We used to refrain from seeking forgiveness for those who committed major sins, until we heard our Prophet ﷺ say, "Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills" [Nisa 4:48], and he said, "I have reserved my intercession for those of my community who committed major sins, for the Day of Resurrection."He said, So we held back from much of what was on our minds, then afterward we spoke and we hoped.
كنا نمسك عن الاستغفار لأهل الكبائر، حتى سمعنا نبينا ﷺ يقول: {إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك به ويغفر ما دون ذلك لمن يشاء} [النساء: ٤٨] وقال: أخرت شفاعتي لأهل الكبائر من أمتي يوم القيامة. قال: فأمسكنا عن كثير مما كان في أنفسنا، ثم نطقنا بعد ورجونا.
It was narrated by Bazzar (5840), Abu Yaala (5813), Ibn Abu Asim in Sunnah (854), and Ibn Adi (825/2), all of them through the hadith of Shayban bin Farroukh bin Abu Shayba, who said, Harb bin Siraj Minqari narrated to us, from Ayub Sakhtiyani, from Nafi, from Ibn Umar, and he related it. The wording given is that of Abu Yaala.Bazzar said, "We do not know of this statement being narrated from Ibn Umar except through this route, and we do not know of anyone narrating it from Ayub except Harb bin Siraj, who is a man from the people of Basra, and there is no harm in him."I say, because of him and because of Shayban bin Farroukh, the chain of transmission is hasan.Haythami said in Majma (10/211), "Bazzar narrated it, and its chain of transmission is good."