Times and Situations of begging Allah's Pardon

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Times and Situations of begging Allah's Pardon (1/3)

DR. Faisal bin Mash’al bin Sa’ud





Begging Allah's Pardon is praiseworthy at certain times and situations, though the gateways of repentance are open all the time, as the Honest Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) said: "Surely, there is an open gateway of repentance which will not be shut until the sun rises from the West."
But, there are certain times and situations which are better for begging Allah's Pardon as the response is commonly expected during them such as:
1- The last hours of the night: Allah, the Exalted, said:

“… and those who pray and beg Allah's Pardon in the last hours of the night.” (Surah Aal-‘Imran: 17)
And, Allah, the Exalted, said:
“And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allah) for forgiveness.” (Surah Adh-Dhariyat: 18)
And the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) said:
"Our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, comes every night down on the nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains, saying: "Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him.”[1]
2- During and after prayers: such as the opening supplication between declaring Allah's Greatness by saying: "Allah's Greater" and reciting (Surat Al-Fatihah) such as:
“O Allah! Set me apart from my sins (faults) as the East and West are set apart from each other and clean me from the sins as a white garment is cleaned of dirt (after thorough washing). O Allah! Wash off my sins with water, snow and hail.”[2]
- And one of the opening supplications which include asking Allah for forgiveness was narrated by Muslim who reported that Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that whenever the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) started his prayers, he would say:
“I have turned my face to Him, Who created the heavens and the earth, upright and I am not of the idolaters. Surely, my prayers, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And I have been commanded to do that, and I am the first Muslim. O Allah! You are the Owner. There is no true god but You. You are my Lord, and I am Your servant, I have wronged myself, and I acknowledge my sin, so, forgive me all my sins for none forgives the sins except You, and guide me to the best morals, for none guides to the best of them except You, and turn me away from the bad morals, for none turns me away from them but You. Here I am responding to You, and at Your pleasure, and all goodness is in Your hands and the evil is not ascribed to You. I seek refuge in You, and You guide me. Blessed and Exalted are You, I ask You for forgiveness and I repent to You” …Then, he used to say towards the end of his prayer between “Tashahhud” and the concluding salutations: "(O Allah! Forgive my former and latter sins, which I have done secretly and those which I have done openly, and that I have wronged others, and those defaults of mine about which You have better knowledge than I have. 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 in another narration of “Muslim”: He used to say after the concluding salutations, not between “Tashahhud” and the concluding salutations: “O Allah! Forgive my former and latter sins …..”
- And the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) used to recite in his bowing:
"O Allah! You are free from imperfection and I begin with praising You. Forgive my sins.”[4]
- And while prostrating, the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) said:
"A slave becomes nearest to his Lord when he is in prostration. So increase supplications while prostrating.”[5]
And the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) used to recite in his prostrating:
“O Allah! Forgive all my sins, the small and the great, the first and the last, the open and the secret.”[6]
- And between the two prostrations, the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) used to say:
“O my Lord! Forgive me. O my Lord! Forgive me.”[7]
Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) “Teach me an invocation so that I may invoke Allah with it in my prayer.” He said:
“Say: O Allah! I have done great injustice to myself and none except You forgives sins, so please forgive me and be Merciful to me as You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.”[8]
Some scholars said that it should be recited after “Tashahhud”.
And in “Sahih Muslim”, Thauban (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) finished his prayer, he would beg forgiveness three times, and then he would say:
"O Allah! You are the Bestower of security and security comes from You; Blessed are You. O Possessor of glory and honour!).''
Al-Walid said: I asked Al-Auza`i (one of the subnarrators of this Hadith): "How forgiveness should be sought?'' He replied: "Say: I seek Forgiveness from Allah. I seek Forgiveness from Allah.''
So, asking Allah for forgiveness accompanies the Muslim during his prayer from its beginning to its end. Nay, it accompanies him after the end of his prayer.
(Continued)

[1] HR. Bukhari, 11/128, Muslim, 2/36, dari hadits Abu Hurairah.

[2] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 2/727, Muslim, 5/96, on the authority of Abu Hurairah.

[3] Narrated by Muslim, 6/76.

[4] Narrated by Al- Bukhari, 2/281, Muslim, 4/201, on the authority of Aishah.

[5] Narrated by Muslim, 4/200, on the authority of Abu Hurairah.

[6] Narrated by Muslim, 4/201, on the authority of Abu Hurairah.

[7] Narrated by Nasa'i, 2/232, Ahmad, 5/398, Ibn Majah, 898, on the authority of Hudhaifah.

[8] Narrated by Al - Bukhari, 2/317, Muslim, 17/28, on the authority of Abdullah bin Amr.

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Times and Situations of begging Allah's Pardon (2/3)

DR. Faisal bin Mash’al bin Sa’ud




3- And, asking Allah for forgiveness is praiseworthy at the end of matters, such as assemblies. Abu Dawud reported that Abu Barzah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Towards the end of his life, the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) would say before leaving an assembly:
“O Allah! You are free from imperfection; and I begin with praising You. I testify that there is no true god except You, I ask Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.''
A man once said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! You have spoken such words as you have never uttered before.'' He said, "It is an expiation of that which goes on in the assembly.''[1]
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in “Al-Fath”: Its chain “Sanad” is good.
• And, whenever the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) went out of a lavatory, he would say:
“I seek Your forgiveness.”[2]
• And, it was mentioned before that the prayer should be ended by seeking forgiveness, it is the same whether it is before the concluding salutations or after it. As regards its being before the concluding salutations, we mentioned the tradition of Abu Bakr as a proof for it, as some scholars said that it should be recited after “Tashahhud”.
And as regards its being after the concluding salutations, we mentioned the tradition of Thauban as a proof for it.
• And during pilgrimage, Allah, the Exalted, said:
“Then depart from the place whence all the people depart and ask Allah for His Forgiveness. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.” (Surah Al-Baqarah: 199)
Towards the end of his life, after “Surat An-Nasr” was revealed to him, the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) used to say in his bowing and prostration:
“I honor Allah from all what (unsuitable things) is ascribed to Him. O Allah Our Lord! And all the praises are for You. O Allah! Forgive me.”[3]
• And the Prophet, (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) during his last illness just before his death, said:
“O Allah! Forgive me, bestow Your Mercy on me, and let me join with the companions.”[4]
And Allah has mentioned the story of Nuh (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him), and after He, I honor Him from all what (unsuitable things) is ascribed to Him, mentioned the destruction of Nuh's people by drowning, He mentioned that Nuh said:
“O My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women. And to the Zalimun (polytheists, wrong-doers, and disbelievers, etc.) grant You no increase but destruction!" (Surah Nuh: 28)
• And seeking Allah's Forgiveness after committing a sin is praiseworthy. Nay, it is mandatory. Allah, the Exalted, said:
“And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's Forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surah An-Nisa': 110)
And Allah, the Exalted, said:
“And perform As-Salat (prayers), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice).” (Surah Hud: 114)
And Abd Allah bin Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
“A man kissed a woman and he came to the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) and made a mention of that to him. It was (on this occasion) that this verse was revealed:
“And perform As-Salat (prayers), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice).” (Surah Hud: 114)
That person said, "O Messenger of Allah! Does it concern me only?" He said, "It concerns the whole of my nation.””[5]
And this is Yunus (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him):
“And (remember) Dhan-Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamites which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): “none has the right to be worshipped but You, Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." (Surah Al-Anbiya': 87)
(Continued)

[1] Narrated by Abu Dawud, 5/182.

[2] Narrated by Ahmad, 6/155, on the authority of Aishah.

[3] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 4697- Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: After the revelation of (Surat) "When the Help of Allah comes (to you against your enemies) and the Conquest (of Makkah)'' (110:1), the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) used to recite in every prayer: " Far removed You are from every imperfection, our Lord, and all praise is for You, forgive me, O Allah!.” . Another narration is: the Messenger of Allah (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) recited frequently in bowing and prostration: "Far removed You are from every imperfection, our Lord, and all praise is for You, forgive me, O Allah!" He elucidated that it has been commanded in the Noble Qur'an to recite: "So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and Who forgives". (V.110:1) And he (the Messenger of Allah) acted upon it. Al-Bukhari, 4968, Muslim, 4/201.

[4] Narrated by Muslim, 2444. Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: While the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention, and peace be upon him) was reclining against me (during his last illness), I heard him saying: "O Allah! Forgive me, bestow Your Mercy on me and let me join with the companions.''. And “the companions” is explained by another narration Muslim reported after this narration denoting that it means: those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them), the martyrs, and the righteous.

[5] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 4687, Muslim, 2763.

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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).