And in Sahīh Muslim, Abū Hurayrah also reports that the Prophet said:

“By Him in whose Hand is my soul, if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin and then seek Allah’s forgiveness, and He would forgive them.”

A similar report appears in the Sahīh, narrated by Abū Ayyūb.

When the slander was spread about ʿĀ’ishah, he said to her:

“O ʿĀ’ishah, if you have committed a sin, seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him, for when a servant acknowledges his sin and repents, Allah accepts his repentance. But if you are innocent, Allah will clear your name.”