39th Hadith - Overlooking Mistakes (Ibn Majah: 2043)
الحديث التاسع والثلاثون
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاس رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا : أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ : إِنَّ اللهَ تَجَاوَزَ لِيْ عَنْ أُمَّتِي : الْخَطَأُ وَالنِّسْيَانُ وَمَا اسْتُكْرِهُوا عَلَيْهِ
[حديث حسن
رواه ابن ماجة والبيهقي وغيرهما]
39th Hadith - Translation
On the authority of Ibn
Abbas (R.A.) that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said:
“Truly Allah has, for my sake, pardoned the mistakes
and forgetfulness of my community (Ummah/nation), and for what they have done
under force or duress.”
(A hasan hadith related by Ibn Majah, and Al-Bayhaqee
and others.)
Brief Narration
What has been stated in this hadith has also been stressed and emphasized in the Quran:
"Oh our Lord, do not
take us to task if we forget or make mistakes."
“And there is no sin on you
concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your
hearts deliberately intended. And Allah is Ever Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Being excused for what is done mistakenly or out of
forgetfulness does not mean that there will be no consequent rulings. This
means that a person might be forgiven but he still has to take responsibility
for his actions.
Islam encourages ‘Ihsan’, quality, excellence at work, and a sense of responsibility. At the same time, Islam discourages recklessness, carelessness, and heedlessness. However, Islam takes into account the nature of human beings and their shortcomings. It also takes into consideration the unavoidable situations that they may undergo. It should also be noticed that Islam calls for taking lessons from our mistakes and our experience with others. That's why the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), says a Muslim should not be bitten from the same hole twice.
We should look at this in a positive way. Islam does
not encourage people to become reckless, careless, or to feel that they are
unaccountable. We should look at the hadith as a total picture of the situation
and not to look at it in an isolated manner. We should have a complete view of
what Islam has already established or stressed such as excellence in our
performance, accountability and many other issues that we have to observe. But
because we are human beings and subject to committing mistakes out of
forgetfulness, Islam still leaves room for these human shortcomings and makes
it possible for them to be excused and forgiven - but they have to bear some of
the consequences.
(Reference: Commentary of Forty Hadiths of
An-Nawawi by Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi)
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