Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2626
جامع الترمذي#2626Da'ifحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ أَبِي السَّفَرِ، - وَاسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ الْكُوفِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ أَصَابَ حَدًّا فَعُجِّلَ عُقُوبَتُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَاللَّهُ أَعْدَلُ مِنْ أَنْ يُثَنِّيَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْعُقُوبَةَ فِي الآخِرَةِ وَمَنْ أَصَابَ حَدًّا فَسَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَفَا عَنْهُ فَاللَّهُ أَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي شَيْءٍ قَدْ عَفَا عَنْهُ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَهَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَهَذَا قَوْلُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ لاَ نَعْلَمُ أَحَدًا كَفَّرَ أَحَدًا بِالزِّنَا أَوِ السَّرِقَةِ وَشُرْبِ الْخَمْرِ .
Narrated Ali bin Abu Talib:that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever is penalized (for a crime) then his punishment has been hastened for him in the world, for Allah is more just than to double the punishment upon His slave in the Hereafter. And whoever does a punishable act and then Allah covers it for him and forgives him, then Allah is more kind than to recount something which He has already forgiven
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 40:21