Allah has forgiven my Ummah for the thoughts that come to their minds, unless they act upon them or utter them

Chapter: A divorce given in a state of anger, under compulsion or under the effect of intoxicants or insanity

Authentic hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 5269

حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، عَنْ زُرَارَةَ بْنِ أَوْفَى، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ

تَجَاوَزَ عَنْ أُمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا، مَا لَمْ تَعْمَلْ أَوْ تَتَكَلَّمْ ‏"

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Allah has forgiven my Ummah for the thoughts that come to their minds, unless they act upon them or utter them."

Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 5269, 6664), Muslim (No. 127b, 127c), Abu Dawud (No. 2209), At-Tirmidhi (No. 1183), An-Nasa’i (No. 3433, 3434, 3435), Ibn Majah (No. 2040) and Ahmad (No. 7158, 8745, 9134, 9752, 9848, 9968).

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that a Muslim will not be held accountable for evil thoughts he has in his mind before he acts upon them or speaks about them, as Allah has lifted the restriction and pardoned. He does not hold the Ummah of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) accountable for what comes to their minds and wavers in their souls, without being settled therein. If it settles in a person's heart, like arrogance, conceit, or hypocrisy, or he acts upon it with his limbs or says it with his tongue, then he will be held accountable for that.

Lessons

Allah Almighty forgives and pardons such transient thoughts and obsessions that come to a person’s mind.
If a person thinks of divorce and it comes to his mind, yet he does not utter it or write it down, it does not count as divorce.
A person is not held accountable for his inner thoughts, no matter how grave they are, unless they are settled in his soul and he acts upon them or utters them.
The Hadīth demonstrates the great status of the Ummah of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as they are particularly favored with this advantage of not being held accountable for inner thoughts, unlike the previous nations.

Explanation in Arabic

يُخْبِرُ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أنَّ المسلم لا يُؤاخَذُ بحديث النَّفْس من الشر قبل العمل به أو التكلُّم به، حيث رفع الله الحرج وعفا، ولم يؤاخذ أمة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بما وُجِدَ في الذهن وتردد في النفس من غير أن يطمئن إليه ويستقر عنده؛ فإن استقرَّ في قلبه كالكبر أو الخيلاء أو النفاق أو عمل بجوارحه أو قال بلسانه فإنه يؤاخذ بذلك.

الله تبارك وتعالى تجاوز وعفا عن الأفكار والهواجس التي تطرأ على النفس، فيحدّث الإنسان بها نفسه، وتمر على خاطره.
الطلاق إذا فكَّر فيه الإنسان، وعرض في خاطره، ولكنه لم يتكلم به ولم يكتبه، فإنه لا يعتبر طلاقًا.
حديث النفس لا يؤاخذ به الإنسان مهما عظم ما لم يستقر في نفسه ويعمل به أو يتكلم به.
عظيم قدر أمة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم باختصاصها بعدم المؤاخذة بحديث النفس بخلاف الأمم قبلنا.

Classical commentary

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani — Fath al-Bari

قَوْله ( حَدَّثَنَا مُسْلِم ) هُوَ اِبْن إِبْرَاهِيم , وَهِشَام هُوَ الدَّسْتُوَائِيّ. قَوْله ( عَنْ زُرَارَة ) تَقَدَّمَ الْقَوْل فِيهِ فِي أَوَائِل الْعِتْق , وَذَكَرْت فِيهِ بَعْض فَوَائِده , وَيَأْتِي بَقِيَّتهَا فِي كِتَاب الْأَيْمَان وَالنُّذُور , وَقَوْله " مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسهَا " بِالْفَتْحِ عَلَى الْمَفْعُولِيَّة , وَذَكَرَ الْمُطَرِّزِيّ عَنْ أَهْل اللُّغَة أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَهُ بِالضَّمِّ يُرِيدُونَ بِغَيْرِ اِخْتِيَارهَا , وَقَدْ أَسْنَدَ الْإِسْمَاعِيلِيّ عَنْ عَبْد الرَّحْمَن بْن مَهْدِيّ قَالَ لَيْسَ عِنْد قَتَادَةَ حَدِيث أَحْسَن مِنْ هَذَا , وَهَذَا الْحَدِيث حُجَّة فِي أَنَّ الْمُوَسْوَسَ لَا يَقَع طَلَاقه وَالْمَعْتُوه وَالْمَجْنُون أَوْلَى مِنْهُ بِذَلِكَ , وَاحْ…

Scholar	Grade	Applies to	Work
Al-Bukharid. 256 AH	Authenticصحيح	The hadith	صحيح البخاري No. 5269

Grades of other versions (3)

Al-Iraqi فيه] حماد التنوخي قال الدارقطني مجهول — ذيل ميزان الاعتدال (1/200)
Al-Uqayli ليس له من حديث هشام بن عروة أصل — الضعفاء الكبير (1/117)
AuthenticIbn Baz صحيح — مجموع تفسير الشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز (6/55)

Other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 6664

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah forgives my followers those (evil deeds) their souls may whisper or suggest to them as long as they do not act (on it) or speak."

إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي عَمَّا وَسْوَسَتْ أَوْ حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا، مَا لَمْ تَعْمَلْ بِهِ أَوْ تَكَلَّمْ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 127b

Verily the Great and Mighty Allah forgave my people the evil promptings arising in their minds, but they neither talked about them nor acted upon them.

اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي عَمَّا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَعْمَلْ أَوْ تَكَلَّمْ بِهِ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 127c

The same hadith has been narrated by Zuhair b. Harb, Waki, Ishaq b. Mansur, Husain b. 'Ali.

وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا مِسْعَرٌ، وَهِشَامٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنِي إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ زَائِدَةَ، عَنْ شَيْبَانَ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ…

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Abu Dawud 2209

Abu Hurairah reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying “Allah has ignored for my community what comes to their mind, so long as they do not act or pronounce words to that effect.”

تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي عَمَّا لَمْ تَتَكَلَّمْ بِهِ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ بِهِ وَبِمَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1183

The Messenger of Allah said: "Allah has permitted my Ummah what occurs in their mines, as long as it is not spoken or acted upon."

"‏ تَجَاوَزَ اللَّهُ لأُمَّتِي مَا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَكَلَّمْ بِهِ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ بِهِ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 3433

"The Messenger of Allah -said: 'Allah, the Most High, has forgiven my Ummah for everything that enters the mind, so long as it is not spoken of or put into action.'"

اللَّهَ تَعَالَى تَجَاوَزَ عَنْ أُمَّتِي كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَكَلَّمْ بِهِ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

See all 16 versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 3434

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has forgiven my Ummah for what is whispered to them or what enters their minds, so long as they do not act upon it or speak of it.'"

اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي مَا وَسْوَسَتْ بِهِ وَحَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَعْمَلْ أَوْ تَتَكَلَّمْ بِهِ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan an-Nasa'i 3435

"Allah, the Most High, has forgiven my Ummah for whatever enters the mind, so long as it is not spoken of or put into action."

"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي عَمَّا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَكَلَّمْ أَوْ تَعْمَلْ بِهِ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sunan Ibn Majah 2040

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Allah has forgiven my nation for what they think of to themselves, so long as they do not act upon it or speak of it."

"‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَجَاوَزَ لأُمَّتِي عَمَّا حَدَّثَتْ بِهِ أَنْفُسَهَا مَا لَمْ تَعْمَلْ بِهِ أَوْ تَكَلَّمْ بِهِ ‏"

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Musnad Ahmad 7158