Seeking The Forgiveness Of Allah

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala said:

“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.” (71: 10-12)

“And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (4:110)

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِر لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

“O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship but You. You created me and I am your slave. I keep Your covenant, and my pledge to You so far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I admit to Your blessings upon me, and I admit to my misdeeds. Forgive me, for there is none who may forgive sins but You.”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said this is the “most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah”

Moreover, “Whoever recites this with conviction in the evening and dies during that night shall enter Paradise, and whoever recites it with conviction in the morning and dies during that day shall enter Paradise.” (Bukhari)

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ

“I seek the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him.” (100 times during the day.)

Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)  saying. “By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” (Bukhari)

It was narrated in Muslim that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: “O people, seek repentance from Allah. Verily, I seek repentance from Him a hundred times a day.” (Muslim)

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?” (Bukhari)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: We counted that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would say a hundred times during a meeting:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَتُبْ عَلَىَّ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

“My Lord! Forgive me and pardon me; You are the Pardoning and forgiving One” (Sunan Abi Dawud)

 رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي، رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي

“My Lord! Forgive me. My Lord! Forgive me.”

It was narrated from Hudhaifah that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say between the two prostrations: “Rabbighfir li, Rabbighfir li (O Lord forgive me, O Lord forgive me).” (Sunan Ibn Majah)

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرِ لِي، وَارْحَمْنِي، وَاهْدِنِي، وَعَافِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي

“O Allah forgive me, and have mercy on me and guide me and give me good health and provide for me”

Abu Malik Ashaja'i reported on the authority of his father that whenever a person embraced Islam, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) instructed him to recite: “O Allah, grant me pardon, have mercy upon me, direct me to the path of righteousness and provide me sustenance.” (Muslim) 

لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

“None has the right to worshipped but You, Glorified are You! Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers.” (21:87

“We answered his call and delivered him from his distress. And We do deliver the believers.” (21:88)

“No Muslim ever prays to his Lord with these words for anything, but He will answer his prayer.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Note: During times of hardship, difficult tasks, or when I feel lost, I find solace in reciting this supplication.  As soon as I turn to Allah, the One Who answers prayers, He makes things easier. With His Power, I find solutions and overcome obstacles. My brothers and sisters in Islam, let us place our complete trust in Allah. He is our Creator and our Master.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

“O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so, forgive me”

Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked: “O Messenger of Allah! If I realize Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Decree), what should I supplicate in it?" He (ﷺ) replied, "You should supplicate: Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun, tuhibbul-'afwa, fa'fu 'anni (O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so, forgive me).” (At-Tirmidhi)

Note: Allah is Oft-Forgiving. Do not hesitate to ask Allah for forgiveness of your sins. Even if you repeat a sin, or commit it multiple times, return to Allah and seek His forgiveness. He is our Master, and we are His servants.

Abu Ayyub Ansari reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: “If you were not to commit sins, Allah would have swept you out of existence and would have replaced you by another people who have committed sin, and then asked forgiveness from Allah, and He would have granted them pardon.” (Muslim)

• When seeking forgiveness, sincerely ask Allah for His forgiveness. Allah is our Creator, the Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. He knows our secrets and our actions, both hidden and revealed.
• When seeking forgiveness, acknowledge your wrongdoing, feel genuine remorse for your sins, and commit to not repeating them. Allah is Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
• Ask Allah for forgiveness during your prayers, especially during prostrations. It was narrated in Muslim by Abu Huraira: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The nearest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication (in this state)."
• Wake up at night for Tahajjud prayer, even if it is just for two rakats. Follow the Sunnah when you awaken, such as sitting up, wiping away the effects of sleep, remembering Allah, performing wudu, praying, supplicating to Allah, and asking for His forgiveness. As mentioned in one of the hadiths above, during the last third of each night, Allah descends to the lowest heaven and calls out, "Who will supplicate to Me, so that I may respond to him? Who will ask Me, so that I may grant him what he seeks? And who will seek forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?"
• Remember Allah constantly and seek His forgiveness. Even the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), whose sins were already forgiven by Allah, sought forgiveness multiple times throughout the day. This emphasizes the importance of continuous repentance and seeking Allah's mercy.
• Performing good deeds can away mirror sins (misdeeds). 
• We should ask Allah to forgive us, our parents, our families, and all believers. The Quran contains duas in which the prophets (AS) sought Allah's forgiveness not only for themselves but also for their offspring, parents, and fellow believers.

The following hadith encourages us to make supplication (dua) for our brothers in Their absence.

Abu Al-Darda' said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “When a Muslim supplicates for his absent brother the angels say: Amin, and may you receive the like.” (Abi Dawud)

When seek Allah’s forgiveness, Allah may:

• Forgive the person sins, for Allah is Oft-Forgiving
• Increase the provision of those who repent, as He said in His Quran that He will bring rain, increase wealth, and children for those who repent.
• Remove distress and increase our supplications to be answered by Allah.
• Not punish those who repent and ask His forgiveness “And Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness” (8:33)

Shukran Jazaak Allahu Khairan. May Allah accept our repentance and make us among those who constantly seek His forgiveness. May Allah ease our affairs, not make them difficult, and have mercy upon us and guide us to the straight path.