Seeking forgiveness

(astaghfar)
Its benefits in the light of Quran and Sunnah

By Mohammed Anis khan

 Astaghfar or Seeking Forgiveness
By Mohammed Anis Khan

Allah has created us weak and we are likely to fall in mistakes. Allah has give permission to
shaytan to lead us astray but at the same time Allah has given us a tool that overcomes all the
efforts of shaytan. This is the tool of seeking forgiveness or astaghfar. Shaytan has to do too
many efforts to lead us astray for some sins and if we sincerely repent our sins and seek
forgiveness, Allah can forgive all the sins and purify us.

[But,] Joseph, let this pass! And thou, [O wife,] ask forgiveness for thy sin-for, verily, thou hast been
greatly at fault!"

(Yusuf 12:29)

There is no sin big enough that cannot be forgiven:

In the following hadith Allah says that even if the sins of a believer pile up to the sky, Allah can
still forgive him or her:

Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "Allah,
the Exalted, has said: `O son of Adam! I shall go on forgiving you so long as you pray to Me and
aspire for My forgiveness whatever may be your sins. O son of Adam! I do not care even if your sins
should pile up to the sky and should you beg pardon of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! If
you come to Me with an earthful of sins and meet Me, not associating anything with Me in worship,
I will certainly grant you as much pardon as will fill the earth.'''[At-Tirmidhi].

Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He who
says: `Astaghfir ullah-alladhi la ilaha illa Huwal-Haiyul-Qayyumu, wa atubu ilaihi (I seek the
forgiveness of Allah, there is no true god except Allah, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, and I
turn to Him in repentance),' his sins will be forgiven even if he should have run away from the
battlefield (while he was engaged in fighting for the Cause of Allah).''[Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and
Al-Hakim (on conditions of Al-Bukhari and Muslim for accepting Hadith)].

In the following verse Allah says that He is full of forgiveness despite the weakness and
evildoing of human beings.

And [since, O Prophet, they are bent on denying the truth,] they challenge thee to hasten the
coming upon them of evil instead of [hoping for] good although [they ought to know that] the
exemplary punishments [which they now deride] have indeed come to pass before their time. Now,
behold, thy Sustainer is full of forgiveness unto men despite all their evildoing: but, behold, thy
Sustainer is [also] truly severe in retribution!

(Ar-Ra'd 13:6)

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This means that if any of our sin violates the rights of other slaves, we have to undergo the
procedure of law but if we seek sincere repentance and resolve never to repeat that sin, Allah
will forgive us and we will not be punished again for it in the Hereafter.

It is human tendency to sin and it is Allah’s grace to forgive:

No man or woman can claim to be 100% pure. We are likely to make small or big sins from time
to time. We might be doing small sins that we are not even aware of, for example we have lots of
intellect, knowledge and wealth which we are not using in the way of Allah. Allah made us
accountable for all the favours that He bestowed upon us. How many non-Muslims we come
across in life and we do not pass on the message of Quran. Thus, we should seek forgiveness and
try to please Him more and more.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "By the
One in Whose Hand my soul is! If you do not commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people
who would commit sins and seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah will certainly forgive
them.''[Muslim].

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most constant in saying astaghfar:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say astaghfar more than 100 times a day. We do not
have any mention of any dhikr to be recited more than 100 times a day and thus astaghfar is the
most important dhikr which has no upper limit. No matter how many times we say it, it is still
less.

Al-Agharr Al-Muzani (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,
"Sometimes I perceive a veil over my heart, and I supplicate Allah for forgiveness a hundred times
in a day.''[Muslim].

Astaghfar is the answer to any anxiety or distress:

We learn from the following hadith that Allah takes away distress and anxiety of a slave who
seeks forgiveness constantly.

Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "If anyone
constantly seeks pardon (from Allah), Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress and a
relief from every anxiety, and will provide sustenance for him from where he expects not.'' [Abu
Dawud].

Allah says in Quran:

hence, remain thou patient in adversity - for, verily, God’s promise always comes true - and ask
forgiveness for thy sins, and extol thy Sustainer’s glory and praise by night and by day.

(Ghafir 40:7-55)

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Astagfaar (seeking forgiveness) and mercy from Allah:

In the following verses of Quran Allah has mentioned ashtaghfar (seeking forgiveness) and
mercy together:

Said [Noah]: "O my Sustainer! Verily, I seek refuge with Thee from [ever again] asking of Thee
anything whereof I cannot have any knowledge! For unless Thou grant me forgiveness and bestow
Thy mercy upon me, I shall be among the lost!"

(Hud 11:47)

God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: in his favour shall be
whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil he does. O our Sustainer! Take us not to task
if we forget or unwittingly do wrong! "O our Sustainer! Lay not upon us a burden such as Thou
didst lay upon those who lived before us! O our Sustainer! Make us not bear burdens which we
have no strength to bear! "And efface Thou our sins, and grant us forgiveness, and bestow Thy
mercy upon us! Thou art our Lord Supreme: succour us, then, against people who deny the truth!"

(Al-Baqara 2:286)

The two replied: "O our Sustainer! We have sinned against ourselves -and unless Thou grant us
forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost!"

Said [Moses]: "O my Sustainer! Grant Thou forgiveness unto me and my brother, and admit us unto
Thy grace: for Thou art the most merciful of the merciful!"

And Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come [and pray for forgiveness] at a time set by
Us. Then, when violent trembling seized them, he prayed: "O my Sustainer! Hadst Thou so willed,
Thou wouldst have destroyed them ere this, and me [with them]. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the
weak-minded among us have done? (All] this is but a trial from Thee, whereby Thou allowest to go
astray whom Thou willest, and guidest aright whom Thou willest. Thou art near unto us: grant us,
then, forgiveness and have mercy on us - for Thou art the best of all forgivers!

(Al-A'raf 7:23, 151, 155)

Hence, [O believer,] say: “O my Sustainer! Grant [me] forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy [upon
me]: for Thou art the truest bestower of mercy!”

(Al-Mu'minun 23:118)

[And] he prayed: O my Sustainer! Verily, I have sinned against myself! Grant me, then, Thy
forgiveness!” And He forgave him - for, verily, He alone is truly forgiving, a dispenser of grace.

(Al-Qasas - 28:16)

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And yet, behold, thy Sustainer [grants His forgiveness] unto those who forsake the domain of evil
after having succumbed to its temptation, and who thenceforth strive hard [in God's cause] and are
patient in adversity: behold, after such [repentance] thy Sustainer is indeed much-forgiving, a
dispenser of grace!

(An-Nahl 16:110)

Astagfaar (seeking forgiveness)- a duaa for rizq, strength, and favours from Allah:

In the following verse Allah reminds us that it is shaytan who makes us fear loss of wealth and
threatens us with poverty. But, Allah promises His forgiveness, grace and favours.

Satan threatens you with the prospect of poverty and bids you to be niggardly, whereas God
promises you His forgiveness and bounty; and God is infinite, all-knowing,

(Al-Baqarah 2.268)

We learn from the following verses that astaghfar is also duaa for seeking strength and wealth.
In this verse ‘rain in abundance’ is understood to be ‘rizk in abundance’ because rain has been
the primary source of rizk for human beings in all times.

"I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;'He will send rain to
you in abundance, 'And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and
bestow on you rivers.' "

(Nooh- 71:10-12)

The following verse associates astaghfar with ‘good enjoyment’ and adding more favours:

Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance -
[whereupon] He will grant you a goodly enjoyment of life [in this world] until a term set [by Him is
fulfilled]; and [in the life to come] He will bestow upon everyone possessed of merit [a full reward
for] his merit. But if you turn away, then, verily, I dread for you the suffering [which is bound to
befall you] on that awesome Day

(Hood- 11:3)

The word translated here for ‘merit’ is actually ‘fadhl’ which means ‘favour of Allah’. The same
word is used in 2.268 which is translated as ‘bounties.’ This means whatever favour Allah has
granted to a person, Allah will add more to it, for example some people are naturally good
talkers and others are sharp observers, this verse means that Allah will add to His favours upon
the slaves.

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Astagfaar (seeking forgiveness) and reward of Jannah:

The following hadith tells us a dhikr that has astagfar and if we recite it every day, Allah will
admit us to Jannah.

Shaddad bin Aus (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The best
supplication for seeking forgiveness (Syed-ul-Istighfar) is to say: `Allahumma Anta Rabbi, la ilaha
illa Anta, khalaqtani wa ana `abduka, wa ana `ala `ahdika wa wa`dika mastata`tu, a`udhu bika
min sharri ma sana`tu, abu'u laka bini`matika `alayya, wa abu'u bidhanbi faghfir li, fa innahu la
yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa Anta. (O Allah! You are my Rubb. There is no true god except You. You
have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in
You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me,
and I confess my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon).' He who supplicates
in these terms during the day with firm belief in it and dies on the same day (before the evening),
he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah; and if anyone supplicates in these terms during the night
with firm belief in it and dies before the morning, he will be one of the dwellers of Jannah.''

Al-Bukhari].

In the following verses of Quran Allah has mentioned ashtaghfar (seeking forgiveness) and the
reward of Jannah sometimes mentioned as ‘a great reward.’

And [know that] those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds shall be granted forgiveness of
sins and a most excellent sustenance;

(Al-Hajj 22:50)

[In the nature of things,] corrupt women are for corrupt men, and corrupt men, for corrupt
women - just as good women are for good men, and good men, for good women. [Since God is
aware that] these are innocent of all that evil tongues may impute to them, forgiveness of sins shall
be theirs, and a most excellent sustenance!

(Al-Nour24:26)

VERILY, for all men and women who have sur-rendered themselves unto God, and all believing men
and believing women, and all truly devout men and truly devout women, and all men and women
who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in adversity, and all men and
women who humble themselves [before God], and all men and women who give in charity, and all
self-denying men and self-denying women, and all men and women who are mindful of their
chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for [all of] them has God readied
forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward.

(Al-Ahzab 33:35)

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to the end that He may reward those who believe and do right-eous deeds: [for] it is they whom
forgiveness of sins awaits, and a most excellent sustenance

(Saba' 34:4)

[seeing that] for those who are bent on denying the truth there is suffering severe in store, just as
for those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds there is forgiveness of sins, and a great
reward.

(Fatir 35:7)

[And can] the parable of the paradise which the God-conscious are promised [a paradise] wherein
there are rivers of water which time does not corrupt, and rivers of milk the taste whereof never
alters, and rivers of wine delightful to those who drink it, and rivers of honey of all impurity
cleansed, and the enjoyment of all the fruits [of their good deeds] and of forgiveness from their
Sustainer -: can this [parable of paradise] be likened unto [the parable of the recompense of] such
as are to abide in the fire and be given waters of burning despair to drink, so that it will tear their
bowels asunder?

(Muhammad 47:15)

MUHAMMAD is God’s Apostle; and those who are [truly] with him are firm and unyielding towards
all deniers of the truth, [yet] full of mercy towards one another. Thou canst see them bowing
down, pros-trating themselves [in prayer], seeking favour with God and [His] goodly acceptance:
their marks are on their faces, traced by prostration. This is their parable in the Torah as well as
their parable in the Gospel: [they are] like a seed that brings forth its shoot, and then He
strengthens it, so that it grows stout, and [in the end] stands firm upon its stem, delighting the
sowers. [Thus will God cause the believers to grow in strength,] so that through them He might
confound the deniers of the truth. [But] unto such of them as may [yet] attain to faith and do
righteous deeds, God has promised forgiveness and a reward supreme.

(Al-Fath 48:29)

[As against this,] behold, for those who stand in awe of God although He is beyond the reach of
their perception, there is forgiveness in store and a great reward.

(Al-Mulk 67:12)

Astagfaar (seeking forgiveness) and guidance of Allah:

so that God might show His forgiveness of all thy faults, past as well as future, and [thus] bestow
upon thee the full measure of His blessings, and guide thee on a straight way,

(Al-Fath 48:2)

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Seeking forgiveness for parents and other Muslims:

Allah gives special status to parents for all the hardship they go through to bring up their
children. The only relation specifically mentioned for ‘astaghfar’ is parents. Allah has mentioned
two duaa for seeking astaghfar for parents. These two duaa are mentioned at the end of the
document with transliteration. One more duaa is indirectly seeking forgiveness for parents
which is mentioned in 60:4.

The following verses mention seeking astaghfar for parents:

Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents, and all the believers, on the Day on which the
[last] reckoning will come to pass!"

(Ibrahim 14:41)

Indeed, you have had a good example in Abraham and those who followed him, when they said
unto their [idolatrous] people: "Verily, we are quit of you and of all that you worship instead of
God: we deny the truth of whatever you believe; and between us and you there has arisen enmity
and hatred, to last until such a time as you come to believe in the One God!" The only exception
was Abraham's saying to his father "I shall indeed pray for [God's] forgiveness for thee, although
I have it not in my power to obtain anything from God in thy behalf." [And Abraham and his
followers prayed:] "O our Sustainer! In Thee have we placed our trust, and unto Thee do we turn:
for unto Thee is all journeys' end.

(Al-Mumtahinah 60:4)

"O my Sustainer! Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto my parents, and unto everyone who
enters my house as a believer, and unto all believing men and believing women [of later times]; and
grant Thou that the doers of evil shall increasingly meet with destruction!"' [18]

(Nuh71:28)

Opposite of seeking forgiveness is arrogance:

We learn from the following verse that if a Muslim dislikes seeking forgiveness, it is actually
arrogance on his part. He thinks himself to be immune from weakness or punishment of Allah:

And behold, whenever I called unto them with a view to Thy granting them forgiveness, they put
their fingers into their ears, and wrapped themselves up in their garments [of sin]; and grew
obstinate, and became [yet more] arrogant in their false pride.

(Nuh 71:7)

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Astagfaar (seeking forgiveness) on the top of all worship:

In the following verse Allah mentions various forms of worships by the Prophet (peace be upon
him) and in the end mentions ‘forgiveness’ as a reward. This is not to say that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) was sinful, Allah had made him sinless, but he was an example for us and
we learn from this verse that no matter how much ibadah we do, we still need forgiveness from
Allah.

BEHOLD, [O Prophet,] thy Sustainer knows that thou keepest awake [in prayer] nearly two-thirds
of the night, or one-half of it, or a third of it, together with some of those who follow thee. And God
who determines the measure of night and day, is aware that you would never grudge it: and
therefore He turns towards you in His grace. Recite, then, as much of the Qur’an as you may do
with ease. He knows that in time there will be among you sick people, and others who will go about
the land in search of God's bounty, and others who will fight in God’s cause. Recite, then, [only] as
much of it as you may do with ease, and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity, and [thus]
lend unto God a goodly loan: for whatever good deed you may offer up in your own behalf, you
shall truly find it with God - yea, better, and richer in reward. And [always] seek God's forgiveness:
behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

(Al-Muzzammil 73:20)

Forgiveness and commitment not to repeat sins:

When we seek forgiveness for any sins, we should make a resolve of not to repeat the sin. This
resolve should be sincere and heartfelt because Allah knows what we have in our hearts:

Thou canst [truly] warn only him who is willing to take the reminder to heart, and who stands in
awe of the Most Gracious although He is beyond the reach of human perception: unto such, then,
give the glad tiding of [God’s] forgiveness and of a most excellent reward!

(Ya-Sin 36:11)

Competing to seek forgiveness from Allah:

As I started by saying in this article, we cannot ever have say enough ‘astaghfar’. Because it is a
duaa for forgiveness, mercy, children, rizq, strength, favours, guidance and great reward of
Jannah we should always strive to say more and more astaghfar.

[Hence,] vie with one another in seeking to attain to your Sustainer’s forgiveness, and [thus] to a
paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for those who have attained
to faith in God and His Apostle: such is the bounty of God which He grants unto whomever He wills
- for God is limitless in His great bounty.

(Al-Hadid 57:21)

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The easiest way to seek forgiveness is to say ‘astaghfirullah’:

Astaghfar is part of many adhkaar of morning and evening, and also part of many Quranic dua.
But if a Muslim cannot remember all these adhkar he or she can at least say ‘astaghfirullah’ and
this will be sufficient as well. Allah has made seeking forgiveness so easy for us.

Thauban (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)
finished his Salat (prayer), he would beg forgiveness three times [by saying, `Astaghfirullah' (3
times)] and then he would say: "Allahumma Antas-Salamu, wa minkas-Salamu, tabarakta ya Dhal-
Jalali wal-Ikram. (O Allah! You are the Bestower of security and security comes from You; Blessed
are You. O Possessor of glory and honour).'' Imam Al-Auza`i (one of the subnarrators) of this
Hadith was asked: "How forgiveness should be sought?'' He replied: "I say: Astaghfirullah,
Astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah. I seek forgiveness from Allah).''[Muslim].

Quranic dua for forgiveness for oneself, parents and other Muslims:

As mentioned earlier, astaghfar is also part of Quranic duaa for parents. If we recite this we are
fulfilling commands of Allah because this is what He guided to His Prophets (peace be upon
him). Besides, we earn the reward of 10 good deeds with each letter of Quranic duaa which we
recite. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that recitation of each letter from Quran has 10
rewards and Alif has 10 rewards, Laam has ten rewards and meem has ten rewards. This means
10 good deeds are for each letter, not for each word. Imagine if we repeat these verses 100
times how many rewards we are going to earn and we are going to ensure Jannah for ourselves
and our parents.

Our Sustainer, Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents, and all the believers, on the Day on
which the [last] reckoning will come to pass!"

Rabbana ighfir lee waliwalidayya walilmumineena yawma yaqoomu alhisabu

(Ibrahim14:41)

"O my Sustainer! Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto my parents, and unto everyone who
enters my house as a believer, and unto all believing men and believing women [of later times]; and
grant Thou that the doers of evil shall increasingly meet with destruction!"'

Rabbi ighfir lee waliwalidayya waliman dakhala baytiya muminan walilmumineena

waalmuminati wala tazidi alththalimeena illa tabaran

(Nuh 71:28)

The translation referred here is by M. Asad.

For more writings you can visit my blog: http://beliefinunseen.blogspot.com/

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