A man, scandalised by another's sin, declared: by Allah, Allah will never forgive so-and-so. And Allah responded with words that should make every one of us tremble at our own confidence: who is this who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so? I have forgiven him, and undone your deeds.
Where this hadith comes from
This is a hadith qudsi: a saying in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) reports the very words of Allah, words outside the Qur'an. He told of a man before us who, seeing another's sin, swore: by Allah, Allah will not forgive So-and-so. And Allah answered: who is this who swears by Me that I will not forgive So-and-so? I have forgiven him, and I have nullified your deeds.
It is narrated by Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) and recorded by Muslim, graded sahih. A related narration in Abu Dawud notes that the one who swore was a devout man whose good works were undone by this single presumption, that he could decide whom Allah's mercy would reach.
The key words
What it means, line by line
The man's words, Allah will not forgive So-and-so, are not the recognising of a sin as a sin; they are a verdict on a soul. To say yata'alla is to swear an oath about what Allah must do, to take His scales into a human hand and close a door He keeps open.
Allah's reply, who is this who swears by Me, exposes the arrogance of it, and then He acts: He forgives the very one who was condemned and nullifies the deeds of the one who condemned him. The lesson sits squarely in creed: to despair of Allah's mercy for another, or to presume to ration it, is a posture the Qur'an ties to disbelief, not to faith.
The verse below is Ya'qub counselling his sons in their grief: never lose hope in the relief (rawh) of Allah. The same warning runs through this hadith. No soul, however lost it looks to us, is beyond the mercy we are forbidden to despair of.
The arrogance of writing someone off
The sin that ruined this man was not a normal one; it was claiming to know what Allah would do, and presuming to close the door of mercy that Allah keeps open. To declare another person unforgivable is to speak in Allah's place, to take His scales into your own hands. The hadith shows how Allah regards this: He forgave the very sinner who was condemned, and cancelled the deeds of the one who condemned him.
Mercy you cannot measure
Behind the warning is a glorious truth: Allah's mercy is so vast that the sinner we are sure is doomed may be nearer to forgiveness than we are. We see a moment; Allah sees the whole life, the secret repentance, the hidden good, the turning of the heart no one witnessed. So never write anyone off, not the worst person you know, not even yourself. The door you imagine is shut may be the one Allah is holding open.
Carry this with you
Never presume to close a door Allah keeps open.
Do not write anyone off.
To call another unforgivable is to speak in Allah's place and seize His scales.
Allah guards His mercy fiercely.
He forgave the condemned sinner and undid the deeds of the one who condemned him.
You see a moment; He sees the life.
The secret repentance and hidden good are known only to Allah. The 'doomed' may be nearest to mercy.
Make du'a, not verdicts.
Release your judgements of others into prayer for them, and leave the reckoning to Allah.
A du'a to carry
رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ وَٱرْحَمْ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
Rabbi-ghfir warham wa Anta khayru r-rahimin
My Lord, forgive and have mercy, and You are the best of the merciful. (Al-Mu'minun 23:118)
A du'a against presumption
A man lost everything not by sinning, but by deciding what Allah would do with someone else's sin. The mercy he tried to close was wider than he ever imagined, and he was the one left outside it.
O Allah, keep us from ever presuming upon Your mercy or despairing of it for ourselves or others. Forgive us, and have mercy on us, for You are the best of the merciful. Ameen.
The hadith qudsi is from sunnah.com: 'Who is this who swears by Me that I will not forgive so-and-so?...' narrated by Jundub (ra), recorded by Muslim, graded sahih. The supporting Qur'an (23:118) is in Uthmani script verified via quran.ai (ar-uthmani-minimal) with the Saheeh International translation. Per the editorial policy this stays with the spiritual meaning (Allah's vast mercy and not judging souls). FOR SCHOLAR REVIEW before publication.