Hadith 39: Rulings on Mistakes, Forgetfulness, and Coercion
This lecture explains the 39th Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ regarding how Islamic law treats mistakes, forgetfulness, and coercion. The speaker details the rulings on sin in the Hereafter, worldly liability (daman), and legal punishments. Additionally, it outlines the rule that ignorance and forgetfulness excuse prohibited actions but do not waive mandatory duties.
He (RH) said:
The Thirty-Ninth Hadith
On the authority of Ibn Abbas (RA),
that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Allah has pardoned my Ummah for mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they are forced to do."
A good hadith, narrated by Ibn Majah, Al-Bayhaqi, and others.
Yes, this hadith is a foundational principle of Sharia
regarding certain actions committed by three: the mistaken, the forgetful, and the coerced.
These actions entail rulings, some of which we will mention.
First, regarding sin: it is lifted from all of them—the mistaken, the forgetful, and the coerced.
Because of this hadith, no sin whatsoever is incurred in the Hereafter.
Therefore, the scholars (RH) mentioned that...
The condition of taklif is knowledge of the address.
Thus, the ignorant person is not mukallaf.
Likewise, the forgetful person is not mukallaf, according to the more correct of the two opinions.
Okay, the second issue concerns liability (daman).
The scholars (RH) say that
the coerced, the forgetful, and the ignorant are all liable,
so none of these three descriptions has any effect on liability.
The third issue is punishment in this world.
The scholars say that punishment in this world is waived for the mistaken,
the forgetful, and the coerced, so there is no punishment for them in this world.
As for blood money (diyah), it falls under liability as mentioned.
But he is not subject to retaliation for it.
Therefore, whoever is ignorant of... excuse me, whoever is ignorant of the prohibition of zina,
then he is not subject to the prescribed punishment.
And likewise for the rest of the prescribed punishments.
Except where it is a pure human right, such as qadhf.
The fourth matter: kaffarat (expiations).
The scholars (RH) say that kaffarat are punishments.
Accordingly, whoever makes a mistake, forgets, or is ignorant...
...there is no kaffarah upon him, except what falls under destruction according to some.
such as intercourse during the day of Ramadan; even if forgetful, he is not excused.
There are two well-known views on this issue.
There remains an issue, which is the case of one who omits or commits a prohibition
that has an effect in invalidating the act of worship,
meaning, committing a prohibited invalidator or omitting an obligatory act.
Does the worship become invalid by doing so out of ignorance or mistake?
And is the worship waived due to ignorance of it, or not?
There is a well-known rule among the scholars regarding this.
The scholars (RH) mention...
that ignorance and forgetfulness make what exists as if it does not exist,
and they do not make what does not exist exist.
This is an important rule.
This means that whoever does something invalidating out of ignorance or forgetfulness,
the existence of this invalidating factor is as if non-existent,
so the worship is not invalidated.
Whoever eats forgetfully or out of ignorance,
Allah ﷻ is the One who fed him and gave him drink.
The Hadith: "Whoever eats forgetfully,
Allah ﷻ is the One who fed him and gave him drink."
Whoever does something invalidating in prayer, other than speaking,
his prayer is not invalidated.
But whoever forgets that prayer is obligatory upon him,
or that the time for prayer has started, and so he does not pray...
we say: forgetfulness does not make the non-existent exist,
so you must make it up.
"Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it,
let him pray it when he remembers it, for that is its time."
Yes, it has exceptions, such as speaking,
as some scholars excepted speaking, considering it among matters with a cause,
and scholars have detailed this in its proper place.
Yes, but we summarized it. Yes.