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THE MOST EXCELLENT MANNER OF

SEEKING FORGIVINESS
A Lecture delivered by
Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq ibn Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad
All praise is due to Allaah. We praise Him, we seek His aid, we ask
for His forgiveness and we repent to Him. We seek Allaah's refuge
from the evils of ourselves and the evil consequences of our actions.
Whomsoever Allaah guides, then none can misguide him and
whomsoever Allaah misguides, then none can guide him. I testify
that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, Alone,
having no partner, and I testify that Muhammad is His Slave and
His Messenger. May Allaah extol and send blessings of peace upon
him, upon his true followers and upon all of his Companions. To
proceed:
My noble brothers, this lecture, upon the topic of seeking alIstigfaar - asking for forgiveness for ones sins - deals with one of the
most important topics to which the Muslim should give attention in
his life and for which he should have the utmost concern. Included
in it is the explanation of a tremendous way of seeking forgiveness,
from amongst the various forms of seeking forgiveness that occur in
the sunnah of the Prophet !. We ask Allaah that it should be
beneficial to us and a blessing for us.
There are many texts to be found in the Book of Allaah, the
Majestic and Most High, and in the sunnah of His Messenger !
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
This tremendous aayah promises numerous benefits and offers
important lessons for those who seek forgiveness and for those who
constantly ask forgiveness for their sins. It is related that a man
came to al-Hasan al-Basree, the noble Taabi'ee, and complained to

him of poverty. So he said to him, Ask forgiveness of Allaah.'

Another man came to him complaining that he did not have any
children. So he said to him, Ask forgiveness of Allaah.' A third man
came to him complaining of the barrenness of his garden. So he said
to him, Ask forgiveness of Allaah.' He then recited to them the
saying of Allaah, the Perfect and Most High:

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
These then are some of the fruits of seeking forgiveness and some of
its benefits in the worldly life. As for the Hereafter, then the
benefits of seeking forgiveness are very great and tremendous.
With regard to the Sunnah, there are many texts from the Prophet
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 ! 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."

So the proof in this hadeeth qudsee for the excellence of seeking

forgiveness is in the second sentence. That is the saying of Allaah,
the Most High,
O son of Aadam! If your sins were to reach the lofty regions
('anaan) of the sky ...' as for the "anaan' of the sky, then it is said,
It means the clouds ...,' it is also said, It is the extent of the sky
that is reached by ones eyesight.'
So, even if the sins were so many, so various and so monstrous,
Allaah, the Majestic and Most High, would forgive the servant if he
asked Him for forgiveness.
Also from the ahaadeeth reported on the subject of seeking
forgiveness is that of Aboo Hurairah, reported by al-Bukhaaree' that
the Prophet ! 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." 1 The Prophet ! 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, 2
more than seventy times." Thus he ! would continuously ask for
forgiveness and give it great importance.
Also from the ahaadeeth showing the excellence and great
importance of seeking forgiveness is that reported by Muslim in his
Saheeh from Aboo Hurairah # from the Prophet ! that he said, "By
Allaah! If you did not commit sins, Allaah would have taken

Eng. Transl. Vol. 8, no. 319. The wording of al-Bukhaaree is,

"... more than seventy times." And the wording of a narration
of at-Tirmidhee is, "I seek the forgiveness of Allaah a hundred
times in the day." Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhee, no. 2597.
2
See As-Saheehah, no. 556.
1

you away and brought a people who seek Allaah's forgiveness,

and He would forgive them." 3 He would have taken you away
and He would have brought a people who seek Allaah's forgiveness,
and He would forgive them - this shows the extent to which Allaah,
the Majestic and Most High, loves the seeking of forgiveness and
that He loves those who ask for His forgiveness.
Amongst the perfect Names of Allaah, the Majestic and Most High,
is Al-'Afuww - He who pardons,' and Al-Ghafoor - He who forgives,'
and Al-Ghaffaar - The Oft-Forgiving.' Allaah, the Majestic and
Most High, loves that we call upon Him by His names and that we
worship Him by that which His names demand. As He Himself said:

And Allaah has the most excellent and perfect names, so

worship and invoke Him by them Soorah al-A'raaf (7):180.
Also, the Prophet ! said in a hadeeth reported in the two Saheehs'
from Aboo Hurairah #, "Allaah has ninety-nine names, a
hundred except one. Whoever memorises and is mindful of
them (ahsaahaa) will enter Paradise." 4 However, ... memorising
and being mindful of them ...' (ihsaa), is not merely to take these
names upon a piece of paper and to recite them - as some people do.
In fact, the scholars have explained that ihsaa of the names
comprises three levels. The first of these is to memorise the names.
The second is to understand their meanings. And the third is to call
upon Allaah by these names and to act as they demand.

Eng. Transl. vol. 4, no. 6522.

Al-Bukhaaree, Eng. Transl. vo1. 8, no. 419 and Muslim, no.
6476.
4

As an example of this, we may take from the names of Allaah that of

(say), At-Tawwaab. We then understand that its meaning, He who
guides His servants to repent and accepts their repentance,' is telling
us that Allaah, the Majestic and Most High, accepts His servant's
repentance, guides them to repent and grants that to them. We also
understand that He, the Most High, is the only One to grant
forgiveness. Having understood all this, we act as the name
demands by repenting to Allaah from all our sins.
This is the manner in which we must memorise and understand all
the perfect names of Allaah. However, it is important that our
understanding of them should be correct and far removed from such
corrupt methodologies as ta'weel, which attempts to explain away
the meanings of Allaah's attributes by deviated and twisted
understandings, or ta'teel, which denies both the attributes and that
which they indicate - that which Allaah and His Messnger !
intended. No, our understanding is based upon the methodology of
the Salaf of the Ummah.
Allaah is Al-Ghafoor - The One who forgives,' and He is AlGhaffaar - The Oft-Forgiving,' and He is Al-'Afuww - The One who
pardons.' These, from the perfect names of Allaah, demand that we
constantly seek forgiveness, that we frequently repent and that we
turn in repentance to Allaah, the Most High. Yes, Allaah is indeed
the Cane who forgives. As He, the Most High, said in the Noble
Qur'aan:

Allaah does not forgive that anything is associated in worship

with Him, but He forgives whatever is lesser than shirk to
whomever He pleases. 5
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 guidance6
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.
Firstly, it is he who repents. Repentance - at-Tawbah - is the only
action that will cause all sins to be forgiven. It is reported,
"Repentance erases what came before it." It wipes away the previous
sins. Allaah forgives the sins of the repentant even if they are as
many as the foam of the ocean. As Allaah has said:

5
6

Soorah an-Nisaa (4): 48

Soorah Taa Haa (20):82.

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." 7
"Do not despair ..." means here, Repent to Allaah,' because He is,
indeed, the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Secondly, the one who fulfils Allaah's conditions for repentance is
he who, "... truly believes ...," he truly believes in Allaah, His
Angels, His Books and His Messengers. He believes in the
fundamentals of Eemaan.
The third condition for the one who is seeking Allaah's forgiveness
is that he, "... does righteous and correct deeds ...," he does these
after repenting. Devoting himself to worship, to Prayer, to
remembrance of Allaah, to fearing Him and to being mindful of
Him. By devoting himself to these deeds of the heart and limbs, he
turns to Allaah.
Fourthly, "... he remains constant upon right guidance ..." He
remains upright upon that, he does not break it nor turn back from
it. He remains upon it until he dies. Whoever is like that, Allaah
forgives his sins and conceals his faults. He is one of those who
attain the forgiveness of Allaah, the Majestic and Most High.
O my brothers, I mentioned at the beginning of this lecture that it
included the explanation of a tremendous way of seeking
7

Soorah az-Zutnar (39)54

10

forgiveness. It is a form of seeking forgiveness that the scholars have

mentioned as being the most excellent and most complete
Therefore, we should give great importance to memorising the
wording, to understanding it correctly and to acting upon it.
So from Shaddaad ibn Aws # from the Prophet ! that he said, "The
noblest and most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness is
that the servant says:

O Allaah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be

wrshipped except You. You created me, and I am Your
slave/worshipper. And I am faithful to my covenant and my
promise as far as I am able. I seek Your refuge from the evil of
what I have done. 8 I acknowledge before You all the favours
that You have bestowed upon me. And I confess all my sins to
You. So forgive me, since none can forgive sins except You.'

This wording occurs in one of the two narrations brought by

Bukhaaree.
8

11

The Prophet ! said, "Whoever says it in the day, with firm

conviction in it, and dies in that day before evening - then he
is from the people of Paradise. Whoever says it in the night,
with firm conviction in it, and he dies before the Morning then he is from the people of Paradise."
The scholars count this hadeeth as one of the narrations both for
the night and for the day - one of the dhikrs that should be said in
early morning (sabaah), between dawn and sunrise, and at the start
of the evening (masaa). Whoever says it and dies in that day, before
evening, will enter Paradise. Similarly, whoever says it at night, and
then dies before morning, will enter Paradise. Paradise is guaranteed
for him.
This tremendous hadeeth of Shaddaad ibn Aws # is reported by
al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh in the Book of Supplications, under the
title: Chapter: The most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness.'
He also quotes it in a second place in the same Book under the title:
Chapter: What to say when one gets up in the (early) morning.'
This shows that Imaam al-Bukhaaree (rahimahullah) holds that, in
the saying of the Prophet !, "The most excellent manner of
seeking forgiveness ..." to the end of the hadeeth, there is proof
that this is indeed the best wording for seeking forgiveness and the
wording that is most complete.
When we study and reflect upon these words and what they contain
with regard to all aspects of supplication: humble submission,
humility, ones abject poverty and need before Allaah,
acknowledgement of His favour and blessings, and the fact that
none forgives sins except Him-when we consider this, then it
becomes clear to us that the wording of this hadeeth is very great
and that it indeed deserves its description by the Prophet ! as, "The
noblest/most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness."

12

Furthermore, this is the only hadeeth of the noble Companion,

Shaddaad ibn Aws # that is reported by al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh
and it is a noteworthy fact that he reports it twice. This is a point of
benefit for the science of hadeeth and, although Muslim excludes it,
it is also reported by some of the compilers of the Sunan, such as
an-Nasaa'ee and at-Tirmidhee with wordings that also show the
importance of learning this manner of seeking forgiveness.
In a narration of at-Tirmidhee the Propeht ! said: Shall I not
guide you to the most excellent manner of seeking
forgiveness?" And, in a narration of an-Nasaa'ee he ! said, "Learn
the most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness." This shows
that learning this wording for seeking forgiveness from Allaah, the
Perfect and Most High, was encouraged by the Prophet.
The hadeeth is reported with other wordings close to this form, the
hadeeth of Aboo Hurairah, also Ibn 'Umar, Ibn Mas'ood, Ibn Abzaa
and Buraydah (#). However, the wordings of Shaddaad ibn Aws, is
that which al-Bukhaaree reports in his Saheeh, so it is befitting, O
my brothers, that we give precedent to memorisation of this
supplication which the Prophet described as the most excellent
manner of seeking forgiveness.
Regarding the meaning of this hadeeth, some of the people of
knowledge say that, because it is comprehensive, covering as it does
all the meanings of repentance (tawbah), it is entitled to be
considered the noblest and most excellent manner of seeking
forgiveness. This is why al-Bukhaaree gave it this heading in his
Saheeh: The best/most excellent (Afdal) manner of seeking
forgiveness.' Furthermore, the wording, in the saying of the Prophet
!, "Sayyidul-Istighfaar ... (literally: the Chief of Seeking
Forgiveness)" confirms its being the most excellent form of words. It

13

follows, therefore, that this wording, "The most excellent form of

seeking forgiveness is that which will bring the great benefit.
Prophet ! at the start of the supplication, "That the Servant says ..."
the word, "Allaahumma ..." means by agreement, "( Allaah!" (Yaa
Allaah) and it is a word whose meaning occur frequently both in the
Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of the Prophet
Ibn al-Qayylm (rahimahullah) said: There is no about the fact that
the word, Allaahumma' means, O Allaah!' Therefore it is not used
except when requesting. One does not say Allaahumma ghafoorun
raheem,' - O Allaah! Forgiving, Merciful.' Rather one should say: O
Allaah! Forgive me and have mercy upon me.
The scholars have explained that the tawheed we have been
commanded to realize and perfect , to apply and complete , falls in
two categories:
(i) Tawheed with regard to that which one must know and affirm.
(ii) Tawheed with regard to ones intentions and worship
(Tawheedul-Iraadah wat-Talab).
The saying of the Prophet !: "O Allaah! You are my Lord. None
has the right to be worshipped except You. You created me
and I am Your slave and worshipper ..." combines both of these
aspects.
The first of them, Tawheedul-Ma'rifah wal-Ithbaat (tawheed with
regard to that which one must know and affirm), comprises
Tawheedur-Ruboobiyyah (Tawheed of Allaah's Lordship) and
Tawheedul-Asmaa was-Sifaat (Tawheed of Allaah's names and
attributes). Tawheedur-Ruboobiyyah affirms that Allaah is the

14

Creator, the Providor, the One who grants all blessings, the One
who alone is in control of all the affairs of His creation.
Tawheedul-Asmaa was-Sifaat affirms His names and attributes, as
mentioned in His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet !.
These aspects of tawheed relate to matters that require knowledge
and affirmation. One must know that Allaah is the Creator, the
Providor, the One who grants all blessings, the One in control of all
affairs. One must know His names and attributes as mentioned in
His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet ! and one must
acknowledge and affirm all this. This is illustrated by his saying, "O
Allaah! You are my Lord, You created me ..." which affirms
Allaah's Lordship and that He alone is the Creator.
The second aspect, Tawheedul-Iraadah wat-Tatab, is the Tawheed
of worship and this demands that all worship is performed purely
and sincerely for Allaah alone. The saying, "You created me and I
am Your slave and worshipper is a proof for the Tawheed of
worship as mentioned by the scholars. If acknowledges that there is
no creator except Allaah, then it is binding upon him to worship
nothing except Allaah. The meaning occurs frequently in the
Qur'aan where Allaah Lordship, His creating, His granting
permission, His granting life and death are given as proofs for
worship being made solely for Him:

And I am your Lord, therefore worship Me alone 9

So just as their is no Lord for you besides Me, then there is none for
you to worship besides Me.' Allaah, the Most High says:
9

Soorah al-Anbiyaa (21):92

15

O mankind! Single out your Lord with all worship He who

created you and all those who came before you, that you may
be of those who seek to avoid Allaahs punishment and anger,
those whom Allaah is pleased with. He who has made the
earth a resting place for you, and has made the sky a canopy,
and Who sends down rain from the clouds, and who brought
out with crops and fruits from the earth as provision for you.
So do not set up rivals for Allaah in your worship when you
know that there is no Lord besides Him10
worship when you know ..." is addressed to those who did set
up such rivals. This is why Allaah addressed them in this manner.
As to what these people knew,' Ibn 'Abbaas # and others said, So
do not set up partners with Allaah in your worship when you know
that you have no Creator other than Allaah,' and this defines the
meaning of the saying of the Prophet !, "You created me and I am
Your slave and worshipper."
There is no Creator besides Allaah, therefore none has the right to
be worshipped except Allaah. We do not submit and humble
ourselves; we do not invoke and supplicate; we do not call for
10

Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 21-22

16

deliverance except to Allaah alone-the One Who brought us into

existence after we were nothing.
So, since there is no Creator besides Allaah, we do not direct any
worship to anyone but Him. The use of Tawheed of Allaah's
Lordship is a proof of Tawheed of worship. Therefore, a person who
supplicates to other than Allaah and invokes other than Allaah is to
be rebuked. He is not only rebuked for invoking those who can
neither benefit nor harm him, but also for forsaking the Creator, the
Provider, the One who benefits and harms, the One who grants all
blessings, He Who controls all the affairs of His creation.
So, when one considers - and this is the sad situation - some of
those who in these times attribute themselves to Islaam, it is
apparent that although they acknowledge that there is no Creator
except Allaah, although they indeed say, Laa ilaahaa illallaah,' they
are still to be found at shrines and tombs: the tomb of al-Badawee,
the graves of Zaynab and Nafeesah and so on. They make vows and
sacrifices to them. They call upon them foe deliverance. They make
request for things. They debase and humble themselves. They direct
all these acts worship to tombs that can neither harm nor benefit
anyone:

Say, O Muhammad, to those who worship others besides

Allaah, Call upon those you claim are deserving of worship
besides Allaah. They do not have the power to remove any

17

harm from you at all, nor even to move it away to someone

else. 11

Say, Call upon those who you claim are deserving of worship
besides Allaah. They do not possess or control an atoms
weight of good or evil, harm or benefit in the heavens and the
earth. Nor do they even possess a share in any of that. Nor is
there any helper for Allaah from amongst them. Nor does any
intercession benefit with Him except for him whom Allaah
grants permission." 12
Therefore, the One to whom supplication is to be made; the One
from whom deliverance is to be sought; the One who is to be relied
upon and worshipped is Allaah alone, the Creator.
This is an excellent point, a tremendous and noble matter that is
illustrated in this great hadeeth. Likewise, his saying, "None has the
right to be worshipped except You ..." is acknowledgement and
affirmation of Allaah's Divinity and right to be worshipped. It is a
statement of the Shahaadah Laa ilaaha illallaah' - none has the right
to be worshipped except Allaah.

11
12

Soorah al-Israa (17):56.

Soorah Saba (34):22-23
18

Thus, this tremendous declaration, that comes at the beginning of

this hadeeth, states the purpose of the whole of creation; that for
which the heavens and the earth were established and for which the
Paradise and the Fire were created; the reason why the people
became divided into two groups, the fortunate and the wretched-the
people of Paradise and the people of the Fire. Those who affirm this
saying are the people of Paradise and those who reject it are the
people of the Fire.
Then the scholars have clarified the fact that this saying will not be
of benefit to the one who says it unless he fulfills its conditions, and
these are mentioned in the Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of His
Prophet !. These conditions have been rendered into verse as
follows:
And it is qualified by seven conditions That are truly reported in the texts of
the Revelation. So one who says it will not be benefitted By saying it unless
he fulfils them. Knowledge, certainty, acceptance And compliance-realise
what I say And truthfulness, sincerity and love of it. May Allaah guide you
to that which He loves."
Here, the poet has stated seven very great conditions for, Laa ilaaha
illallaah,' and these are supported by many proofs in the Book of
Allaah and in the Sunnah of His Prophet !.
Next, his saying in the hadeeth, And I am Your slave /worshipper
('abduka) ... is an affirmation of Allaah's right to be worshipped
and that the creation are Allaah's slaves ('Ibaad). The servitude
('Uboodiyyah) of the creation is of two types: servitude to His
Lordship and servitude in worship of Him.
The servitude to the Lordship of Allaah means that the whole of
creation have been brought into existence by Allaah alone; that He

19

created them; that He provides for them; that He gives them life
and that He causes them to die. None shares with Him in this. For
these reasons, nothing in creation can escape this servitude to
Allaah's Lordship.

All (Angels) in the heavens, and all (men and Jinn) upon the
earth will come to the Most Merciful on the Day of judgement
as submissive slaves. Soorah Maryam (19):93.
Whereas servitude in worship of Him is something that He has
granted to some of His creation in particular-those who He has
guided and upon whom He has bestowed eemaan; those who He
has guided to obedience to the Most Merciful. So these are slaves
who worship Him. They submit to Him, obey Him, comply with
what He has legislated, carry out His orders and obey His
Messengers - the Prophets and those follow them. Therefore Allaah,
the Most High, ascribed them to Himself in the like of His saying:

And the slaves of the Most Merciful ...'

13

So these are part of Allaah's creation; those who are rightly guided guided by Allaah; those who devote themselves to the worship of
Allaah, to obedience to Him and to submission to what He, the
Perfect and Most High, has legislated.

13

Soorah al-Furqaan (25):63

20

As far as I understand, what is meant in this hadeeth by the saying

of the Prophet !, "I am Your slave and worshipper..." is the
servitude that is the worship of Allaah, since servitude to His
Lordship has already been indicated in his saying, "You created
me..." and in his saying, "O Allaah! You are my Lord." So his saying,
"... and I am Your slave and worshipper..." means, I am a
worshipper of You, obedient to You, one who carries out Your
commands and one who complies with what You have legislated.'
Thus, the hadeeth commences with these great and comprehensive
matters, which, as has been previously stated, pertain to Tawheed.
To discuss these matters fully would be very time-consuming, so
what has previously been mentioned in this respect will have to
suffice.
As for his saying, "And I am faithful to my covenant (to You) and
my promise (to You)-as far as I am able..." the people of knowledge
mention various meanings for it. Some scholars say that what it
means is, I am faithful to the covenant I have given and the
promise I have made to You, that I will have Eemaan in You and
that I will be purely and sincerely obedient to You, as far as I am
able.'
Thus the servant agrees and promises that he will truly believe. The
servant who says, "I am Your slave and worshipper..." means, I will
adhere to worshipping You.' He has made a covenant with Allaah
and has promised that he will remain upright upon obedience to
Allaah. Therefore the servant, in every Prayer -indeed in every
rak'ah - makes the promise to Allaah that he will worship Him and
not worship anything else besides Him; that he will call for His aid
and not call for that of anyone besides Him, purely and sincerely for
Allaah:

21

You alone do we worship, and Your aid alone do we seek.

14

Thus, in the hadeeth, when the servant says, "And I am faithful to

my covenant and my promise to You as far as I am able ..." he
means, I have agreed to the covenant and promised that I will
persist upon Eemaan, worship and compliance with your
commands, so I remain faithful to this ...' (knowing that) Allaah
does not place a burden on my soul that is greater than it can bear.
Other scholars say it is possible that the meaning is, I am faithful to
the covenant that You made binding upon me. To whatever
commands You have enjoined upon me and I will keep to that so far
as I am able.' So Allaah made a binding covenant ('ahida) upon us
that we should remain upon Eemaan. He commanded us with that
and He called us to it. So the servant says in his supplication, O
Allaah! I shall keep to the covenant that You have made binding
upon me with regard to Eemaan. I shall faithfully keep to it and
comply with it as far as I am able.'

14

Soorah al-Fatihah (1): 5

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The saying of the Prophet !: As for as I Allah's Messenger !

able is a qualification for all of this, making it dependent upon
ability and this is from the Mercy of Allaah to the Ummah. Some of
the people of knowledge say that this saying of the Prophet ! lays
down the condition of ability and that it is an acknowledgement of
one's weakness and deficiency whose meaning is, I am not able to
fully complete Eemaan nor to attain its highest level and most
perfect form. I acknowledge my weakness and shortcoming. I am
not able-so do not hold me to account for my weakness, deficiency
and falling short.' Allaah, the Most High, has said in the Noble
Qur'aan:

Allaah does place a burden on any soul greater than it can

bear. 15
And there occurs in a hadeeth that Allah, the Most High said: "I
have done (granted) it." 16 It is also reported from the Prophet, !
in the authentic hadeeth that he said, "If I command you with
something then do as much of it as you can, and whatever I forbid
you then leave it (altogether)." 17 So here, the point is explained by
the scholars that when he mentioned the command (al-Amr), he
made it dependent upon ability, since there may be some
commands that a person may not be able to carry out, or which he
may not be able to carry out fully. So the performance of the
command is made dependent upon ability. Thus, his saying, "... as
far as I am able ..." contains a message for the Ummah that no one

Soorah al-Baqarah (2):286

Reported by Muslim, Eng. Trans., vol. 1, no. 229.
17
Reported by al-Bukhaaree, Eng. Trans. vol. 9, no. 391.
15

16

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will be able to carry out every obligation that he has to Allaah, nor
to completely fulfill the obedience and thanks that is due from him
for the favors bestowed upon him. So Allaah had compassion upon
the Ummah and did not require from them in that regard except
what they were able to do: to strive and carry out acts of obedience
to Allaah; to give thanks for His favors and to implement eemaan as
far as one is able. Allaah knows each glare of the eye And that which
the hearts conceal.
However, when the Prophet ! mentioned the forbiddance he said,
"... and what I have forbidden you from, then leave it (altogether)."
He did not say "... as far as you are able," and, as the scholars say,
forbiddance means that one has to refrain from doing something.
This is within the ability of everybody.
Everyone is capable of refraining from fornication, theft, murder
and all matters that Allaah has forbidden. No one may say, I am
unable to leave anything from these affairs.' No one will say that
except a person who is corrupt and whose desire is to commit sins,
and Allaah's refuge is sought. Therefore, leaving forbidden things
was not made conditional upon ability.
Next, the saying of the Prophet I acknowledge before You all the
favors you have bestowed upon me, and I confess all my sins to
You," is both an affirmation and a confession. "I acknowledge..."
means, I acknowledge and affirm,' and this wording appears in
another narration of the hadeeth. It is an affirmation of Allaah's
favors, I affirm Your favors upon me.' If we examine and consider
the hadeeth we find that the affirmation is not restricted to any
specific favor. Rather, the Prophet ! left it unrestricted. So, "I
acknowledge Your favors upon me ..." means, I acknowledge and
affirm every favour with which You have blessed me.'

24

Whatever blessings you have are from Allaah.18

In the supplication, the saying of the servant, I acknowledge Your
favours upon me ...' is an acknowledgement of all of Allaah's favours:
the blessing of eemaan; the blessing of health and children; the
blessing of crops; the blessing of a house-every blessing is from
Allaah. He, the Perfect and Most High, is the One who grants and
bestows them.
Having acknowledged these blessings, it is necessary for the servant
to give thanks for them to Allaah, the Perfect and Most High. As
He, the Majestic and Most High has said:

And remember when Your Lord proclaimed, If you give

thanks will give you increase in blessings, but if you deny the
favours and are thankless, then I shall punish you severely." 19
So the servant must give thanks to Allaah for His favours with his
heart, his tongue and his actions. He praises and gives thanks for
the blessing and he expresses his thanks by obedience to Allaah.
With respect to the saying of the Prophet ! "I admit my sin..." the
people of knowledge mention two meanings. The first of these is, I
admit my sin in not fully giving thanks for Your favors,' and since, I
admit my sin ...' immediately follows the sentence, "I acknowledge

18
19

Soorah an-Nahl (16)3

Soorah Ibraheem (14): 7

25

Your favors upon me ..." it means, My sin in falling short ...'-I

admit that I fall short in giving thanks for Your favors.'
The other explanation is that his saying, I confess my sin...' may
mean, I confess all my sins,' unrestrictedly, that is, all my acts of
disobedience and every sin that I have committed.
By this admission that he has sinned, the servant acknowledges that
he has fallen short with regard to Allaah's rights upon him; that he
has not performed Allaah's rights as he should. It is this
acknowledgement that is the beginning of the road to repentance.
However, if he commits acts of disobedience and falls into
destructive sins, yet does not feel that he is a sinner, then
repentance is something far away from him unless he is guided to its
causes and granted the success of being put upon its path.
So there are two meanings of his saying, "I confess my sins ..." and
perhaps the more correct of the two, and Allaah knows best, is the
second. The servant's admission of having sinned and fallen short;
having erred and been deficient should lead to his seeking
forgiveness and this is the core meaning of the hadeeth.
Then, his saying, "I acknowledge Your favours upon me and I
confess my sins ..." contains an indication of a matter that is
mentioned by the people of knowledge. It is that the servant, in this
life, continually passes back and forth throughout the day and the
night between two affairs. These are either a blessing newly granted
to him by Allaah, and all blessings are from Allaah, and this requires
that he gives thanks. Alternatively, he falls into a sin and this
requires him to repent and to seek forgiveness. Therefore some of
the Salaf used to say, I enter the morning in between blessings and
sins, so I want to put forth thanks for the blessings and to seek
forgiveness for the sins.

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A further point of great benefit to be taken from the hadeeth is that,

whatever sin the servant has committed, if he acknowledges the fact
that he has sinned and then truly repents-Allaah accepts his
repentance, whatever the sin, and forgives him. This meaning is
clearly stated in another hadeeth, the long hadeeth of the doubt
(al-Ifk)', and the evidence here is the saying of the Prophet !, "If
the servant acknowledges his sin and repents, then Allaah
accepts his repentance." 20
Then his saying at the end of the hadeeth of Shaddaad ibn Aws #,
"None forgives sins except You," is an acknowledgement that Allaah
alone is the One who forgives sins, and that He is the One who
accepts repentance from His servants. Therefore the servant turns in repentance, obedience, seeking forgiveness and pardon - to Allaah
alone, since none forgives sins except Him.
Amongst the benefits to be obtained from the explanation and
clarification of this hadeeth is that it makes apparent to us the fact
that it contains two affairs: Tawheed and at-Istighfaar (seeking
forgiveness). These two are the greatest and most important of
affairs and they are similarly combined in many texts of the Book of
Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet !. From these texts is the
saying of Allaah, the Most High:

Then know that none deserves nor has the right to be

worshipped except Allaah, and ask for forgiveness for your sins
20

Reported by Muslim, End;. Trans. vol. 4, no. 6673

27

and also for believing men and believing women, for Allaah
knows well your actions whilst awake and whilst in your
places of sleep.21
Likewise Allaah mentions what Dhun-Noon
through the depths of the darkness:

22

said, calling out

None has the right to be worshipped but You, far removed

are You from imperfection! I have been one of those who have
wronged themselves! 23
There is also the Saying of Allaah, the Most High:

So make your worship purely for Allaah and seek His

forgiveness for your sins.' 24
So, in these aayaat, the Tawheed of Allaah and the seeking of His
forgiveness for sin are mentioned together and there are many texts
like these that combine the two matters, as they are combined in
this tremendous hadeeth - the hadeeth of the most excellent manner
of seeking forgiveness.
So to summarize briefly, this tremendous hadeeth comprises:
21

Soorah Muhammad (47):19.

i.e. Yoonus (Jonah) "
23
Soorah al-Anbiyaa (21):87.
24
Soorah Fussilat (41):6.
22

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(i) Acknowledgement of Allaah's Divinity and sole right to be

worshipped
(ii) Acknowledgement that He is the Creator
(iii) Acknowledgement of the Covenant that Allaah has taken from
His servants
(iv) The hope for that which He has promised them
(v) Seeking refuge from having transgressed against ones soul
(vi) Attribution of all blessings to the One who gave and granted
them, and that is Allaah alone
(vii) Attribution of sins and commission of mistakes to ones own
self
(viii) And it contains the servant's desire for forgiveness and his
acknowledgement that none can forgive except Allaah, the One free
of all imperfections.
In conclusion, O my brothers - may Allaah guide me and you to
every good and grant us success in attaining it - we say of this
mighty hadeeth, that comprises all these very great matters and all
these excellent, comprehensive and beneficial meanings, that it fully
deserves to bear the title, "The most excellent manner o f seeking
forgiveness."
It is therefore befitting that we give it the importance and attention
that it deserves - that we memorise its wording and make it one of

29

our adhkaar in the morning, after the Fajr prayer and in the
evening, either before or after sunset.
I repeat its wording for the sake of memorisation of it, and with its
repetition I complete this lecture and I ask Allaah that he may make
it beneficial ...
The most excellent manner of seeking forgiveness is that the servant
says:

O Allaah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be

wrshipped except You. You created me, and I am Your
slave/worshipper. And I am faithful to my covenant and my
promise as far as I am able. I seek Your refuge from the evil of
what I have done. I acknowledge before You all the favours
that You have bestowed upon me. And I confess all my sins to
You. So forgive me, since none can forgive sins except You.
I ask Allaah, the Noble and Generous, the Lord of the tremendous
Throne, by His perfect Names and by His lofty and sublime

30

attributes, that He provides us with His aid in establishing this and

every dhikr and every act of obedience to Him.
Allaah knows best, and may He extol and send blessings of peace
and security, and bless the slave of Allaah and His Messenger-our
Prophet Muhammmad. Our final call is that all praise is for Allaah,
the Lord of all creation.

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