Virtues of Istighfar in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith

Virtue of Istighfār: In the Light of Qur’an and Hadith


Taken from: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri

❖ Question:​

What is the virtue of Istighfār (seeking forgiveness from Allah)?

❖ Answer:​

The Qur’an and Sunnah mention countless virtues of Istighfār.

◈ Qur’anic Verses on Istighfār​

﴿فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللهِ حَقٌّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ﴾
(Ghafir: 55)


﴿فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوَاكُمْ﴾
(Muhammad: 19)


﴿وَاسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾
(An-Nisa: 106)


﴿وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلى مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
(Aal-e-‘Imran: 135)


﴿وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾
(An-Nisa: 110)


﴿وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ﴾
(Hud: 3)


﴿اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا﴾
(Nuh: 10)


﴿وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ﴾
(Hud: 52)

◈ Ahadith on Istighfār​

❀ Sayyiduna Agharr Muzani رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إنه ليغان على قلبي، وإني لأستغفر الله فى اليوم مائة مرة
My heart becomes covered, and indeed I seek forgiveness from Allah a hundred times in a day.
(Sahih Muslim: 2702)


❀ Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
والله إني لأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه فى اليوم أكثر من سبعين مرة
By Allah! I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6307)


❀ Sayyiduna Shaddad ibn Aws رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
The best supplication for seeking forgiveness is (Sayyid al-Istighfar)… whoever recites it in the evening with conviction and dies, will enter Paradise, and whoever recites it in the morning with conviction and dies the same day, will enter Paradise.
(Sahih al-Bukhari: 6323)


❀ Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
والذي نفسي بيده لو لم تذنبوا لذهب الله بكم، ولجاء بقوم يذنبون، فيستغفرون الله فيغفر لهم
By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, if you did not commit sins, Allah would remove you and bring a people who would sin, then seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would forgive them.
(Sahih Muslim: 2749)


❀ Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Busur رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
طوبى لمن وجد فى صحيفته استغفارا كثيرا
Glad tidings to the one who finds abundant Istighfār in his record of deeds.
(Sunan Ibn Majah: 3818 – Hasan chain)


❀ Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever recites the following three times, will be forgiven—even if he fled from the battlefield:
أستغفر الله الذى لا إله إلا هو الحي القيوم، وأتوب إليه
I seek forgiveness from Allah, besides Whom there is no deity, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him.
(al-Mustadrak al-Hakim: 2/117 – Sahih according to al-Hakim and adh-Dhahabi)