Sahih Muslim · Hadith 7139
The Book Pertaining to Repentance and Exhortation to Repentance - كتاب التوبة
حدثنا قتيبة بن سعيد، حدثنا ليث، عن محمد بن قيس، - قاص عمر بن عبد العزيز - عن أبي صرمة، عن أبي أيوب، أنه قال حين حضرته الوفاة كنت كتمت عنكم شيئا سمعته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول " لولا أنكم تذنبون لخلق الله خلقا يذنبون يغفر لهم " .
Abu Sirma reported that when the time of the death of Abu Ayyub Ansari drew near, he said: I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as sayirig: Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them.
Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).