Impact of Frequent forgiveness in Islam on prayer response?

What is the forgiveness in Islam? As Muslims, we should seek forgiveness, repent our mistakes, and try our best to stay on the right track. However, as humans we make mistakes, it is part of our human nature, therefore Seeking forgiveness is essential and highly important for us.

Does frequent seeking of forgiveness affect the response to prayer? Yes, frequent seeking forgiveness can affect the response to prayer, as Allah said in the holy Quran “I said (to them): ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft‑Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.’” [Nooh 71:10-12]

Now if you want to learn how to ask Allah for forgiveness, its importance, and why it plays an important role in the Islamic faith then let’s get started.

How to pray for forgiveness?

There are many ways to seek Forgiveness in Islam and the best way is to follow the teachings of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). So here’s how to seek forgiveness from the hadiths:

It was narrated from Shaddaad ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best prayer for forgiveness is to say:

“Allaahumma anta Rabbiy laa ilaaha illa anta, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduka wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika ma astata’tu, a’oodhu bika min sharri ma sana’tu aboo’u laka bi ni’matika ‘alayya wa aboo’u laka bi dhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu laa yaghfir ul-dhunooba illa anta”

 (O Allaah, You are my Lord and I am Your slave, You have created me and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise (to You) as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil of that which I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me and I confess to You my sin. Forgive me for there is no one who forgives sin except You).” 

He said: Whoever says this during the day believing in it with certainty and dies that day before evening comes, will be one of the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night believing in it with certainty and dies before morning comes will be one of the people of Paradise.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5947.]

 From the above hadith, we learn that the best way to seek forgiveness is to recite the following dua:

(O Allaah, You are my Lord and I am Your slave, You have created me and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise (to You) as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil of that which I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me and I confess to You my sin. Forgive me for there is no one who forgives sin except You).” 

It was narrated from Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite the following dua:

“Rabb ighfir li khati’ati wa jahli wa israafi fi amri kullihi wa ma anta a’lam bihi minni, Allaahumma ighfir li khataayaaya wa ‘amdi wa jahli wa hazli wa kulla dhaalika ‘indi, Allaahumma ighfir li ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu wa ma asrartu wa ma a’lantu anta al-Muqaddim wa anta al-Mu’akhkhir wa anta ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer”

(O Allaah, forgive me my mistakes, my ignorance and my transgressing the limits of righteousness in my deeds and whatever You know better than I. O Allah, forgive me the wrongs that I have committed deliberately or mistakenly or jokingly, for all of that is possible in me. O Allah, forgive my past and future sins, what I have done secretly and openly, for You are the One Who brings (some people) forward and puts (others) back, and You are able to do all things).” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6035), Muslim (2719).]

Therefore, you could also seek forgiveness by saying the following hadith:

(O Allaah, forgive me my mistakes, my ignorance and my transgressing the limits of righteousness in my deeds and whatever You know better than I. O Allah, forgive me the wrongs that I have committed deliberately or mistakenly or jokingly, for all of that is possible in me. O Allah, forgive my past and future sins, what I have done secretly and openly, for You are the One Who brings (some people) forward and puts (others) back, and You are able to do all things).”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “We used to count that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said one hundred times in a gathering: “Rabb ighfir li wa tub ‘alayya innaka anta al-tawwaab ul-raheem (O Allah forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful).” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3434]

It was narrated from Abu Yasaar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says Astaghfir Allaah al-‘Azeem alladhi laa ilaaha illa huwa al-Hayyu al-Qayyoom wa atoobu ilayhi (I ask forgiveness of Allaah the Almighty, besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him), will be forgiven even if his sin is fleeing from the battlefield [a major sin].” [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3577; Abu Dawood, 1517.]

It was narrated from Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Teach me a du’aa’ which I may recite in my prayer.” He said: “Say: Allaahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman katheeran wa laa yaghfir ul-dhunooba illa anta faghfir li maghfiratan min ‘indaka warhamni innaka anta al-Ghafoor al-Raheem (O Allaah, I have wronged myself greatly and no one forgives sins but You, so grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy on me, for You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful).” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 799; Muslim, 2705.]

To summarize here is the dua to recite for forgiveness in Islam:

(O Allaah, You are my Lord and I am Your slave, You have created me and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise (to You) as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil of that which I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me and I confess to You my sin. Forgive me for there is no one who forgives sin except You).” 

(O Allaah, forgive me my mistakes, my ignorance and my transgressing the limits of righteousness in my deeds and whatever You know better than I. O Allah, forgive me the wrongs that I have committed deliberately or mistakenly or jokingly, for all of that is possible in me. O Allah, forgive my past and future sins, what I have done secretly and openly, for You are the One Who brings (some people) forward and puts (others) back, and You are able to do all things).”

(O Allaah forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful).

(I ask forgiveness of Allaah the Almighty, besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him).

(O Allaah, I have wronged myself greatly and no one forgives sins but You, so grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy on me, for You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful).

Be sure to learn them and teach them to others, may Allah reward you and accept your prayers.

The Concept of Forgiveness in Islam.

The Concept of Forgiveness in Islam can be seen in the verses of the holy Quran, so here are some Quranic verses about it:

The Quran says,

وإِن تعفوا وتصفحوا وتغفروا فإن الله غفور رحيم

“But if you pardon, overlook, and forgive their faults, then Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (64:14)

We should forgive one another even if the mistake was unforgivable, it is what we learn from Quran and Sunnah. We can learn to forgive one another just like our beloved prophet used to forgive his enemies even though they caused him a lot of hardships, and mistreated him.

Forgiving the ones who hurt us is not a sign of weakness, it shows our strength because forgiving someone who hurt you badly takes a lot of strength and courage.

Let me tell you something, if someone hurt you badly whether emotionally, or physically will h be thinking about what he did to you? off course not, he will be out there living his life not caring even a little about what he did to you. when you forgive what he did to you it is not for him, it is for you, to give yourself the closure that you deserve and live a happy life.

My advice to you is to pray, tell Allah about the ones who hurt you, and leave it to him. Allah knows how much they hurt and he will punish them for you, What more do you want? I know that it is hard for you to forgive but they don’t deserve wasting your time on them.

Allah also said in the Holy Quran:

“We have not created the heavens and the earth and everything in between except for a purpose. And the Hour is certain to come, so forgive graciously.” (Quran 15:85)

Our time on earth is limited and we should take advantage of every second and not to waste it on grudges. 

“And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers.” (Quran 42:40)

When we forgive the ones who hurt us, we will be rewarded.

“And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of resolve.” (Quran 42:43)

“It is by Allah’s mercy that you are gentle to them; and had you been harsh and hardhearted, surely, they would have scattered from around you. So, excuse them, plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him.” (Quran 3:159)

As Allah says in this verse forgiving others is like putting your trust in Allah. So, whenever you think it is too hard to forgive someone remember Allah sees everything and he will reward you.

“Do not let the people of virtue and affluence among you swear to suspend donations to their relatives, the needy, and the emigrants in the cause of Allah. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love to be forgiven by Allah? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 24:22)

We always ask Allah for forgiveness and we should try our best to forgive one another too.

Why is it important to ask for forgiveness in prayer?

Forgiveness in Islam is an important act. Allah said in the holy Quran “I said (to them): ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft‑Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.’” [Nooh 71:10-12]

Al-Qurtubi said: “The words “I said (to them): ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord’” means: ask Him for forgiveness of your previous sins with sincerity of faith. “Verily, He is Oft‑Forgiving” means, He forgives everyone who turns to Him; this encourages us to repent. “He will send rain to you in abundance” means, He will send a great deal of rain to you. “And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers” 

Abu Bakr narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “No Muslim commits a sin and then performs ablution, prays two rak’ahs and begs Allah for forgiveness for that sin, but He forgives him.”

 Al-Shu’bi said: “Umar went out to pray for rain and he did no more than pray for forgiveness until he came back, then it rained. They said: “We did not see you ask for rain.” He said: “I sought rain with the real key by means of which rain is sought.” Then he recited: “Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft‑Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance.”

 “A man complained to al-Hasan about a drought, and he said to him: “Pray to Allah for forgiveness.” Another man complained to him of poverty and he said to him: “Pray to Allah to forgive you.” Another man said to him: “Pray to Allah to bless me with a child.” He said: “Pray to Allah for forgiveness.” Another complained to him that his garden was dry. He said to him: “Pray to Allah for forgiveness.” We asked him about that and he said: “This is not my personal opinion, for Allah says in Soorat Nooh: ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft‑Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance. And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.”  [Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 18/301-302.]

What happens when you seek forgiveness?

When seeking forgiveness in Islam Allah will forgive your sins, when you forgive the ones who hurt you Allah will reward you. Allah said in the holy Quran:

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ٦٠

Your Lord has proclaimed, “Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.”

The Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah in Islam.

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ: قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: “يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتنِي وَرَجَوْتنِي غَفَرْتُ لَك عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْك وَلَا أُبَالِي، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُك عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتنِي غَفَرْتُ لَك، يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ! إنَّك لَوْ أتَيْتنِي بِقُرَابِ الْأَرْضِ خَطَايَا ثُمَّ لَقِيتنِي لَا تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا لَأَتَيْتُك بِقُرَابِهَا مَغْفِرَةً” . رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّ [رقم:3540]، وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say, “Allah the Almighty has said: ‘O Son of Adam, as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the Earth, and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it [too].”  (Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, who said it was a ḥasan-ṣaḥeeḥ ḥadīth)

Abu Bakr narrated that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “No Muslim commits a sin and then performs ablution, prays two rak’ahs and begs Allah for forgiveness for that sin, but He forgives him.”

The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, “The best supplication for seeking forgiveness (Sayyidul istighfar) is to say:

اللهم أنت ربي، لا إله إلا أنت ، خلقتني وأنا عبدك، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت أبوء لك بنعمتك علي، وأبوء بذنبي، فاغفر لي فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت.

The Role of Forgiveness in Spiritual Growth in Islam.

Seeking forgiveness helps us become better versions of ourselves. Forgiving someone who hurt you needs courage and strength it is not easy that is why Allah will reward you.

“And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers.” (Quran 42:40)

What is the benefit of seeking forgiveness in Islam?

Forgiving someone who hurt you helps you grow and become a better person. Allah says in the holy Quran: “Whoever is patient and forgives, verily, that is among the matters of steadfast determination.” (Qur’an, 42:43)

Forgiving one another is a sign of faith, as Allah says in the holy Quran: “The believers are those who spend in charity during ease and hardship and who restrain their anger and pardon the people, for Allah loves the doers of good.” Qur’an (3:134)

Seeking forgiveness in Islam is important, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “O people! Ask for the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him as I ask for the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him one hundred times a day.”

Forgiving the ones who offend you or harm you helps you let go of the grudges that keeping you from living your life.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, (and) He will let you enjoy a good provision.” (11: 3)

Forgiveness: A Key Principle in Islamic Ethic.

We forgive as the prophet taught us to do. We all know how the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) suffered and what the people of Quraysh did to him. He went through a lot but even though he didn’t carry grudges toward them, actually he forgave them for everything they did. And we should learn from the prophet and look up to him.

Try your best to forgive the ones who hurt you and leave it all to Allah. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Say to those who believe that they should forgive those who expect not the days of Allah, as it is for Him to recompense people for what they have earned.” (Qur’an, 45:14)

Anas said I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) saying:

‏”قال الله تعالى‏:‏ يا ابن آدم إنك ما دعوتني ورجوتني غفرت لك ما كان منك ولا أبالي، يا ابن آدم لو بلغت ذنوبك عنان السماء، ثم استغفرتني ، غفرت لك ولا أبالي، يا ابن آدم إنك لو أتيتني بقراب الأرض خطايا، ثم لقيتني لا تشرك بي شيئاً، لأتيتك بقرابها مغفرة‏”‏.

“Allah has said: ‘O son of Adam! I shall go on forgiving you so long as you pray to Me and aspire for My forgiveness whatever may be your sins. O son of Adam! I do not care even if your sins should pile up to the sky and should you beg pardon of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! If you come to Me with an earth full of sins and meet Me, not associating anything with Me in worship, I will certainly grant you as much pardon as will fill the earth.”

Oqbah Ibn Amir narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “You shall pardon on who oppressed you. “

Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, “I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”

The Power of Forgiveness: Lessons from Islamic Scriptures.

Seeking forgiveness in Islam has many benefits and virtues, We learn from the Quran and Sunnah that forgiveness is the key to a better life. 

Here are some Quranic verses about forgiveness:

“And We have not created the heavens and earth and that between them except in truth. And indeed, the Hour is coming; so, forgive with gracious forgiveness.”

﴿85﴾وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَآتِيَةٌ ۖ فَاصْفَحِ الصَّفْحَ الْجَمِيلَ

“And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive,

﴿37﴾وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ

“And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination.”

﴿43﴾وَلَمَن صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ

“Say, [O Muhammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allah so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.”

﴿14﴾قُل لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَغْفِرُوا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ اللَّهِ لِيَجْزِيَ قَوْمًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

“Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.”

﴿109﴾وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُم مِّن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِّنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ ۖ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”

﴿22﴾وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

So, for their breaking of the covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded. And you will still observe deceit among them, except a few of them. But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.

﴿13﴾فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ ۙ وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ ۚ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ خَائِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

Forgiveness as a Means of Purification in Islam

Forgiving one another purifies our hearts of grudges helps us feel inner peace and helps us overcome our fears and sadness. 

Allah says in the Quran:

وإِن تعفوا وتصفحوا وتغفروا فإن الله غفور رحيم

“But if you pardon, overlook, and forgive their faults, then Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (64:14)

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