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Seeking Forgiveness
Compiled & translated
By
Abbas Abu Yahya[1]
1 – Knowing that Allaah is the One Who forgives
From Ibn Abbas –Radhi Allaahu anhu– said who said that the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– said: that Allaah Azza wa Jal said:
من علم أني ذو قدرة على مغفرة الذنوب غفرت له و لا أبالي ما لم يشرك بي شيئا
‘Whoever knows that I have the capability to forgive sins, then I will forgive him and not care, as long as he did not associate anything with Me.’
[Collected by Tabrani and Albaani declared it to be Hasan in Saheeh al-Jamia no. 4330]
2 – Hundred times a Day
From al Aghra –Radhi Allaahu anhu– who said I heard the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- saying:
يا أيها الناس ! توبوا إلى الله واستغفروه فإني أتوب إلى الله وأستغفره في كل يوم مائة مرة
‘O you people repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness, since indeed I repent to Allaah and I seek His forgiveness a hundred times every day.’
[Collected by Ahmad & Albaani declared it to have a saheeh Isnad in Saheehah no. 1452]
3 – Seeking Forgiveness for Parents
Allaah Tabaraka wa Ta’ala said:
رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۖ
<<My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women. >>
[Nuh: 28]
Allaah Tabaraka wa Ta’ala said:
وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرۡحَمۡهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرٗا ٢٤
<< and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.’ >>
[al-Isra: 24]
From Abu Hurairah – Radi Allaahu anhu – who said that the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said:
إن الرجل لترفع درجته في الجنة فيقول : أنى ( لي ) هذا ؟ فيقال : باستغفار ولدك لك
‘Indeed Allaah raises the grade of a righteous slave of His in Paradise so much that the slave of Allaah says: ‘O My Lord! From where is all this for me? He will say: ‘By your son seeking forgiveness for you.’
[Collected by Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Ibn Abi Shaybah in ‘al-Mussanaf’, Asbahani in ‘Targheeb’, Baghawi in ‘Sharh as-Sunnah’, and by ad-Diyaa & Albaani declared its Isnad as hasan in Saheehah no.1598]
Abul Hasan as-Sindi -Rahimullaah- (d. 1138 A.H.) said in his explanation of ‘Sunnan Ibn Majah’:
‘Therefore it is necessary for the son to seek forgiveness for his parents.’
[From ‘Sunnan Ibn Majah’ No. 3660]
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan was asked:
‘My mother seeks forgiveness and makes Tasbeeh a hundred times a day for her parents daily, what is the ruling of seeking forgiveness for parents after they have passed away?
The Shaykh answered:
‘This is a good thing, seeking forgiveness for parents and the Muslims, a person seeks forgiveness for himself, his parents and the Muslims, this is a matter which is legislated.
رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا
<< My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer>> like Nuh – alayhi as-Salaam- said.
واستغفر لذنبك وللمؤمنين والمؤمنات
<< Seek forgiveness for your sins and the believing men and women. >> Like Allaah said to our Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.
Seeking forgiveness for a person, his parents, his relatives, and his Muslim brothers, the living and the dead, is a matter which is needed, and a person should do this a lot.’
[Taken from: http://www.alfawzan.af.org.sa/node/13605]
4 – Seeking Forgiveness for the Believers
From Ubadah bin as-Samitt –Radhi Allaahu anhu– who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- saying:
من استغفر للمؤمنين و للمؤمنات كتب الله له بكل مؤمن و مؤمنة حسنة
‘Whoever sought forgiveness for believing men and believing women, Allaah writes a good deed for him for every believing man and woman.’
[Collected by Tabrani and Albaani declared it to be Hasan in Saheeh al-Jamia no. 6026]
[1] I seek forgiveness for the translator, his family, his parents, his brothers & sisters and all the Muslims.