Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
tabarani:3991Muṭṭalib b. Shuʿayb al-Azdī > ʿAbdullāh b. Ṣāliḥ > al-Layth > Muḥammad b. Qays Qāṣ ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz > Muḥammad b. Kaʿb al-Quraẓī > Abū Ṣirmah > Abū Ayyūb

[Machine] I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, "If it were not for the fact that you commit sins, Allah would have created a creation that commits sins and He would forgive them."  

الطبراني:٣٩٩١حَدَّثَنَا مُطَّلِبُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ الْأَزْدِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ صَالِحٍ حَدَّثَنِي اللَّيْثُ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ قَاصُّ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «لَوْلَا أَنَّكُمْ تُذْنِبُونَ لَخَلَقَ اللهُ خَلْقًا يُذْنِبُونَ يَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Muslim, Aḥmad, Ṭabarānī, Suyūṭī
muslim:2748aQutaybah b. Saʿīd > Layth > Muḥammad b. Qays Qāṣ ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz > Abū Ṣirmah > Abū Ayyūb

I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them.  

مسلم:٢٧٤٨aحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ قَاصِّ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ

أَنَّهُ قَالَ حِينَ حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ كُنْتُ كَتَمْتُ عَنْكُمْ شَيْئًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَوْلاَ أَنَّكُمْ تُذْنِبُونَ لَخَلَقَ اللَّهُ خَلْقًا يُذْنِبُونَ يَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ  

ahmad:23515Isḥāq b. ʿĪsá > Layth > Muḥammad b. Qays Qāṣ ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz > Abū Ṣirmahaʿan Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī

I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them. (Using translation from Muslim 2748a)   

أحمد:٢٣٥١٥حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ عِيسَى حَدَّثَنِي لَيْثٌ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ قَاصُّ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ عَنْ أَبِي صِرْمَةَعَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ

أَنَّهُ قَالَ حِينَ حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ قَدْ كُنْتُ كَتَمْتُ عَنْكُمْ شَيْئًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَوْلَا أَنَّكُمْ تُذْنِبُونَ لَخَلَقَ اللهُ قَوْمًا يُذْنِبُونَ فَيَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ  

tabarani:3992Muṣʿab b. Ibrāhīm b. Ḥamzah al-Zubayrī from my father > ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Muḥammad > ʿUmar a freed slave of Ghufrah > Muḥammad b. Kaʿb al-Quraẓī > Abū Ayyūb

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "If you did not sin, Allah would have replaced you with people who would sin and He would forgive them."  

الطبراني:٣٩٩٢حَدَّثَنَا مُصْعَبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ حَمْزَةَ الزُّبَيْرِيُّ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ مَوْلَى غُفْرَةَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي أَيُّوبَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «لَوْ لَمْ تُذْنِبُوا لَجَاءَ اللهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُذْنِبُونَ وَيَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ»