Khutbah Title: The Virtues of Istighfaar 

Khateeb’s Name: Sheykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan Al-Fawzaan

First Khutbah :

To proceed:

O servants of Allaah, fear Allaah The Almighty and know that Allaah The Almighty commanded us in many Ayaat (i.e. verses) of His Noble Book to turn to Him with repentance and seeking His forgiveness for our sins. Moreover, He The Exalted called Himself the Perpetual Forgiver, The Forgiver of Sin, the One Who owns forgiveness, praised those who keep seeking forgiveness and promised to give them great rewards. All of such things indicate the great importance of seeking forgiveness, its virtue and our dire need to it. Allaah The Almighty has related to us that His Prophets, peace be upon them, used to seek His forgiveness and turn to Him with repentance. Amongst this, Allaah The Almighty mentioned that our Parents (Adam and Eve), peace be upon them, said (as Allaah The Almighty says on their behalf what means): {Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.} [Al-A‘raaf: 23]

He The Exalted mentioned that Nooh (i.e. Noah), peace be upon him, said (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf what means): {[Noah] said, "My Lord, I seek refuge in You from asking that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I will be among the losers."} [Hood: 47].  

And he (i.e. Nooh) also said (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf what means): {“My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women…”} [Nooh: 28].

He The Exalted mentioned that Moosa (i.e. Moses), peace be upon him, said (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf what means): {"My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself…”[Al-Qasas: 16].

He The Exalted mentioned that His Prophet Daawood (i.e. David), peace be upon him, said (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf what means): {…and he asked forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing [in prostration] and turned in repentance [to Allaah].} [Saad: 24]

He The Exalted mentioned that His Prophet Sulaymaan (i.e. Solomon), peace be upon him, said (as Allaah The Almighty says on his behalf what means): {"My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me…”} [Saad: 35].

He The Exalted commanded the seal of the His Messengers i.e. our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him, saying (what means): {…and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women…} [Muhammad:19] and commanded us to seek His forgiveness saying (what means): {…so take a straight course to Him and seek His forgiveness...} [Fussilat: 6].

He The Exalted also said in Hadeeth Qudsi : “…O My slaves, you commit sin night and day, and I forgive all sins, so ask Me for forgiveness and I will forgive you.”

O servants of Allaah, seeking forgiveness has many great benefits. Amongst them is that it is a cause of forgiving sins and expiating evil deeds as it was reported in the Hadeeth: “…so ask Me for forgiveness and I will forgive you.”

Also, He The Exalted says (what means): {And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allaah will find Allaah Forgiving and Merciful.} [An-Nisaa’: 110].

In the Hadeeth Qudsi, Allaah The Almighty said: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon 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 were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you and I would not mind.”

Amongst the benefits of seeking Allaah’s forgiveness is that it averts punishment and protects against torment. Allaah The Almighty says (what means): {…and Allaah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.} [Al-Anfaal: 33].

Amongst the other benefits of seeking Allaah’s forgiveness is that it is a cause of relieving distresses, bringing provision and getting out from every constriction it. In this regard, it was reported in Sunan Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah from Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with them, that the Messenger of Allaah, peace and blessing be upon him, said: “If someone clings to asking for forgiveness, Allaah will appoint him a way out of every constriction, and relief from every care and will provide for him from where he does not reckon.”

Furthermore, benefits of Seeking Allaah’s forgiveness include that it is a cause of sending down rain and increasing wealth, children, trees and even water. That is because Allaah The Almighty says (what means): {And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers. And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.} [Nooh: 10-12].

He The Exalted also says (what means) on the behalf of Hood, peace be upon him: {And O my people, ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in showers and increase you in strength [added] to your strength.} [Hood: 52].

O servants of Allaah, seeking Allaah’s forgiveness is prescribed and permissible in all times. However, there are some times and conditions in which seeking Allaah’s forgiveness has greater virtues and benefits. It is recommended to seek Allaah’s forgiveness after completing the different acts of worship so that it may be an expiation for the defection or shortcoming that may occur in them. It is also prescribed to be done after five daily prayers. The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, used to seek Allaah’s forgiveness thrice after every obligatory prayer. That is because one may do something wrong in his prayer due to an carelessness or forgetfulness.

It is also prescribed to be done at the end of the supererogatory prayer of night. Allaah The Almighty says (what means) regarding the righteous: {They used to sleep but little of the night, And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness.} [Ath-Thaaritaat: 17-18].  

He The Exalted also says (what means): {…And those who seek forgiveness before dawn…} [Aal-‘Imraan: 17].

Also, seeking Allaah’s forgiveness is prescribed to be done after departing from ‘Arafaat and ending standing there. Allaah The Almighty says (what means): {Then depart from the place from where [all] the people depart and ask forgiveness of Allaah . Indeed, Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.} [Al-Baqarah: 199].

It is also prescribed to be recited at the end of every assembly for the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, commanded that when one intends to leave an assembly to say: “Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bihamdika, ’astaghfiruka wa 'atoobu ’ilayka (Glory is to You, O Allaah, and praise is to You. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You).” In this way, if the assembly implies goodness, then this will be like a stamp over it and if not, then it will be an expiation for it.

 It is also prescribed to be recited at the end of one’s life and when one gets old for Allaah The Almighty says (what means) to his Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, when the end of his life approached: {In the name of Allaah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. When the victory of Allaah has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of Allaah in multitudes, Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever accepting of repentance.} [An-Nasr: 1-3].

Allaah The Almighty has made the conquest of Makkah and people entering into the religion of Allaah in crowds a sign of the end of the life of the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, and ordered him to seek forgiveness.

O my fellow Muslim, adhere firmly to seeking forgiveness in all times and make a great deal of this in the mentioned times and conditions so that you may get this virtues and attain this goodness. Actually, our Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, used to make a great deal of seeking forgiveness.

Imam Ahmad and all compliers of Sunnan reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them, that he said, ‘We used to count the Messenger of Allaah, peace and blessing be upon him, in a single sitting, saying, ‘Rabb ighfirli wa tub ‘alayya, Innaka Antat-Tawaab-ur-Raheem (O my Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance. Indeed, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most-Merciful’ one-hundred times.”

It was also narrated in a good Isnaad  that the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, said: “Blessed is the person who finds many pleas for forgiveness [from Allaah The Almighty], in his [or her] record of deeds.” 

Second Khutbah

O servants of Allaah, Istighfaar means seeking forgiveness from Allaah The Almighty so that He may erase and forgive sins and conceal flaws. It should be accompanies with giving up sins and misdeeds. As for the one who says Astaghfir Allaah (I ask Allaah to forgive me) with his tongue while he is still doing sins, then surely he is a liar and seeking forgiveness will avail him nothing. Al-Fudhial ibn ‘Iyaadh, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “Seeking forgiveness without giving up sins is the Taubah (repentance) of the transgressors.”

Another one said: “Our seeking forgiveness itself needs another seeking of forgiveness.” That is to say that the one who seeks forgiveness while he has not renounced sins yet, then his seeking forgiveness needs another seeking of forgiveness.

So, let us consider the reality of our seeking of forgiveness so that we may not be included among the liars who seek forgiveness with their tongues while they are still committing sins.

O servants of Allaah, there are some wordings for seeking forgiveness reported from the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, and Muslim individual should recite. Amongst them are:

-        “Rabb ighfirli wa tub ‘alayya, Innaka Antat-Tawaab-ur-Raheem (O my Lord, forgive me and accept my repentance. Indeed, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most-Merciful).’”

-        “Astaghfirullaahal-‘Atheem al-lathee laa ’ilaaha ’'illaa Huwal-Hayyul-Qayyoomu wa ’atoobu 'ilayhi (I seek the forgiveness of Allaah the Mighty, Whom there is none worthy of worship except Him, the Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him.”

-        The best invocation for seeking forgiveness is to say: Allaahumma ’Anta Rabbee laa ’ilaaha ’'illaa ’'Anta, khalaqtanee wa ’anaa ‘abduka, wa ’anaa ‘alaa ‘ahdika wa wa‘dika mas-tata‘tu, ’'a'‘oothu  bika min sharri maa sana‘tu, ’aboo’u laka bini‘matika ‘alayya, wa ’aboo’u bithanbee faghfir lee fa’innahu laa yaghfiruth-thunooba ’'illaa ’'Anta (O Allaah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship but You. You created me and I am your slave. I keep Your covenant, and my pledge to You so far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I admit to Your blessings upon me, and I admit to my misdeeds. Forgive me, for there is none who may forgive sins but You), whoever recites this with conviction in the evening and dies during that night shall enter Paradise, and whoever recites it with conviction in the morning and dies during that day shall enter Paradise.” [Reported by Al-Bukhaari]

I seek refuge in Allaah from Satan the outcast: Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous. Who spend [in the cause of Allaah ] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allaah loves the doers of good; And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allaah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allaah ? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know. Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow [in Paradise], wherein they will abide eternally; and excellent is the reward of the [righteous] workers.} [Aal-‘Imraan: 133-136]. 

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