Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah - Nasir al-Din al-Albani - (7/125)

Silsilat al-Ahadith al-SahihahNasir al-Din al-Albani

“We only said that this is the more appropriate interpretation of the verse because evil deeds have already passed in the ugliness that characterized them. It is not possible for the very entity of something that has passed with a particular attribute to be transformed into the opposite of what it was, except by changing it from its former attribute in another state. If this were done in that manner, then the associationism of the disbeliever—which was associationism in the very state of disbelief—would itself have to become faith through Islam on the Day of Resurrection, and all his acts of disobedience would themselves become acts of obedience. No person of sound mind would say such a thing.”

Shaykh ‘Ali al-Qari, may Allah have mercy on him, alluded to this difficulty in al-Mirqat (5/272) and answered it by saying:

“It may be said that, after his repentance, he committed sins for which he deserved punishment (!) Or perhaps the substitution was made for him as a favor from the Lord of all lords; and the latter is more apparent!”

I say: If that were so, he would not have been punished, nor would he have been the last person to emerge from the Fire. It seems that he took the second answer from Ibn Hibban’s heading for the hadith, for he said:

“A report concerning the substitution, on the Day of Resurrection, of the evil deeds of whichever servants He loves with good deeds.”

I say: This is valid only according to Abu Mu‘awiyah’s narration, which distinguished between them and made the man whose evil deeds were changed into good deeds someone other than the first man, who was the last to emerge from the Fire. Thus, the difficulty is removed at its root. Praise be to Allah, by Whose favor righteous deeds are brought to completion.

(Note): In one narration, Abu ‘Awanah added at the end of the hadith:

“Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recited: ‘It is they whose evil deeds Allah will replace with good deeds.’”

Its chain of transmission is as follows: Ibn Abi Raja al-Massisi related to us, saying: Waki‘ related it to us through his aforementioned chain of transmission.

" وإنما قلنا: ذلك أولى بتأويل الآية؛ لأن الأعمال السيئة قد كانت مضت على ما كانت عليه من القبح، وغير جائز تحويل عين قد مضت بصفة إلى خلاف ما كانت عليه؛ إلا بتغييرها عما كانت عليه من صفتها في حال أخرى، فيجب إن فعل ذلك كذلك أن يصير شرك الكافر الذي كان شركاً في الكفر بعينه إيماناً يوم القيامة بالإسلام، ومعاصيه كلها بأعيانها طاعة، وذلك ما لا يقوله ذو حجى ". وقد أشار الشيخ علي القاري ﵀ إلى الإشكال في "المرقاة" (٥/٢٧٢) ، وأجاب عنه بقوله: "ويمكن أن يقال: فعل بعد التوبة ذنوباً استحق بها العقاب (!) وإما وقع التبديل له من باب الفضل من رب الأرباب، والثاني أظهر"! قلت: لو كان كذلك لم يعذب ولم يكن أخر من يخرج من النار! وكأنه أخذ الجواب الثاني من ترجمة ابن حبان للحديث، فإنه قال: "ذكر إبدال سيئات من أحب من عباده في القيامة بالحسنات ". فأقول: وهذا إنما يصح على رواية أبي معاوية التي فصلت، وجعلت الرجل الذي بدلت سيئاته حسنات غير الرجل الأول الذي هو آخر من يخرج من النار. وبذلك يزول الإشكال من أصله، والحمد الله الذي بنعمته تتم الصالحات. (تنبيه) : زاد أبو عوانة في رواية في آخر الحديث: " ثم تلا رسول الله ﷺ: (فأولئك يبدل الله سيئاتهم حسنات) ". وإسناده هكذا: حدثنا ابن أبي رجاء المصيصي قال: ثنا وكيع بسنده المتقدم.