[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Times and Situations of begging Allah's Pardon (3/3)

DR. Faisal bin Mash’al bin Sa’ud


And when Allah commanded the believers to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), He said after that:
“And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers! That you may be successful.” (Surah An-Nur: 31)
So, after committing a sin, every slave should hasten to beg Allah to forgive him this sin specially, and all his sins in general, so that he may meet Him with his sins forgiven.
• And seeking Allah's Forgiveness during the eclipse of the sun and moon is praiseworthy, as the sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah, the Most High, with which He frightens His devotees. And the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) said:
“So when you see anything thereof, proceed to remember Allah, invoke Him and ask for His forgiveness.”[1]
• And seeking Allah's Forgiveness is praiseworthy when the Muslim gets up at night, while he is at bed, as Al-Bukhari reported that 'Ubada bin As-Samit (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever gets up at night and says None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. He is the Only One and has no partners. For Him is the Kingdom and all the praises are due for Him. He is the Omnipotent. All the praises are for Allah. All the glories are for Allah. And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, And Allah is Greater, And there is neither Might nor Power Except with Allah). And then says: (O Allah! Forgive me). Or invokes (Allah), he will be responded to and if he performs ablution (and prays), his prayer will be accepted.”[2]
• And seeking Allah's Forgiveness is praiseworthy when the Muslim gets up at night to pray, as Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported that Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said that the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) used to invoke Allah at night, saying:
"O Allah! All the Praises are for You. You are the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth. All the Praises are for You; You are the Maintainer of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in them. All the Praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. Your Word is the Truth, Your Promise is the Truth, the Meeting with You is the Truth, Paradise is the Truth, the (Hell) Fire is the Truth, and the Hour is the Truth. O Allah! I surrender myself to You, I believe in You, I depend upon You, I repent to You, with You (Your evidences) I stand against my opponents, and to You I leave the judgment (for those who refuse my message). O Allah! Forgive my former and latter sins, which I have done secretly and those which I have done openly. You Alone can send whomever You will to Paradise, and You Alone can send whomever You will to Hell-fire. None has the right to be worshipped but You.”[3]
• And seeking Allah's Forgiveness is praiseworthy at other times at which the supplication is praiseworthy, as seeking Allah's Forgiveness is a type of supplication, as it is a supplication of seeking Allah's Forgiveness, even though, as I mentioned before, the gateways of repentance are open all the time, as the Honest Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) said:
“Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west.”[4]
And one of the bedouins said, "O Messenger of Allah! Tell me something to which I may hold fast.'' He said:
"Keep your tongue wet with the remembrance of Allah.”[5]

[1] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 2/545, Muslim, 6/214, on the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari.

[2] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 3/39.

[3] Narrated by Al Bukhari, 3/3, Muslim, 6/53.

[4] Narrated by Muslim, 17/76, on the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari, but, as it is known, Allah, the Exalted, has preferred some times to others, some months to others, some days to others, and some hours to others.

[5] Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 5/548, Ibn Majah, 2/1246, on the authority of Abdullah bin Busr (May Allah be pleased with him).