Allah has pardoned for me the mistakes and forgetfulness of my Ummah, and what they were coerced into doing

Arabic text

عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إنَّ اللَّهَ تَجَاوَزَ لِي عَنْ أُمَّتِي الخَطَأَ وَالنِّسْيَانَ وَمَا اسْتُكْرِهُوا عَلَيْهِ».

Translation

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Allah has pardoned for me the mistakes and forgetfulness of my Ummah, and what they were coerced into doing."

Explanation

The Prophet (ﷺ) informs that Allah has pardoned his Ummah in three situations: First: Mistake. It is what a person does unintentionally by mistake. It is when a Muslim does something with a certain intention, but he happens to do something other than what he intended. Second: Forgetfulness. A Muslim remembers something, but he forgets it at the time of doing it. In such a case, he incurs no sin. Third: Coercion. A person may be coerced into doing something, and he is unable to ward off the coercion. In such a case, there is no sin or blame on him. It should be noted that the subject of the Hadīth is related to what is between the servant and his Lord regarding the commission of what is prohibited. As for neglecting an obligation out of forgetfulness, it is not waived. And if a prohibited act results in harm to another person, the right of that person is not waived—for example, if someone kills by mistake, he is liable for the blood money; or if he damages a car by mistake, he is liable for compensation.

Benefits

• It demonstrates Allah's vast mercy and kindness toward His servants, as He places no sin on them if they do anything wrong under these three conditions.
• It indicates the favor Allah Almighty bestowed upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his Ummah.
• Removal of sin does not mean removal of the relevant ruling or compensation. For example, if a person forgets to perform ablution and offers prayer thinking that he is in a state of ritual purity, he incurs no sin, but he is required to make ablution and repeat the prayer.
• For the removal of sin in the case of coercion, certain requirements should be met, such as the case that the coercive person can implement his threat.

Topics

• The Creed
• Belief in Allah the Mighty and Majestic