Some people, when given advice, argue with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “If you had not sinned, Allah would have brought forth a people who would sin…”

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. Some people, when given advice, argue with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “If you had not sinned, Allah would have brought forth a people who would sin,” and they seek forgiveness from Allah, and Allah forgives them.

Answer:
Does this mean they draw near to Allah through sins? This is a reversed understanding, and may Allah protect us from that. One does not draw near to Allah through sins. The intended meaning of the hadith is that one hastens to repent. If Satan and the soul that commands evil overcome him and he falls into sin, he hastens to repent. As for committing a sin and saying, “I refuse to repent in order to draw near to Allah, because Allah loves this,” that is a reversed understanding, and may Allah protect us from that. Yes.