609. Duaas For Seeking Forgiveness

By Asma bint Shameem  

There are many, MANY, most beautiful Duaas from the Qur’aan and authentic Sunnah about seeking forgiveness from Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala 

Here are only a few. 

FROM THE QUR’AAN:

1. Duaa of Adam Alaiyhis-Salaatu was-Salaam to Allaah 

رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

“ 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.” (Surah al Aaraaf:23)

2. The duaa of the righteous 

 رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ

"Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving people." (Surah Aal-Imraan:147)

3. Duaa of Ibraheem Alaiyhis-Salaatu was-Salaam 

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ

"Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers on the Day when the reckoning will be established." (Surah Ibraheem:41)

4. Duaa of Nuh Alaiyhis-Salaatu was-Salaam 

رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۖ

“My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women.” (Surah Nuh: 28)

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

‘Whoever sought forgiveness for believing men and believing women, Allaah writes a good deed for him for every believing man and woman.”

(at-Tabrani- hasan by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jami’ no. 6026)

5. Duaa of Yunus Alaiyhis-Salaatu was-Salaam 

لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ 

“There is no God but You; Glory be to You, Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers” 

(Surah al-Anbiyah: 87)

FROM THE SUNNAH 

1. The BEST duaa for seeking forgiveness

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam called this duaa “syedul Istighfaar” or “The Master (the best) of prayers for forgiveness”

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ

“O Allaah! You are my Rabb. There is no true god except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I hold to Your Covenant as far as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge thefavors  that You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to you my sins. Pardon me, for none but You has the power to pardon.” 

He said: 

“Whoever says this during the day, believing in it firmly, and dies on that day before evening comes, he will be one of the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night, believing firmly in it, and dies before morning comes, he will be one of the people of Paradise.” 

(al-Bukhaari)

2. The Duaa that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam taught Aaishah radhi Allaahu anhaa 

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي

“O Allaah, indeed You are Pardoning, [Generous,] You love pardon, so pardon me.” (al-Tirmidhī)

3. The Duaa the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam taught Abu Bakr radhi Allaahu anhu 

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا، وَلاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مِنْ عِنْدِكَ مَغْفِرَةً، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ 

“O Allaah! I have wronged my soul very much (oppressed myself), and none forgives the sins but You; so please bestow Your Forgiveness upon me. No doubt, You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (al-Bukhaari)

4. The duaa that we say multiple times a day in between the two sujood 

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وَارْحَمْنِي، وَاهْدِنِي، وَاجْبُرْنِي، وَعَافِنِي، وَارْزُقْنِي، وَارْفَعْنِي

“O Allaah forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, support me, protect me, provide for me and elevate me.”

(Ibn Majah, at-Tirmidhi)

5. The duaa that the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said in one sitting 100 times. 

‎رَبِّ اغْفِرْلِیْ وَ تُبْ عَلَیَّ اِنَّکَ اَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِیْمُ۔

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

(Abu Dawood and others- saheeh by al-Albaani)

6. The duaa that the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to recite in his prayer before saying the tasleem:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَ مَا أَخَّرْتُ وَ مَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَ مَا أَعْلَنْتُ وَ مَا

أَسْرَفْتُ  وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي. أَنْتَ المُقَدِّمُ وَ أَنْتَ المُؤَخِّرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَا أَنْتَ 

“O Allah! Forgive me what I have done in the past, and what I will do in the future, and what I have concealed, and what I have done openly, and what I have exceeded in, and whatever You are More Knowing of than I. You are the  One who Brings Forward, and You are the One who Delays, there is no (true) diety except You.” (Ahmad, Saheeh)

And there are MANY more. 

And Allaah knows best

608. Can I Read More Than One Surah After Surah Al-Faatihah In Salaah?

By Asma bint Shameem 

Yes it is permissible to read more than one Surah in the same rak’ah after al-Faatihah in your prayer. 

The recitation of a Surah after Surah al-Faatihah is a *flexible* matter. 

You can read one “whole” Surah or “part” of a Surah or read “more than one Surah” after Surah al-Faatihah in the same rak’ah.

(In fact the recitation of the Qur’aan after Surah al-Faatihah is not mandatory)

 Proof:

The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam recited two Surahs after al-Faatihah in many prayers, and these Surahs are called “ *النظائر*“ or “*pairs*”. 

There are several ahaadeeth about that. 

For example:

A man came to Ibn Mas’ood radhi Allaahu anhu and said: 

“I recite al-Mufassal in one rak’ah.” (“Al-Mufassal” is that portion of the Qur’aan that starts with Surah Qaf, up to the end of the Qur’aan)

He said, 

“That is too quick, like reciting poetry. 

But the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam  used to recite ‘*pairs*’, two Surahs in one rak’ah: 

al-Najm and al-Rahmaan in one rak’ah, al-Qamar and al-Haaqqah in one rak’ah, al-Toor and al-Dhaariyyaat in one rak’ah, al-Waaqi’ah and al-Qalam in one rak’ah, al-Ma’aarij and al-Naaz’iaat in one rak’ah, al-Mutaffifoon and ‘Abasa in one rak’ah, al-Muddaththir and al-Muzzammil in one rak’ah, al-Insaan and al-Qiyaamah in one rak’ah, al-Naba’ and al-Mursalaat in one rak’ah, al-Dukhaan and al-takweer in one rak’ah.”

(Abu Dawood 1396; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood) 

And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam recited three Surahs, one after the other in one rak’ah, when he prayed Tahajjud. 

Hudhayfah radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“I prayed with the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam one night, and he started to recite *al-Baqarah*. I thought, he will do rukoo when he reaches one hundred aayaat, but he kept going. I thought, he will complete it in one rak’ah, but he kept going. I thought, he will do rukoo now, but he started to recite *al-Nisaa*, and he recited all of it, then he started to recite *Aal Imraan* and recited all of it.”

(Muslim 772)

AbdulAziz ibn Jurayj said: 

I asked A’ishah radhi Allaahu anhaa, mother of the believers:

“With which (surah) the Messenger of Allaah (Subhanu wa Taala) used to observe *witr*? 

She said:

“In the third rak'ah he would recite: "Say, He is Allaah, the One" (Surah al-Ikhlaas 112), and "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak" (Surah al-Falaq 113), and "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind" (Surah an-Naas 114).

(Abu Dawood 1424: saheeh by al-Albaani) 

And many other examples. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

“It is permissible for a person to recite two or three Surahs after al-Faatihah, or he may limit himself to just one, or he may divide a Surah in two halves (split between two rak’ahs). 

All of these are permissible, because of the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says:

“So, recite you of the Qur’aan as much as may be easy for you”

[al-Muzzammil 73:20]

And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam  said: 

“Then recite whatever you can of the Qur’aan.” 

(Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 13/question no. 500)

And Allaah knows best

607. Writing On The Mus-haf

By Asma Bint Shameem

Generally speaking, it’s not encouraged to write in the Mus-haf. But you can write on the side IF there’s a NEED. 

You can also write in pencil instead of using a pen or marker etc., so that you can erase it later. 

Or you can use “sticky notes” or other removable ‘markers’. 

And although some scholars were very strict about writing “anything” in the Mus-haf, some scholars allowed it. 

Shaykh Saalih bin Muhammad al-Luhaydaan said:

“Have you not seen published books where the explanation are in the margins of the Mushaf? Tafsir Jalaalayn is in the margins of the Mushaf, Tafsir Baydaawi is in the margins of the Mushaf, and those other than these.

[There is no issue with writing in the Mushaf] so long as they are written in the margins and does not resemble the writing of the Noble Qur’an.”

And Allaah knows best

606. The “Will” In Islaam Is NOT The Same As The Will Of The Non-Muslims

By Asma Bint Shameem

Sometimes they write entire estates to their dogs and deprive their own flesh and blood! 

Subhaan Allaah!

Our deen is the most just and looks after the interests of all concerned. 

Alhamdulillaah what a beautiful Deen. 

We have to follow the guidelines set up by the Sharee’ah when writing a will. 

We cannot just write whatever we want in our will and give the money to whoever and deprive whoever. 

That’s not allowed in the Sharee’ah. 

It’s not allowed to write a will regarding the heirs (those that will automatically get a part of the inheritance as per the Sharee’ah)

Your spouse and children are among your heirs.

So it’s not allowed for you to write a will regarding them. 

That’s because their share has already been outlined by Allaah. 

The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said: 

“Allaah has given everyone who is entitled his rights, so there is no will concerning the heir.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2046).”

Inheritance can only be divided after the *death* of a person. 

The inheritance must only be divided according to the rules clearly outlined in the Qur’aan by Allaah Himself. 

The money automatically goes to whoever the surviving rightful heirs are after the death of the person. 

Also each person will leave behind his or her wealth and that will be divided upon his or her death according to “who” the surviving heirs are. So we can’t really say for sure who will be alive at that time. 

If a person wants to divide his property and it’s in his final sickness, and the person is about to die, then that’s allowed. 

And in this situation, this would be called a “bequest”. 

And one can only bequeath up to *one third* of their estate to someone. 

However a person can NOT  bequeath anything to *his shar’ee heir*  because  the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam forbade that. 

He Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“Allaah has given each person who has rights his rights, and there is no bequest to an heir.”

(Abu Dawood; saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood)

3. It is permissible to divide some property or wealth among the heirs during the lifetime of a person, when he’s in GOOD HEALTH. 

This would be considered a “gift” and can NOT be called “inheritance”. 

A person can “gift” his children or spouse some property or money during his lifetime, as long as he is FAIR in his division. 

And his intention is not to *‘deprive’* a rightful heir. 

This gift has to be JUST and given to ALL his children equally according to the majority of the scholars. 

He cannot give to one of his children and exclude the others,

UNLESS the children don’t mind and WILLFULLY agree with that, without any pressure or compulsion. 

Anyone who divides unfairly, against his children’s will is sinful in the sight of Allaah. 

And he has to answer to Allaah for his unfairness. 

al-Nu’maan radhi Allaahu anhu said that his father brought him to the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam and said, 

“I have given this son of mine a slave.” 

He said, 

“Have you given a similar gift to all of your sons?” 

He said, 

“No.” 

He said, 

“Then take it back.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

According to another version he said: 

“Fear Allaah and treat your children fairly.” 

So he went back and took back his gift.” (al-Bukhaari)

Imaams Abu Haneefah, Maalik, ash-Shaafa‘i and Ibn al-Mubaarak said: 

“The female is to be given the same as the male, because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said to Basheer ibn Sa‘d: 

“Treat them fairly (equally)” and he explained that by saying: “Would you like them all to honor you equally?” 

He said: 

“Yes.” 

He said: 

“Then treat them fairly (equally).” 

And the daughter is like the son in terms of the duty to honor the parents, and the same applies to giving gifts to her. 

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: 

The Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: “Treat your children fairly (equally) in giving gifts; and if I were to have given precedence to anyone, I would have given precedence to women over men.” Narrated by Sa‘eed in his Sunan. 

And because it is a gift given during one’s lifetime, so male and female are to be treated equally, as is the case with regard to spending on maintenance and clothing.”

But if someone gives one or some of his children and excludes his other children with the WILLFUL CONSENT of the others and they’re not under any pressure etc then it’s allowed to do so and the person is not sinful. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz said:  

“The father (mother) must be just and fair to his children, males and females. It is not permissible for him to give gifts to some of them and not to others, EXCEPT with the consent of those who are not given, if they are mature. Their consent should not be given out of fear of their father, rather it should be given willingly, with no threats or fear of their father. Not differentiating between them is better in all cases, and is better for their hearts, because the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: “Fear Allaah and treat your children justly.” Saheeh – agreed upon.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 9/452)

And Allaah knows best