Anas reported God’s messenger as stating that God has said, “Son of Adam, as long as you supplicate me and hope in me I will pardon you in spite of what you have done, and I do not care. Son of Adam, if your sins were so numerous as to reach the lofty regions of the sky, then you asked my forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I do not care. Son of Adam, if you were to meet me with enough sins to fill the earth, then met me not associating anything with me, I would bring you as much pardon as would fill the earth.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ahmad and Darimi transmitted it from Abu Dharr. Tirmidhi said this is a hasan gharib tradition.
Commentary on the Divine Promise of Forgiveness
This sacred tradition (hadith qudsi) from Mishkat al-Masabih (2336, 2337) reveals Allah's boundless mercy through three profound declarations. The repetition of "I do not care" emphasizes that no sin is too great for Divine forgiveness when accompanied by sincere repentance.
The Three Pillars of Divine Mercy
First: Continuous supplication (du'a) and hope (raja') maintain the servant's connection to Allah, demonstrating that persistent devotion outweighs past transgressions when coupled with genuine hope in Divine mercy.
Second: Sins reaching "the lofty regions of the sky" symbolize the magnitude of human failing, yet Allah's forgiveness transcends all quantitative measures when the servant turns to Him in sincere seeking of pardon (istighfar).
Third: The earth-filled sins being met with earth-filled pardon demonstrates Allah's qualitative generosity, conditional only upon maintaining pure monotheism (tawhid) and avoiding shirk.
Scholarly Insights
Al-Tirmidhi's grading of this tradition as "hasan gharib" indicates its sound chain of transmission with unique wording. The condition of "not associating anything with Me" establishes that shirk remains the only unforgivable sin if unrepented, while all other sins remain within Allah's merciful domain.
This tradition teaches that despair in Allah's mercy is greater than any sin, for it denies His fundamental attribute of forgiveness. The believer must maintain balance between fear of punishment and hope in mercy, with hope predominating in all circumstances.