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; Thou art 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: I have a habit of reciting this supplication at the time of hardship and difficult task or stuck on solving something or I am loss. As soon I make the supplication Allah the One Who answers supplications, He will make it easy and even I will solve it or find solution to my problem with His Power. Please my brothers and sisters in islam, completely put your 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-Forgiven, do not be arrogant to ask Allah to forgive our sins. If committed the sin again and again or multiple time, please come back to Allah and ask His forgiveness, He is our Master and we are His slaves.

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’s forgiveness, Allah is Our creator, the Most Forgiving and Most Merciful, He knows what we hide and reveal.
• When seeking forgiveness, admit to it, be remorseful for committing the sins and promise not to repeat it again, Allah is Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful.
• Ask Allah for forgiveness during your prayers specially in 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 for two rakat, follow the sunnah when you wake up, such as to sit and wipe the effect of the sleep, to remember Allah, to make wudu, prayer, to supplicate to Allah and to ask Allah’s forgiveness. As mentioned in one of the hadith above, on the last third of each night, Allah comes to the lowest heaven and say who will supplicate to Me, so that I may respond to him, who will ask Me so that I may grant him what he asks for, and who will seek forgiveness so that I may forgive him.
• Always remember Allah and repent to Allah, The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to seek forgiveness to Allah multiple times during the day even though his sins were forgiven by Allah.  
• Do good deeds as good deeds wipe away mirror sins (misdeeds).
• Ask Allah to forgive us, our parents, family and the believers. There are duas in the Quran where the prophets (AS) asked forgiveness to Allah not just for themselves but also to their offsprings, parents and the believers as well.

A hadith that encourage us to make dua for brother on his 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 as Allah is Oft-Forgiving
• Increase the provisions of those who repent as His said in his Quran that He will bring rain, increase wealth and children for those who repent.
• Remove distress and increase acceptance of duas
• Not punish those who repent and ask His forgiveness. Allah said in His Holy Book, “And Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness” (8:33)

Sukran JazakAllah Khairan, May Allah accepts our repentance and make us among those who seek His forgiveness all the time. May Allah make ease our affairs, not to make them difficult and have mercy upon us and guide us to the straight path.