with “the All-Forgiving.” This is further supported by consideration of the meaning, for the words, “My Lord, forgive me,” accord more naturally with “the All-Forgiving” than with “the Most Merciful.” This is what has become clear to me through investigating this wording, and I have not found anyone who has written about it. If I am correct, it is from Allah; to Him belongs all praise, and He is my Protector. But if the other wording is correct, then I seek His forgiveness for my sin, whether committed mistakenly or deliberately—for all of that is found in me.

Al-Tirmidhi said after the hadith: “A good, authentic, singular hadith.” Al-Hakim attributed it to Muslim (1/511), but he was mistaken.

557 — “Be of good cheer. Allah says: ‘It is My Fire that I unleash upon My believing servant in this world, so that it may be his share of the Fire in the Hereafter.’”

Ahmad (2/440) and Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (2/229/2) recorded it. They said: Abu Usamah narrated to us, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid ibn Jabir, from Isma'il ibn Ubayd Allah, from Abu Salih al-Ash'ari, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him,

“that he visited a sick man, accompanied by Abu Hurayrah, because of an ailment the man was suffering from. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him …” Then he mentioned it.

Through Ibn Abi Shaybah’s route, it was also recorded by Ibn Majah (3470) and al-Hakim (1/345). Likewise, Ibn Abi al-Dunya recorded it in al-Marad wa-al-Kaffarat (159/1–2), through another route from Abu Usamah, with the same report. Al-Hakim said: “Its chain of transmission is authentic,” and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. It is as they said: its narrators are trustworthy and are narrators of the two Shaykhs, apart from this al-Ash'ari. Abu Hatim said of him: “There is no harm in him.” A number of trustworthy narrators reported from him; therefore, al-Dhahabi stated decisively in al-Mizan that he was trustworthy.