The Hope for Allah’s Mercy

Say: “(Allah gives you hope): ‘O My servants who have been wasteful (of their Allah-given opportunities and faculties) against (the good of) their own souls! Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy. Surely Allah forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate.’” (az-Zumar 39:53)

 

218. Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah the Mighty and Exalted, says, ‘Anyone who comes with a good action will have ten like it or more. If anyone comes with a wrong action, the repayment of a wrong action is a wrong action like it or I will forgive him. If anyone approaches Me by a hand-span, I come to him an arm-span. If anyone approaches Me by an arm-span, I come to him two arm spans. If anyone approaches Me walking, I come to him running. If anyone meets Me with mistakes equivalent in weight to the whole earth, having not associated anything with Me, I will meet him with the same amount of forgiveness.” (Sahih Muslim, Dhikr, 22).

221. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When Allah created creation, He wrote in a book which is with Him above the Throne, ‘My mercy predominates over My anger.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Tawhid, 15; Sahih Muslim, Tawbah, 14).
In one variant, “Predominated over My anger,” and in one variant, “preceded My anger.”

222. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say, ‘Allah divided mercy into a hundred parts and He kept back ninety-nine parts with Himself and left one part on the earth. It is from this part that creatures show mercy to one another so that an animal lifts its hoof from its young fearing to hurt them.’”
In one variant, “Allah the Almighty has a hundred mercies out of which He sent down one mercy among jinn, men, beasts and insects by which they show affection to one another and by which they show mercy to one another and by which wild animals show mercy to their young. Allah the Almighty has held back ninety-nine of the mercies and will show them to His servants on the Day of Rising.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Adab, 19; Sahih Muslim, Tawbah, 17, 19).

225. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recited the words of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, about Ibrahim, peace be upon him, “My Lord! They have indeed caused many among humankind to go astray. So, he who follows me is truly of me; while he who disobeys me, surely You are All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate,” (Ibrahim 14:37) and the words of Isa, peace be upon him, “If You punish them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Wise” (al-Maedah 5:118). Then he raised his hands and said, “O Allah! My community! My community!” and he wept. Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, said, “Jibril! Go to Muhammad, and your Lord knows best, and ask him what is making him weep.” Jibril came to him and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, told him what he had said, and Allah knew it best. Allah the Almighty said, “Jibril, Go to Muhammad and say, ‘We will make you happy in respect of your community and we will not make you sad.’” (Sahih Muslim, Iman, 346).

227. Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The metaphor of the five Prayers is that of an sizeable flowing river at the door of one of you in which he washes five times every day.” (Sahih Muslim, Masajid, 284).

230. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah the Almighty will stretch out His hand during the night, turning towards the one who did wrong during the day, and stretch out His hand during the day, turning towards the one who did wrong during the night, until the day the sun rises from the place it set.” (Sahih Muslim, Tawbah, 31).

 

Nawawi, Imam. Riyad As-Salihin; The Gardens of the Righteous: A collection of authentic hadiths. Tughra Books Press, Inc. 2014