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How can a hypocrite be forgiven when it

Q:

Does Allah SWT forgive a hypocrite?
I read a hadith in ayatullah dastghaib shirazi’s book ma’ad (the hereafter) in which it is written that a hypocrite worshipper of Bani Israel was forgiven by Allah SWT during the time of prophet Dawood when forty believers who didn’t knew of the hypocrisy of the worshipper gave testimony that the worshipper was a faithful believer. The hadith is narrated by imam Jafar Sadiq a.s.
How can a hypocrite be forgiven when it’s written in the Qur’an that the hypocrites will reside in the lowest grade of hell?
Is this hadith reliable?if yes then please explain it

A:

 

As-salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

thanks for your question

According to This story there was a virtuous man in Bani Israel, regarding whom it was revealed to Prophet Dawood (A.S.) that he was a hypocrite (riyakar) When he died, Hazrat Dawood refrained from attending his funeral But forty other people attended his funeral and said:

اللهم انا لا نعلم منه الا خيرا وانت اعلم به منا فاغفر له

Then another forty came and repeated the same while doing his ghusl, then another forty came and repeated the same when putting him is his grave, for they were not aware of the hidden reality. Allah then revealed to Dawood (A.S.) and asked him as to why did he not attend his funeral? Hazrat Dawood answered, “O Lord! You said that the man was a hypocrite, and so I avoided his funeral”. Allah said, “Verily it was true, but because forty persons bore witness to his goodness I forgave his sins”.

Based on this story on jews religion if a group of people (120 in general) participate in someone funeral and testify for his goodness Allah swt will forgive him. this could be a ruling for jews and not Islam so what Allah swt is saying in Quran about the punishment of hypocrites is on Islam while this story is in the religion of prophet Musa.

it could be a ruling for jews and not Islam so what Allah swt is saying in Quran about the punishment of hypocrites is on Islam while this story is in the religion of prophet Musa.

Also if we can accept such thing in Islam because we have a similar thing in our traditions, in such case it doesn’t mean that hadith contradicts Quran but it could be categorized as a subject of shifaat, so this person is going to go to the lowest grade of hellfire because of his hypocrisy but Allah swt shows him mercy because of the testimony of these believers as we have in a hadith from Imam sadiq a.s in Al-khisal by Shaykh al-Saduq

“when a Mu’min (believer) dies and 40 believers testify on his body and say ‘اللهم انا لا نعلم منه الا خيرا وانت اعلم به منا ‘ Allah swt says ‘I accepted your testimony about him and forgave him (from whatever you know and don’t)’ “. There are differences in this hadith and Bani israel story for example In this hadith the ruling and forgiveness is for believer not everyone.

 

 regards

Sheikh Mahdi Mosayyebi