Mercy greater than sins

The words of Imam ash-Shaafi'ee before his death:

"In you, the Creator, I raise my longing,
And even if I am, O possessor of kindness and generosity,
an evildoer, a criminal,
When my heart became constricted and my paths
became narrow,
I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an
opening and an escape,
My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared
them to Your forgiveness,
I found your forgiveness to be greater,
You are and still remain the only One who can
forgive sins,
You grant and forgive out of Your benevolence and
gererosity, Perhaps the One who is the source of all goodness will
forgive and overlook my mistakes,
And will hide the sins and burden I accumulated,
My sins seemed very great to me, so I turned (to you)
in humility,
Were it not for my contentment in you,
I wouldn't O my Lord, have seen any comfort at all,
So if You forgive me, You would have forgiven a sinner,
A rebellious, oppressive tyrant still sinning,
So my crime is very great, past and present,
But Your forgiveness that embraces Your servant is
greater and higher,
So whomsoever holds fast to Allaah is truly saved from mankind,
And whomsoever's hopes are in Him, will be far removed
from any regrets" *


* Diwaan ash-Shaafi'ee [Narrated by al-Muzni who is Aboo Ibraaheem Ishmaa'eel ibn Yahya]