What is mentioned on seeking forgiveness

Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The chief of the prayers for forgiveness is that the servant says: 'O Allah, You are my Lord and I am Your servant. There is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant. I have entered the morning upon Your promise and Your covenant as far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favours upon me, and I also acknowledge my sins before You, so forgive me. Indeed, none but You can forgive sins.'" Bukhari 6306. Ahmad 122.

Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Shall I not guide you to the chief of the prayers for forgiveness? Say these words: 'O Allah, You alone are my God. There is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant. I fulfil Your promise and Your covenant to the extent of my strength. I seek refuge in You from the evil of the deeds I have done. I acknowledge Your favours upon me, and I acknowledge my sins before You, so forgive me, for indeed none but You can forgive sins.' There is no servant who says these words in the day and his appointed time comes to him before evening, or says them in the evening and death comes before morning, except that he will be among the people of Paradise."

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the sharpness and foulness of my tongue, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Where is your seeking of forgiveness? (Why do you not seek forgiveness?) Indeed, I seek forgiveness from Allah a hundred times every day."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, I repent and seek forgiveness a hundred times in the day."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: We would count these words spoken by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in one gathering, and they would come to a hundred times: "My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance. Indeed, You alone are the Accepter of repentance, the Forgiving."

Abu Burdah said: I heard Sayyiduna al-Agharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who was one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrating to Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Repent to your Lord, for indeed I repent a hundred times in the day."

The father of Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came while we were sitting, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have never entered a morning without seeking forgiveness a hundred times in it."

Abdullah bin Shaqiq said that Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say: "Glad tidings for the one in whose record of deeds some portion of seeking forgiveness is found."

Abu al-Siddiq al-Naji said that Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever recites these words of seeking forgiveness five times: 'I seek forgiveness of my sins from Allah, besides whom there is no god, the Living, the Sustainer, and to Him I repent,' he is forgiven, even if they are equal to the foam of the sea."

Abu Burdah said: I sat with an elder from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque of Kufah, and he said: I heard, or he said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O people, repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness, for indeed I repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness a hundred times in the day." Abu Burdah said: I recited twice: "O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness." That Companion said: "This is exactly what I am urging you to do."

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever recites these words of seeking forgiveness three times: 'I seek forgiveness from Allah, besides whom there is no god, the Living, the Sustainer of all, and to Him I repent of my sins,' that person is forgiven, even if he has fled from the battlefield."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever recites these words of seeking forgiveness three times: 'I seek forgiveness from Allah, besides whom there is no god, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all, and to Him I repent of my sins,' that person's sins are forgiven, even if he has fled from the battlefield."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever recites these words: 'Allah is free of all imperfections, the Most Great, and with His praise,' a date palm is planted for that person in Paradise because of this phrase."