To what extent is the hadith "Whoever cleaves to seeking forgiveness, Allah will make for him a way out of every difficulty, and a relief from every worry, and will provide for him from whence he does not reckon" authentic, considering that some scholars of hadith have deemed its chain of narration weak, while Imam Abu Dawud classified it in his Sunan as a sound hadith, and is it advisable to include it in a book comprising authentic and good hadiths?

The hadith is weak, and many scholars, ancient and contemporary, have deemed it weak because its pivot is al-Hakam ibn Mus'ab, who is unknown. It can be dispensed with, given the established texts on the virtues of seeking forgiveness. Ibn Dawud's silence is not to be preferred over the explicit declarations of those who stated its weakness. Attributing authenticity or goodness to the chain of narration generally implies the authenticity or goodness of the hadith, but the statements of al-Haythami and al-Mundhiri, "Its narrators are trustworthy," are not sufficient to rule a hadith authentic. Rather, it is necessary to ensure the continuity of the chain and its freedom from defects and anomalies.