Al-Arbaʿin for Doctors

Admitting our mistakes and seeking forgiveness

Hadith 39

Abu Huraira H narrated, I heard Allah’s Apostle say-

ing. By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to
Him in repentance more than seventy times a day. (Bukhari
6307)
In the previous hadith we all decided to repent but the
profession in which we are is very tricky and a little slip here
and there is always going to be there. So we need to turn to
the Lord on a daily basis for forgiveness for our mistakes and
simultaneously make daily resolve not to commit mistakes
again. It is possible that, despite controlling ourselves, a word
of impatience slips from our tongue to a patient which makes
him unhappy; despite extreme precautions a complication
happens in surgery; despite our best efforts we commit a mis-
take in diagnosis, and so on….. then what to do? The best of
the creation namely Prophet Muhammad r teaches us the
treatment for all these mistakes, ask forgiveness from the

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