Seeking forgiveness

Salaams bros,

I hope everyone is doing well these days. My workload is seriously
building up now that I'm coming closer to my boards in the spring so
please keep me in your prayers and dua, and Inshallah I will get
through them okay. My family is good; my niece Lena is nearly 10
months old and doing great, Alhamdulillah. My older brother Saif
(whom some of you might have met) is also expecting a child, so please
pray for him and his wife that all goes well.

I saw this hadith on an online forum and it took me a couple of reads
to really understand it:

"If you did not commit sins and turn to Allah, seeking His
forgiveness, He would have replaced you with another people who would
sin, ask Allah's forgiveness and He would forgive them."
Sahih Muslim, reported by Aboo Ayyoob al-Ansaaree

I think this hadith has two important messages within it. First of
all, it clearly states that none of us are perfect; no matter how much
good we may do and no matter how much bad we may stay away from, we
are bound to sin at some point. But the more important point of the
hadith is the emphasis on asking for Allah's forgiveness. We should
ALWAYS ask for Allah's forgiveness when we sin and we should ALWAYS
expect to be forgiven if we are sincere in our repentance. It should
be part of our nature to ask for Allah's forgiveness from time to
time.