Sahih: Abu Hurayrah Used to Ask Forgiveness 12000 times a Day!
The following report was called into question by a particular brother commenting on Seekingilm. The following is the takhrij. Abu Nu’aym reports the following in his Hilyat Al-Awliyaa through Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal:
حدثنا أبو بكر بن مالك، حدثنا عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل، حدثني أبي، وإبراهيم بن زياد، قالا: حدثنا إسماعيل بن علية، عن خالد الحذاء، عن عكرمة. قال: قال أبو هريرة: إني لأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه كل يوم اثنى عشر ألف مرة، وذلك على قدر ديني، أو قدر دينه
From ‘Ikrimah that Abu Hurayrah said: “Verily, I turn to Allah asking forgiveness and repenting to Him 12,000 times every day.”
Allah Will Forgive All of Your Sins : Tafsir 39:53
I recall hearing a christian once tell me that my religion, “Izlam”, was not a religion of forgiveness & mercy. In fact, in his view, it is impossible for God to forgive sins without “sacrifice”, as he saw it. No matter what verses I quoted him, ahadith (narratives of the Prophet Muhammad), or scholarly quotes, he was adamant that the Qur’an does not preach forgiveness of man’s sins. One can guide the donkey to the water, but can not make him drink. I believe that a single verse from the Qur’an can respond to the christian view, or anyone else’s view, that Islam is a religion that teaches God will forgive as long as one is sincerely repentant.
Allah says,
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
“Say, [God says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”