Hadeeth: Open repentance for open mistakes.

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

`Ataa reported from Mu`aadh bin Jabl that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “(O people!) Keep your duty to Allaah and fear him as much as you can. And remember Allaah عز وجل near every stone and tree (i.e. remember Allaah a lot). And if you committed a sin, follow it up with repentance – a secret (mistake to be repented) secretly; and an open (mistake to be repented) publicly.”

[Reported by Imaam Ahmad in “al-Zuhd” (26) and Tabaraanee in “al-Mu`jam al-Kabeer” (20/159/331). Shaikh al-Albaanee said in al-Saheehah (3320): “the narrators of this narration are reliable, they are the narrators of al-Bukhaaree and Muslim; except for Shareek (one of the narrators) who is weak, and the chain is Mursal (broken) as `Ataa did not meet Mu`aadh.” This Hadeeth also has supporting chain which takes it to the level of “Hasan li ghairihee”, see al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (1475) ]

(عليك بتقوى الله ما استطعت، واذكر الله عز وجل عند كل حجر وشجر. !اذا عملت سيئةً فأحدثْ عندها توبةً؛ السرُّ بالسرِّ، والعلانيةُ بالعلانيةِ).