The Hadith: 'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if you did not sin...'

Q 2: what is the meaning of the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that says: “If you had not sinned and asked for forgiveness, Allah would have brought other than you who would sin and ask for forgiveness.”

A: The Hadith you mentioned, with this wording is not authentic. The authentic wording of the Hadith is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would take you away and bring people who would sin, then would beg Allah for Forgiveness and He would forgive them.” (Related by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah who reported it from the Prophet [peace be upon him])The meaning of this Hadith is that if humans did not commit sins, (Part No. 24; Page No. 313) Allah would remove them from this life and bring other people who would commit sins and then seek His Forgiveness and He would forgive them. But the reality is that humans do commit sins and some of them do seek Allah’s Forgiveness and He forgives them, which is why Allah lets them continue to exist.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.