Repentance(Tawbah / Istighfar ) Seeking Forgiveness of Allah the Most Almighty

1. Repentance(Tawbah / Istighfar) Seeking Forgiveness of Allah the Most Almighty O Allah! Make me among those who, when they commit an act of virtue, feel good, and when they commit a mistake, they seek forgiveness."

2. Prayer of the Day :-) • Our Lord! and make us both submissive to Thee and (raise) from our offspring a nation submitting to Thee, and show us our ways of devotion and turn to us (mercifully), surely Thou art the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. Cow 128 • Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajj and 'Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. • Our Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (Will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Relenting, Most Merciful.

3. Tauba means feeling remorse for our actions or omissions. • Istighfar means expressing that remorse in words and begging Allah for forgiveness. • The act for which we perform tauba and istighfar is not necessarily a sin, or an act of disobedience to Allah; it also includes our shortcomings. As we realize Allah's immense favors to us, all of our thankfulness and devotion clearly appears to be inadequate. As we realize the grandeur of Allah, Most High, our acts of worship and obedience clearly are seen to be insufficient. The higher a person is on the scale of taqwa, piety and God consciousness, the greater is this sense of inadequacy. Consequently the greater is his practice of istighfar.

4. All the prophets, alayhimu salam, preached and practices tauba and istighfar. We do not have to invent any sins---inherited or personal--- to explain their repentance. In fact all the prophets were free of sin, as Allah appointed them as role models for humanity and Allah did not send defective role models. • Prophet Mohammde (pbuh) used to say "astaghfirullah" (I seek Allah's forgiveness) three times! This is the istighfar that comes out of the highest level of God consciousness! He taught us to perform istighfar profusely, as he himself practiced.

5. Hadith about Repentance • "Repentance has a door whose span is the distance between East and West," says a hadith;( or "its span is the distance traveled in 70 years"). "It will not be closed until the sun rises from the West." • 0 people! Turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness, for surely I make repentance a hundred times (or seventy ) every day.” • When a person has repented from a sin, it is as if he had never committed that sin.

6. Hadith about Repentance • His companions used to count for him in each congregation his saying one hundred times "My Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are At-Tawwab (the One who accept repentance), Al-Ghafoor (The Oft Forgiving)." The Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, is also reported to have said: "No one will be rescued (on the Day of Judgment) by his deeds. They (his companions) asked even you Messenger of Allah? He said, even me, unless Allah would grant me His mercy and Grace." • He taught his closest companion Abu Bakr (radiallahu ‘anhu): “0 Allah, truly I have wronged myself and none can forgive sins except You.” [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim, Ibn Maajah, At-Tirmidhee]

7. Syedul-Istighfar • “If a believer says this with complete faith and sincerity in the morning and dies before that evening, he will enter paradise. If he says it during the night and dies before the morning, he will enter paradise." "O Allah! You are my Lord. There is no God except You. You created me and I am Your slave. To the best of my ability, I will abide by my covenant and pledge to You. I seek Your protection from the evil of my own creation. I acknowledge Your favors to me and I admit my sins. So please forgive me for no one can forgive sins except You."

8. Best way to cleanless • Istighfar is also a means of enhancing that consciousness of Allah and strengthening our relationship with Him. We turn to no one except Allah in repentance. We confess our deepest errors, shortcomings, failures, and sins to Him and Him alone • We seek His forgiveness, knowing that He alone has knowledge about all our deeds and thoughts and He alone can forgive us and save us from the consequences of our actions. Istighfar, thus, is a most intimate conversation with Allah • During that conversation we are at our humblest. We can see why tauba and istighfar are the essence of our servitude and submission to Allah!

9. Purify and cleanse our hearts&Souls • We are not born in sin, but we are born in weakness. We are prone to fall prey to the many temptations that are part of our test in this life. And when we do fall and commit a sin, it produces a dark spot in our heart. A famous hadith, reported by Abu Huraira, Radi-Allahu unhu, describes this process. When a person shows remorse and repents, that dark spot is removed. Otherwise it will stay there and grow with each additional sin. A time may come when his heart is full of darkness because of un-repented sins. We can see this gradual darkness of the heart as people advance in their sinful behavior. In the beginning they have a lot of inhibitions. They commit the wrong hesitatingly and feel bad about it. If they do not turn back, they get used to it, so it just feels normal. Then a stage comes when vice becomes virtue and virtue vice. They defend and advocate evil and shun good.

10. Do not hesitate to Knock the door Of Repentance • There is hope for those who seek hope. No matter how corrupt we might have become, we can always make a U-turn. We can repent and seek forgiveness from our Beneficent and Merciful Creator Who is always ready to forgive those who turn to Him in sincerity. "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. For Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."[Az-Zumr, 39:53] • NEVER DESPAIR! Remember Satan is working all the time: It may be a whisper telling you not to ask repentance

11. Verses from the Quran • But whoever repents after his iniquity and reforms (himself), then surely Allah will turn to him (mercifully); surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [Maidah 34] • The Forgiver of the faults and the Acceptor of repentance, Severe to punish, Lord of bounty; there is no god but He; to Him is the eventual coming. Severe to punish, Lord of bounty; there is no god but He; to Him is the eventual coming [Believer 3] • And He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deeds and He knows what you do; Counsel 23 • And O my People! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain, and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!" [Hud 52]

12. Verses from the Quran • And those who do not make tawbah are indeed the dhaalimoon (wrongdoers)." (49:11) • And when Musa said to his people: O my people! you have surely been unjust to yourselves by taking the calf (for a god), therefore turn to your Creator (penitently), so kill your people, that is best for you with your Creator: so He turned to you (mercifully), for surely He is the Oft-returning (to mercy), the Merciful. [Cow 54] • But ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him (in repentance): For my Lord is indeed full of mercy and loving-kindness." [Hud90]

13. Verses from the Quran • Verily, those who disbelieved after their Belief and then went on increasing in their disbelief (i.e. disbelief in the Qur'ân and in Prophet Muhammad ) - never will their repentance be accepted [because they repent only by their tongues and not from their hearts]. And they are those who are astray ]Famly of Imran 90] • Allâh accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allâh will forgive and Allâh is Ever All­Knower, All­Wise. And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: "Now I repent;" nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment. Women 17-18 • Except those who repent (from hypocrisy), do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allâh, and purify their religion for Allâh(by worshipping none but Allâh, and do good for Allâh's sake only, not to show-off), then they willbe with the believers. And Allâh will grant to the believers a great reward[146]

14. Verses from Chapter “Repentance” • Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance from His servantsand takes the alms, and that Allah is the Oft-returning (to mercy) ,the Merciful • They who turn (to Allah), who serve (Him), who praise (Him), who fast, who bow down, who prostrate themselves, who enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, and who keep the limits of Allah; and give good news to the believers. [112] • Do they not see that they are tried once or twice in every year, yet they do not turn (to Allah) nor do they mind. [126]

15. Repentance of the Prophets : Adam • We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimeen (wrongdoers)." • Then the Satan made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down all with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time" • Then Adam received from his Lord Words. His Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the most Merciful. • We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. But those who disbelieve and belie Our Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, and signs and revelations, etc) such are the dwellers of the Fire, they shall abide therein forever." 2:35-39

16. Duas of the Prophets in the Quran • Moses said: "My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, so forgive me." Then He forgave him. Verily, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. • My Lord! Save me from the people who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrongdoers. And when he went towards (the land of) Madyan (Midian) he said: "It may be that my Lord guides me to the Right Way." [28:16,21-22] • And (remember) (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): Lâ ilâha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allâh)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers." [21:87]

17. Allah accepted their repentance because it was sincere. • The sons of Adam: Abel and Cain Cain's sacrifice was not accepted by Allah because of his disobedience to his father and the insincerity in his offering. -“I will kill you! I refuse to see you happy while I remain unhappy!" -”My brother, you are deviating from the right path and are sinful in your decisions. It is better that you repent to Allah and forget about your foolish threat. But if you do not then I will leave the matter in the hands of Allah. You alone will bear the consequence of your sin, for the Fire is the reward of the wrong-doers."

18. How to Repent ? • Feeling the pain inside!!! Remorse,SELF-REPROACH, conscience • Being aware of our weakness, shortcoming, mistakes • Persistence on sin is another sin so be SINCERE • Duas (supplication) , prayers, Istigfars • Have the fear of dying before making tawbah: Don't postpone • Be hopeful about the Mercy of Allah "Allah loves His creation more than a woman does her child." • TEARS • Best way to clean sins and make fire off

19. A story from Bayazedi Bestame • http://www.geocities.com/mutmainaa/istighfar.html • http://www.islamway.com/sisters/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15 • http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=266

20. O my Lord! Have mercy upon him who has no one to show Mercy save You, no Helper save you, no refuge save You, no Savior save You, I am Your slave, in Your need, dependent on You, beggar at Your door, You are the refuge, with You is the shelter, there is refuge but with You, nor escape from You except to You!