Compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
حَدَّثَنَا 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 صلى الله عليه وسلم سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " لَوْلاَ أَنَّكُمْ تُذْنِبُونَ لَخَلَقَ اللَّهُ خَلْقًا يُذْنِبُونَ يَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ " .
I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and I heard Allah's Messenger (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.