excerpt from Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani’s book “Ahkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah”:
❖ Question:
Is it authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek forgiveness 70 or 100 times before concluding every gathering? And is it permissible for someone to recite istighfār during the Friday khuṭbah? Please clarify.
❖ Answer:
It is narrated from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما:
“We used to count that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say in a single gathering one hundred times:
‘Rabbi ighfir lī wa tub ʿalayya, innaka anta al-Tawwābu al-Raḥīm’
(O my Lord! Forgive me and accept my repentance. Indeed, You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful).”
📚 Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Witr, Bāb: Regarding Seeking Forgiveness – 1516
📚 Ibn Mājah – 3814
This authentic ḥadīth shows that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would recite this supplication 100 times while sitting in a gathering.
Therefore, we too should frequently make istighfār in our gatherings, so that our sins may be forgiven.
❖ Ruling on Istighfār During the Friday Khuṭbah:
However, reciting istighfār during the Friday khuṭbah is not proven from the Sunnah.
Rather, the listener is required to:
✅ Listen attentively and with full concentration to the sermon.
❌ One who is engaged in personal duʿāʾ or istighfār cannot properly focus on the khuṭbah being delivered by the khaṭīb.
❖ Conclusion:
- ✔ The Prophet ﷺ did seek forgiveness 100 times in one sitting.
- ❌ But during the Friday sermon, silent supplications such as istighfār should be avoided, and the listener must remain attentive to the khutbah.
