Seeking forgiveness and repentance
الاستغفار و التوبة
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَسْتَغفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةٍ.
Par Allah, je fais lePar Allah, je fais le
The Messenger of Allah said: ‘By Allah, I seek forgiveness and repent to Allah, more than seventy times a day.
Reference and virtue
- Al-Bukhari, cf. Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari 11/101.
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَإِنِّي أَتُوبُ فِي الْيَوْمِ إِلَيْهِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ.
He also said: ‘O People, Repent! Verily I repent to Allah, a hundred times a day.
Reference and virtue
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: مَنْ قَالَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْعَظيمَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ القَيّوُمُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيهِ، غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ فَرَّ مِنَ الزَّحْفِ.
Astaghfiru l-lāha l-ʿaẓīma l-ladhī lā ilāha illā huwa l-ḥayyu l-qayyūm, wa atūbu ilayh
Quiconque dit:Astaghfiru l-laha l-‘azima l-ladhi la ilaha illa huwa l-hayyu l-qayyum, wa atubu ilayh
Quiconque dit:
He also said: ‘Whoever says:(I seek Allah’s forgiveness, besides whom, none has the right to be worshipped except He, The Ever Living, The Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, and I turn to Him in repentance.) Allah would forgive him even if he was one who fled during the advance of an army.
Reference and virtue
- Abu Dawud 2/85, At-Tirmidhi 5/569, and Al-Hakim who declared it authentic and Ath-Thahabi agreed with him 1/511. Al-Albani graded it authentic in Sahih At-Tirmidhi 3/182. See also Jami'ul-'Usool li-'Ahdaith Ar-Rasool 4/ 389-90 checked by Al-Arna'ut.
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الرَّبُّ مِنَ الْعَبْدِ فِي جَوْفِ اللَّيْلِ الآخِرِ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَكُونَ مِمَّنْ يَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ فِي تِلْكَ السَّاعَةِ فَكُنْ.
He said: ‘The nearest the Lord comes to His servant is in the middle of the night, so if you are able to be of those who remember Allah at that time, then be so.
Reference and virtue
- At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i 1/279 and Al-Hakim. See also Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmidhi 3/183, and Jdmi'ul-'Usool with Al-Arna'ut's checking 4/144.
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ.
He also said: ‘The nearest a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so supplicate much therein.
Reference and virtue
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّهُ لَيُغَانُ عَلَى قَلْبِي وَإِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ.
(He also said: ‘verily my heart becomes preoccupied, and verily I seek Allah’s forgiveness a hundred times a day.)(preoccupied: i.e. in a state of ‘forgetfulness’. The Prophet always used to increase in his remembrance of his Lord, in attaining a nearness to Allah and having consciousness of Allah to the extent that if this intensity lessened in anyway, he would regard it as a sin and would then race to seek forgiveness from Allah.)
Reference and virtue
- Muslim 4/2075. Ibn 'Athir explains that the Prophet (ﷺ) was always vigilant in his remembrance and drawing near to Allah, and if he forgot to do any of what he normally did from time to time, or it slipped his mind, he felt as if he had wronged himself and so he would begin to seek the forgiveness of Allah. See Jami'ul-'Usool 4/386.