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The angel on the left holds up his pen for six hours…

Question

Asalam u alikum islamweb May Allah bless you for your efforts in education this ummah on the principles of Quran and Suunah. There is a hadith in circulation and we wish to know the authencity of it; the hadith says: "The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The angel on the left holds up his pen (refrains from writing down) for six hours after a Muslim commits a sin. If the person regrets it and asks Allah for foriveness, he casts it aside (does not write it down), otherwise he writes it down as one (sayi’ah).” [Mu’jam at-Tabaraani al-Kabeer] Would you please state, whether this hadith is sahih or hasan?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

This Hadeeth has already been reported by At-Tabaraani  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him and it is a sound Hadeeth as stated by Al-Albaani  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him in his book "Silsilat Al-Ahaadeeth As- Saheehah".

This is indeed a great Hadeeth which signifies that Allaah is Most Generous, Most Merciful and Most Forgiving. So, Allaah rewards a good deed with ten times its like, and recompenses an evil deed with only the like thereof. In addition to this, Allaah orders the angel not to hasten to write the evil deed as His Slave may turn to Him in repentance.

Allaah Knows best.

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