How can the Hadith be reconciled: "Indeed, I know people from my Ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihamah, but Allah will make them scattered dust… [These are] those who, when they are alone with the prohibitions of Allah, violate them," and the Hadith: "All of my Ummah are forgiven except Al-Mujahiroon (those who publicize their sins)"?
Reconciling the two hadiths of Thawban and Abu Hurairah, which appear to contradict each other, can be achieved through several approaches:
1. Not weakening the hadith of Thawban: The narrator, 'Uqbah ibn 'Alqamah, is trustworthy, and the text of the hadith has parallels in the Noble Qur'an, which confirms its authenticity. 2. Difference in the state of those mentioned in the two hadiths: The hadith of Thawban speaks of people who violate the sacred limits of Allah in private with impudence and heedlessness, which may lead them into practical hypocrisy that nullifies their deeds despite their apparent righteousness. As for the hadith of Abu Hurairah, it speaks of a solitary individual who commits a sin and whom Allah conceals, but he exposes himself by openly declaring it. This differs from the violation in Thawban's hadith. 3. Meaning of (they were alone with the sacred limits of Allah): It does not necessarily mean individual solitude; rather, it could refer to their gathering for the purpose of committing sin. The description (they violate) indicates legalization [of the forbidden] and exaggeration in committing the sin, along with indifference to Allah's awareness, in contrast to someone who commits a sin with a broken and remorseful heart.
Thus, the hadith of Thawban does not apply to everyone who sins in secret, but rather to those who do so with boldness, heedlessness, and disdain for the sacred limits of Allah, whereas the hadith of Abu Hurairah deals with exposing sins after Allah has concealed them.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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