16.Al-Ḥasan ibn Maḥbūb narrated from Abū Ḥamzah al-Thumālī, from Abū Jaʿfar who said, “Verily Allah, the Almighty, revealed to Dāwūd , ‘Go to My servant Dānyāl and say to him: [My Lord says] you have disobeyed Me yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you. But if you disobey me a fourth time, I will not forgive you.’ So Dāwūd went to him and said, ‘O Dānyāl, I am indeed a messenger of Allah to you; and He says to you: Verily you have disobeyed Me yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you, and you disobeyed Me [again] yet I forgave you. But if you disobey me a fourth time, I will not forgive you.’ So Dānyāl said to him, ‘You have conveyed [the message] O Prophet of Allah!’ Then, when the time of pre-dawn (saḥar) came, Dānyāl whispered to his Lord and said, ‘O Lord, verily Your Prophet, Dāwūd, informed me of Your message that I have disobeyed You and You forgave me, and I disobeyed You [again] yet You forgave me, and I disobeyed You [again] yet You forgave me, and he conveyed to me from You that if I disobey You a fourth time, You will not forgive me. But by Your might and Your majesty, if You do not protect me [from sin], I will surely disobey You, then I will disobey You [again], then I will disobey You [again].’”