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Abu Tawīl came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “What do you think about a man who committed all sins, sparing nothing at all. Can he repent?”
He said: “Have you embraced Islam?” He replied: “As for me, I testify that there is no god except Allah, alone with no partner, and that You are the Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Yes, do good deeds and give up bad ones, and Allah will turn them all into good deeds.” He said: “And my serious sins and indecent acts?” He said: “Yes.” Thereupon, he kept saying: “Allah is the Most Great” until he left. [Narrated by Al-Tabarāni with an authentic chain of narration]
I supplicate Allah and ask for His pardon,
and I know that He is Pardoning and Forgiving.
If sins are great in the sight of people,
they are indeed small compared to Allah’s mercy.
We will talk now about one of the names of Allah, which when sinners and pious believers hear, their hearts feel attached to it and they become joyful and hopeful. It is the name “Al-Ghafūr” and “Al-Ghaffār”.
Allah Almighty says: {inform My servants that I am the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.} [Surat al-Hijr: 49] He also says: {And said: “Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Superb Forgiver.} [Surat Nūh: 10] And He says: {...Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness...} [Surat an-Najm: 32]
“Ghafūr” and “Ghaffār” are derived from “ghafr”, which means concealment and covering.
Our Lord, Exalted be He, is the One Who covers the sins of His servants, letting no one else see them, and Who pardons their misdeeds.
Allah, Exalted be He, forgives their sins time after time, endlessly. Each time a person sins and repents, He forgives him.
A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, one of us commits a sin.” He said: “It is recorded against him.” The man then said: “He asks forgiveness for it and repents.” The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He is forgiven and his repentance is accepted, and Allah does not get bored of that, but you get bored.” [Narrated by Al-Tabarāni and others; Hasan (sound)]
He is the All-Forgiving. If a servant turns to Him with as many sins that could fill the earth, He will turn to him with as much forgiveness.
He is vast in forgiveness, forgiving all sins except for associating partners with Him.
Allah Almighty opens His door to all those who sin and repent. He says: {Say: “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”} [Surat az-Zumar: 53] And from above the seven heavens, He addresses those who say that Allah is the third of three and calls them to repentance, so that He will forgive them. He says: {So will they not repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 74]
Allah Almighty forgives all sins, except when a person dies associating partners with Him {Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills. And he who associates partners with Allah has indeed fabricated a tremendous sin.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 48]
The verses in this regard are numerous.
As for the Sunnah, here is a Qudsi Hadīth that reads: “Allah Almighty said: ‘O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you whatever you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I shall forgive you, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to meet Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I shall bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it is.’” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; Sahīh (authentic)]
This applies to a person who seeks forgiveness with a sincere intention and with determination not to turn back to sins. When he displays sincerity to his Lord, He even turns his sins into good deeds, out of His great generosity and grace towards His servants.
Righteous deeds expiate sins as Allah, Almighty says: {...Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds...} [Surat Hūd: 114] The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “Follow the sin with a good deed which will wipe it out.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; Hasan (sound)]
Moreover, the afflictions and bad things that befall a person in his own self, or in his children, or in his wealth do expiate his sins, if he shows patience and contentment in pursuit of reward from his Lord.
In fact, Allah becomes more joyful when one of His servants repents to Him than a person who lost his mount in a desert, with all his food and drink on it, and then found it.
No matter how great your sin is or how frequently you commit it, Allah’s mercy is far greater as long as you keep asking for His forgiveness. {...And My mercy encompasses all things...} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 156] The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) authentically reported that Allah Almighty said: “A servant committed a sin and he said: ‘O Allah, forgive my sin,’ and Allah said: ‘My servant committed a sin and then realized that he has a Lord Who forgives the sin and punishes for the sin.’ He then again committed a sin and said: ‘My Lord, forgive my sin,’ and Allah Almighty said: ‘My servant committed a sin and then realized that he has a Lord Who forgives the sin and punishes for the sin.’ He again committed a sin and said: ‘My Lord, forgive my sin,’ and Allah Almighty said: ‘My servant committed a sin and then realized that he has a Lord Who forgives the sin and punishes for the sin. Do whatever you like for I have forgiven you.’” [Narrated by Muslim] That is as long as you repent and return to Him.
The door of Allah is wide open to everyone who wants to repent and return to Him. He is ever Pardoning and Forgiving, and He promises to grant pardon and forgiveness to those who fulfill their requirements. He says: {And indeed, I am the Superb Forgiver of whoever repents and believes and does righteous deeds and then follows guidance.} [Surat Taha: 82] Even if your sins are too great and too many to be counted, ask Allah Almighty to forgive them all, for He knows and counts everything.
This does not mean, however, that a Muslim may freely commit sins and misdeeds and act boldly against his Lord under the pretext that Allah is All-Forgiving and Most Merciful. Indeed, Allah Almighty says: {Your Lord is most knowing of what is within yourselves. If you should be righteous, then indeed He is All-Forgiving to those who constantly turn [to Him].} [Surat al-Isrā’: 25] Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyād (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “Asking for forgiveness without giving up the sin is the repentance of liars.”
Allah Almighty commands all His servants, and notably His prophets, to seek forgiveness from Him: {And said: “Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever Superb Forgiver.} [Surat Nūh: 10] And the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is authentically reported to have said: “By Allah, I ask Allah for forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri] If this is the case with the prophets, then it is more appropriate and more necessary for those less in rank to ask for forgiveness. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to ‘Ali ibn Abu Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him): “Shall I teach you some words which if you say, Allah will forgive you, even if you were already forgiven? Say: ‘La ilāha illallāh Al-‘Aliyy Al-‘Azhīm, la ilāha illallāh Al-Halīm Al-Karīm, la ilāha illallāh subhānallāh Rabb al-‘arsh al-‘azhīm (There is no god except Allah, the High, the Magnificent. There is no god except Allah, the Forbearing, the Generous. There is no god except Allah. Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne).’” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; Sahīh (authentic)]
‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “It is so strange how a person might get ruined while salvation is there with him.” He was asked: “What is it?” He said: “Asking Allah for forgiveness.” Qatādah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “The Qur’an informs you of your disease and your cure. The disease is sins, and the cure is seeking forgiveness from Allah.”
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “Sins are a cause of trouble, and seeking forgiveness removes its causes, as Allah Almighty says: {...And Allah will not punish them while they are seeking forgiveness.} [Surat al-Anfāl: 33]”
Ibn Kathīr said: “Whoever assumes this attitude - i.e. seeking forgiveness, Allah will facilitate for him his sustenance and affairs and will preserve his strength.”
I complain to You about sins which I admit. Before You question me on the Day of Judgment, I hope and implore You to forgive them.
I hope that You, the Bestower of favors, will forgive and conceal them on the Day of Reckoning as You have concealed them on earth.
It is noted that the phrase “there is no god except Allah” comes in association with seeking forgiveness in the verse that says: {So know that there is no god except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women...} [seeking Muhammad: 19] “This is because monotheism erases the root of polytheism and seeking forgiveness erases its branches.
The best praise of Allah is: “la ilāha illallāh” (there is no god except Allah), and the best supplication is: “astaghfirullāh” (I seek forgiveness from Allah). That is why Allah commanded the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to adhere to monotheism and to ask forgiveness for himself and his fellow believing men and women.”
O Allah, forgive us, our parents, and all Muslims, O Lord of the worlds!