O Messenger of Allah, I left no minor or major sin without committing it." He said: "Do you not testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?

Arabic text

عَنْ أَنَسٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، مَا تَرَكْتُ حَاجَّةً وَلَا دَاجَّةً إِلَّا قَدْ أَتَيْتُ، قَالَ: «أَلَيْسَ تَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللهِ؟» ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ. قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: «فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يَأْتِي عَلَى ذَلِكَ».

Translation

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I left no minor or major sin without committing it." He said: "Do you not testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" He repeated the question three times. He replied: 'Yes.' The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This prevails over that."

Explanation

A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I committed all sins and misdeeds and left no minor or major sin except that I did it. Can I be forgiven? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Do you not testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah? He asked the question three times. The man replied in the affirmative. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him about the merit of the two testimonies of faith and how they expiate sins, and that repentance erases past misdeeds.

Benefits

• The Hadīth shows the significance of the two testimonies of faith and that they outweigh sins, if one utters them sincerely from his heart.
• Islam blots out the sins committed before embracing it.
• Sincere repentance eliminates past sins.
• Repeating the speech is part of the Prophet's approach to educating.
• The Hadīth points out the merit of the two testimonies of faith and that they lead to salvation from the eternal stay in Hellfire.

Topics

• Virtues and Manners
• Virtues
• Excellence of Monotheism