Al-Istighfar (Seeking forgiveness)
Most of the time when we ask Allah for his forgiveness, it’s after we’ve committed a sin or a wrong doing, or maybe when we remember something from the past that we truly regret doing, so we ask Allah to forgive us for that. That’s all good, but what lots of us don’t know is that Istighfar has so many merits and it can be the key to a lot of the problems we face in our lives. And if we realize how important Istighfar is, we would make it a daily habit like our prophet (pbuh) used to do.
Allah says in Surat Nuh “And said, ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver; He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers; And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.” (1)
So ask Allah for forgiveness and you’ll have peace of mind, increase in wealth, righteous offspring and plentiful rain.
Abdullah ibn Abbas (RAA) said: the Prophet (pbu) said: “He who often seeks forgiveness, Allah grants him relief from all troubles, a way out of all distress, and sustenance beyond his expectation.” (2)
Therefore if you often seek Allah’s forgiveness, he will provide for you a way out of every tight situation and you will have inner peace. Even a sin can be seen as a blessing if it will cause you to turn to Allah’s repentance.
Ali ibn Abu Talib (RAA) used to say, “It puzzles me that a man should perish when he possesses the means to save himself.” He has been asked: what is that? He said “Asking for Allah’s forgiveness.”
Abu Hurayrah (R.A.A.) said: I heard Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) saying, “By Allah! I ask Allah for forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.”(3)
So why don’t we start making Istighfar a daily habit. Start by putting a daily goal for yourself say 50 times a day and you can go up from there.
Allah says in Surat Hūd: And [saying], “Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, [and] He will let you enjoy a good provision for a specified term and give every doer of favor his favor. But if you turn away, then indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day. (4)
When you are going through a hard time, remember there’s a way out, ask Allah for forgiveness with a true belief that he will help you through it.
One of the best ways to ask Allah for forgiveness is through a hadith mentioned in Bukhari that is known as the “Chief of Istighfar”:
“O’ Allah You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise (to You) as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.”
The Prophet added. “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (5)
So whether its wealth, children, peace of mind, happiness, strong faith or whatever it is that you want. Ask Allah for it through Istighfar. He is the most forgiving, the most merciful and He is over all things competent.
May Allah forgive us all for our sins.
(1): Holy Quran, Surat Nuh (Verses 10-12)
(2): Nisa’i, Abu Da’ood, Ibn Majah, Baihaqi and El-Hakim, said: authentic
(3): Sahih Al-Bukhari
(4): Holy Quran, Surat Hūd (Verse 3)
(5): Sahih Hadith, Volume 8, Book 75, Number 318
http://supermuslims.tumblr.com/post/472 ... orgiveness
