell my house, I buy this, I divorce my wife, etc." He is excused, and nothing will legally happen. If Allah dropped the ruling of Kufr on the one compelled to say it, then everything less than that is dropped.
2) Compulsion in Acts
This is also further divided into types:
I) If one has absolutely no choice but to comply
E.g. He swears not to enter a Room, and is carried by four persons forcefully into it. He is pardoned by Allah and has not broken his oath.
ii) The person has some kind of choice
a) If it is related to killing, where he has the choice to refuse or accept, he will bear the responsibility and deserve the punishment along with the other one who forced him. He will not be excused by Allah.
E.g. "If you do not kill that person, we will kill you"
Rule in Islam: No one has a right to save his soul by making another soul perish
b) If it is related to adultery, where a man threatens him if he did not commit adultery with that woman, he will be killed. The Scholars differ - some Scholars say he will be punished while others say he will not.
c) With regards to acts besides killing and adultery, the person will not be punished, but pardoned by Allah. However, he will still be liable for the damage he causes.
If a person is forced and is reluctant, but while doing it he starts liking it, he will be sinful.
E.g. He does not drink alcohol, but when forced, he starts liking it and drinks it willingly.
Allah has pardoned us for passing thoughts. In the Hadith:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي مَا وَسْوَسَتْ بِهِ وَحَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَعْمَلْ أَوْ تَتَكَلَّمْ بِهِ " .
Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has forgiven my Ummah for what is whispered to them or what enters their minds, so long as they do not act upon it or speak of it.' [An-Nasaa'i]
This is because they are either self talk or whispers of the Shaytan. As long as they do not reside in the heart, Allah will pardon us for them. There are two conditions however:
1) You should not talk about it to people, otherwise you will be sinful.
2) You should not turn these thoughts into action.
In order to preserve oneself, one should cut off the way of these thoughts when they come to him, and remember Allah immediately. Allah said in Surah Al-A'raf [7:200]:
"And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitan (Satan) then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
The Scholars said this Hadith should not be abused and taken as an excuse to justify our wrongdoing or shortcomings. Allah knows our intentions.
This Hadith should also motivate us to attain the attribute of forgiveness, and forgive those who make mistakes.
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