Originally published on Jun 27, 2014 by MASJID DAAR US SUNNAH
Questioner:
Is
the one who says: “I ask for forgiveness from Allah The Greatest, Whom none is
worshipped in truth except Him, The One Who sustains and protects all that
exist, and I turn in repentance to Him” – seven times; forgiven of his sins
even if they are (abundant) like the foam of the ocean?
And
is there a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ regarding this (supplication)?
Shaykh
Abdul-Azeez ibn Baz:
Yes. There is a hadith regarding its virtue – narrated by Hakim and others, that encourages one to say these words: “I ask forgiveness from Allah, The One Whom none is worshipped in truth except Him, The Ever-living, The One Who sustains and protects all that exist, and I turn in repentance to Him.”
Saying
it abundantly has tremendous virtue, and is from the reasons for the
forgiveness of sins for the one who is truthful in that regard, and repents to
Allah – The One free and exalted above all imperfections. It is a tremendous
[supplication] of forgiveness.
However,
this tremendous virtue only occurs for the one who repents with true repentance.
For this (reason) He said: “I ask forgiveness from Allah, The One Whom none is
worshipped in truth except Him, The Ever-living, The One Who sustains and
protects all that exist, and I turn in repentance to Him.”
True
repentance comprises of 3 affairs: 1. Refraining from the sins and abandoning
them out of obedience to Allah and glorification of Him. 2. Being remorseful,
grieved and saddened over the sins that took place. 3. Having truthful
determination not to return to them. When an individual repents in this manner,
Allah expiates his sins completely, large or small.
There
is a fourth condition – If the sin is related to a right of the creation
(people), then it is a must that the right is returned to its owners; (i.e.) if
it is a debt or misdemeanour – meaning, taking a persons’s wealth or stealing or
the likes of that. It is a must that the wealth is returned to whom it belongs
to, or that he (the sinner) is disentangled from that.
In
short; from the completion of repentance from (taking) the right of the
creation, is that he gives them (back) their right or he disentangles himself
from them in that regard. If they pardon him, then their right is canceled.
Therefore,
repentance from the right of the creation is not complete except by giving the person his right or being
disentangled from it. If he pardons him (for taking his right) and disentangles
him, then there is no problem.
أسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ
الَّذِي لَا إلَهَ إلَّا هُوَ، الحَيُّ القَيُّومُ، وَأتُوبُ إلَيهِ
“I
ask forgiveness from Allah, The One Whom none is worshipped in truth except
Him, The Ever-living, The One Who sustains and protects all that exist, and I
turn in repentance to Him.”
For better & larger viewing kindly see article/video here>> http://dusunnah.com/video/whoever-says-this-seven-times-will-be-forgiven-shaykh-abdul-aziz-ibn-baz/
