THE MOST EXCELLENT MANNER OF
SEEKING FORGIVINESS
A Lecture delivered by
Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad
SEEKING FORGIVINESS
A Lecture delivered by
Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad
[img=right]http://img448.imageshack.us/img448/9606/194pf.gif[/img]There are many texts to be found in the Book of Allaah, the
Majestic and Most High, and in the sunnah of His Messenger(PBUH)
that encourage one to seek forgiveness: texts commanding it,
showing its excellence, showing the excellence of its people and of
those who are constant in it. In fact, there are so many of these texts
that it would be very difficult to enumerate them. From them is the
saying of Allaah, the Perfect and Most High:
“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed greatly against
themselves through sins! Do not despair of the Mercy of
Allaah. Indeed Allaah forgives all sins to those who repent.
Indeed He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." Soorah
az-Zumar (39):54
Some of the Salaf have said that this aayah from the Book of
Allaah, is the one that gives the most hope to the one who seeks
forgiveness. Moreover, Allaah, the Most High, in encouragement of
seeking forgiveness, and in making clear its excellence and its fruits
both in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, refer to what Nooh "
said:
“He says: “I said to them, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord,
indeed He is Oft-Forgiving. He will send rain to you in
abundance and He will give you increase in wealth and
children, and bestow on you gardens and rivers.” Soorah Nooh
(71):10-12
With regard to the Sunnah, there are many texts from the Prophet(PBUH)
encouraging the seeking of forgiveness and making clear its
excellence. From them is the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik, that is
reported by, amongst others, at-Tirmidhee in his Sunan. He said,
"Allaah's Messenger(PBUH) said: ‘Allaah, the Most High, said, ‘O son
of Aadam! As long as you supplicate to Me, and hope in Me, I
will forgive you what you have done and I do not care. O son
of Aadam! If your sins were to reach the lofty regions of the
sky, then you asked Me for forgiveness, I would forgive you. O
son of Aadam! If you were to come to Me with enough sins to
fill the earth, but you met Me not associating anything with
Me - I would bring you the like of it of fogiveness."
Also from the ahaadeeth reported on the subject of seeking
forgiveness is that of Aboo Hurairah, reported by al-Bukhaaree' that
the Prophet(PBUH)said,
"By the One in whose Hand is my soul, I
certainly ask forgiveness of Allaah and repent to him more
than seventy times each day." The Prophet(PBUH)was such that
Allaah had forgiven his earlier and later sins, yet he still used to ask
Allaah's forgiveness more than a hundred times each day. Indeed, as
Ibn 'Umar said, "We used to count that in a single gathering he
would say, ‘I ask Allaah's forgiveness and I repent to Him,
more than seventy times." Thus he ! would continuously ask for
forgiveness and give it great importance.
However, in addition to deserving and seeking forgiveness, there are
other conditions that must be fulfilled by the one who seeks it.
From those sayings of Allaah the Most High, that most
comprehensively lay down the conditions for attaining forgiveness
of sins, is this aayah from Soorah Taa Haa:
“Indeed I am forgiving to the one who repents, truly believes,
does righteous and correct deeds, and then remains constant
upon right guidance”(Ta-Ha 20-82)
So, "Indeed I am forgiving ..." and who is he who receives
forgiveness from Allaah, the Majestic and Most High? It is the one
who fulfills Allaah's conditions.
