Explanation of the Hadith “Whoever Seeks Forgiveness for the Believers…”

Question

Is this hadith sahih? [ar]مَنِ اسْتَغْفَرَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ مَرَّةً أَوْ خَمْسًا وَعِشْرِينَ مَرَّةً أَحَدَ الْعَدَدَيْنِ كَانَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُمْ وَيُرْزَقُ بِهِمْ أَهْلُ الْأَرْضِ[/ar] “Whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and believing women twenty-seven times or twenty-five times each day — one of these two numbers — will be among those whose [supplications] are answered and through whom the people of the earth are provided for.”

Answer

The hadith is cited by al-Tabarani from Abu al-Darda’ ﵁ (“Kanz al-‘Ummal”, 1/20, the second book of the letter hamza, in the section on remembrances within the chapter on sayings). However, this hadith is not found among the Six Sound Books (al-Sihah).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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