Question:
What is the virtue of seeking forgiveness?
Answer:
Countless virtues of seeking forgiveness are mentioned in the Book and Sunnah.
Quranic Verses:
The command of the Almighty Allah is:
﴿فَاصْبِرْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللهِ حَقٌّ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِبْكَارِ﴾
Be patient! Allah’s promise is true, seek forgiveness for your sins, and keep glorifying your Lord morning and evening.
He also said:
﴿فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مُتَقَلَّبَكُمْ وَمَثْوَاكُمْ﴾
Know that there is no deity except Allah, seek forgiveness for your sins and for the believing men and believing women, and Allah is well aware of your movement and your resting.
The Divine command is:
﴿وَاسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾
Ask forgiveness from Allah; indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
The command of the Almighty Allah is:
﴿وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلى مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
When (believers) commit an evil or wrong themselves, they remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins. And who can forgive sins except Allah? And they do not persist in what they have done while they know.
The command of the Almighty Allah is:
﴿وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُ ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا﴾
Whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
He also said:
﴿وَأَنِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ﴾
Ask forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him.
He also said:
﴿اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا﴾
Ask forgiveness of your Lord; indeed, He is ever Forgiving.
Allah Almighty’s command is:
﴿وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ﴾
O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him; He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in showers and increase you in strength [added] to your strength. So do not turn away [sinfully].
Prophetic Ahadith:
Sayyiduna Uqbah Mazni (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
إنه ليغان على قلبي، وإني لأستغفر الله فى اليوم مائة مرة
A veil comes over my heart, and I seek Allah’s forgiveness one hundred times a day.
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
والله إني لأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه فى اليوم أكثر من سبعين مرة
By Allah! I seek Allah’s forgiveness more than seventy times a day.
Sayyiduna Shaddad bin Aws (RA) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
The best supplication for seeking forgiveness is the one which, if recited with certainty in the evening and one dies that night, he will enter Paradise; and if recited in the morning and one dies that day, he will enter Paradise:
اللہم أنت ربي، لا إله إلا أنت، خلقتني وأنا عبدك، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت، أبوء لك بنعمتك على وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي، فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت، أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت
O Allah! You are my Lord, there is no deity except You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I abide by Your covenant and promise as best as I can. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me and I confess my sins. Forgive me, for none forgives sins except You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done.
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) 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 sin, Allah would replace you with a people who would sin and then seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would forgive them.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Basar (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
طوبى لمن وجد فى صحيفته استغفارا كثيرا
Blessed is the one whose record of deeds contains abundant seeking of forgiveness.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
Whoever recites this supplication 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, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, and I repent to Him.
Imam Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it authentic, and Hafiz Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) agreed.
