عَنْ أَنسٍ رضِي اللّه عنْهُ قالَ: سمِعْتُ رسُولَ اللّه صَلّى اللّهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم يَقُولُ: «قالَ اللّه تَعَالى: يا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنَّكَ ما دَعَوْتَني ورجوْتَني غفرتُ لَكَ على ما كَانَ منْكَ وَلا أُبَالِي، يا ابْنَ آدم لَوْ بلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُك عَنَانَ السَّماءِ ثُم اسْتَغْفَرْتَني غَفرْتُ لَكَ وَلا أُبالي، يا ابْنَ آدم إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَني بِقُرابِ الأَرْضِ خطايَا، ثُمَّ لَقِيتَني لا تُشْرِكُ بي شَيْئًا، لأَتَيْتُكَ بِقُرابِها مَغْفِرَةً» رواه الترمذي وقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Allah the Exalted said: 'O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you for whatever has come from you, and I will not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and then you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I would not mind. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly filling the earth and then you met Me not associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness nearly filling it.'" Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who said: a hasan (good) hadith.
الشرح · explanation
ما دعوتني: أي مدة دعائك. ورجوتني أي أنك تدعوني راجيًا. ولا أبالي: لا أكترث بذنوبك ولا أستكثرها وإن كثرت. عَنان السَّمَاءِ: قِيل: هُو السَّحَابُ، وقِيل: هُوَ مَا ظَهَرَ لَكَ مِنْها. قُرَابُ الأَرْضِ: هُو ما يُقَاربُ مِلْئَهَا.
"As long as you call upon Me": that is, for the duration of your supplication. "And place your hope in Me": that is, that you call upon Me in a state of hope. "And I will not mind": I do not concern Myself with your sins nor deem them many, however many they may be. "The clouds of the sky": it is said this means the clouds, and it is said it means whatever of the sky appears to you. "Nearly filling the earth": it is that which approaches filling it.
الدروس · lessons
سعة رحمة الله تعالى. الإيمان باللّه شرط في المغفرة لأنّه الأصل الذي ينبني عليه قبول الطاعة وغفران المعصية. الاستغفار الكامل الذي يثمر المغفرة هو ما قارن عدم الإصرار لأنّه حينئذ توبة نصوح أما مع الإصرار فمجرد دعاء.
The vastness of the mercy of Allah the Exalted. Faith in Allah is a condition for forgiveness, because it is the foundation upon which the acceptance of obedience and the pardoning of disobedience are built. The complete seeking of forgiveness that yields forgiveness is that which is coupled with not persisting [in sin], for then it is a sincere repentance; but with persistence it is merely a supplication.