Three Ways to Forgiveness

By Imam Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī (رحمه الله)

This treatise is from Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī's book "Jāmi' al-'Ulūm wal-Ḥikam", which is an explanation of the forty-two famous ḥadīth collected by Imām an-Nawawī. This ḥadīth (number forty-two) contains three ways to obtain forgiveness from Allah.

The Ḥadīth

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنَّكَ مَا دَعَوْتَنِي وَرَجَوْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْكَ وَلاَ أُبَالِي

يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ لَوْ بَلَغَتْ ذُنُوبُكَ عَنَانَ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ اسْتَغْفَرْتَنِي غَفَرْتُ لَكَ

يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنَّكَ لَوْ أَتَيْتَنِي بِقُرَابِ الأَرْضِ خَطَايَا ثُمَّ لَقِيتَنِي لاَ تُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا لأَتَيْتُكَ بِقُرَابِهَا مَغْفِرَةً

Translation: Allah (تعالى) said, "Oh son of Adam, as long as you call on Me and hope in Me, I will forgive you for whatever (sins) you have and I will not mind. Oh son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds in the sky and then were you to ask for My forgiveness, I would forgive you and I would not mind. Oh son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins as much as the earth and then you meet Me not worshipping anything else along with Me, I would come to you with as much forgiveness."

AuthenticRecorded by at-Tirmidhī (no. 3540)Verify on Sunnah.com

The First Way: Hopeful Supplication

الطريقة الأولى: الدعاء بالرجاء

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The Command to Call Upon Allah

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ

Wa qāla rabbukum ud'unī astajib lakum

Translation: And your Lord said, "Call upon Me, I will answer you."

Reference: Quran 40:60

Supplication is a form of worship. We have been commanded to do it and have been promised a response.

2

Certainty of Response

اُدْعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَنْتُمْ مُوقِنُونَ بِالإِجَابَةِ

Ud'ullāha wa antum mūqinūna bil-ijābah

Translation: Call upon Allah while you are certain of the response.

Reference: Tirmidhi 3479

The caller should put his whole heart into his supplication and have certain hope that Allah will answer him.

3

Do Not Say "If You Wish"

لاَ يَقُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي إِنْ شِئْتَ

Lā yaqūlanna ahadukum: Allāhumma-ghfir lī in shi'ta

Translation: None of you should say, "Oh Allah, forgive me if you want." Instead, be certain and determined in asking.

Reference: Bukhari 6339, Muslim 2679

Be resolved and certain in your request and increase your hope because nothing is too great for Allah to give.

4

Supplication in Fear and Hope

وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا

Wad'ūhu khawfan wa ṭama'an

Translation: And call upon Him in fear and hope. For sure, the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good.

Reference: Quran 7:56

Do not lose hope even if time passes. Allah loves those who are persistent and constantly supplicate.

5

Supplication for Paradise and Protection from Fire

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ

Allāhumma innī as'aluka al-jannata wa a'ūdhu bika minan-nār

Translation: Oh Allah, I ask You for Paradise and I seek Your protection from the Fire.

Reference: Abu Dawud 792, Ibn Majah 910

In general, it is about that (the fire & Paradise) that we constantly supplicate for.

6

Response to Supplication

مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَدْعُو بِدَعْوَةٍ لَيْسَ فِيهَا إِثْمٌ وَلاَ قَطِيعَةُ رَحِمٍ إِلاَّ أَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا أَحَدَ ثَلاَثٍ

Mā min muslimin yad'ū bi-da'watin laysa fīhā ithmun wa lā qiṭi'atu raḥimin illā a'ṭāhu Allāhu bihā aḥada thalāthin

Translation: No Muslim supplicates for anything – as long as it does not pertain to anything sinful or the cutting off of kinship ties – except that Allah will give him as a reward for it one of three things: either Allah will immediately respond to his supplication, or he will save the person's reward for him in the hereafter, or Allah will prevent a similar evil from befalling him.

Reference: Ahmad - Authentic

Allah may respond immediately, save the reward for the hereafter, or prevent a similar evil from occurring.

Taken from "Three Ways to Forgiveness" by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī

The Second Way: Asking Allah for Forgiveness

الطريقة الثانية: الاستغفار

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Command to Seek Forgiveness

وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

Wastaghfirullāha innallāha ghafūrun raḥīm

Translation: And ask forgiveness from Allah. Surely, Allah is forgiving, merciful.

Reference: Quran 2:199

Seeking forgiveness has been mentioned many times in the Quran in the form of commands.

2

Seeking Forgiveness and Repentance

وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ

Wastaghfirū rabbakum thumma tūbū ilayhi

Translation: And seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him.

Reference: Quran 11:3

Seeking forgiveness means asking for Allah's forgiveness by the tongue, while repentance means to refrain from sinning.

3

Those Who Seek Forgiveness Before Dawn

وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحَارِ

Wal-mustaghfirīna bil-asḥār

Translation: ...and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.

Reference: Quran 3:17

Allah praises those who consistently ask for His forgiveness, especially before dawn.

4

Forgiveness for Those Who Remember and Ask

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ

Walladhīna idhā fa'alū fāḥishatan aw ẓalamū anfusahum dhakarullāha fastaghfarū lidhunūbihim

Translation: And those who, if they commit an immoral deed or wrong themselves, they remember Allah and ask for forgiveness for their sins. And who can forgive sins other than Allah?

Reference: Quran 3:135

Those who do not persist in sin and remember Allah and seek forgiveness will be forgiven.

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The Servant Who Sins and Asks Forgiveness

إِنَّ عَبْدًا أَصَابَ ذَنْبًا فَقَالَ: رَبِّ أَصَبْتُ ذَنْبًا فَاغْفِرْ لِي

Inna 'abdan aṣāba dhanban faqāla: Rabbī aṣabtu dhanban faghfir lī

Translation: There was a servant who committed a sin and then said, "My Lord, I have sinned so forgive me." Allah replied, "My servant knows he has a Lord who forgives sins and takes them to account. I have forgiven my servant."

Reference: Bukhari 7507, Muslim 2758

As long as he continues in this state: whenever he sins, he simply (but sincerely) asks Allah for forgiveness.

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The Best Way to Seek Forgiveness

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ

Allāhumma anta rabbī lā ilāha illā anta khalaqtanī wa anā 'abduka

Translation: Oh Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god worthy of worship but You. You created me and I am Your servant. And I abide by Your covenant and promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I have done, I acknowledge before You Your favors on me, and I confess to You my sin. So, forgive me, because surely no one can forgive sins except You.

Reference: Bukhari 6306, Tirmidhi 3393

The best way to seek forgiveness is to start by praising your Lord, then confess the sin, and then ask for Allah's forgiveness.

7

Abu Bakr's Supplication for Forgiveness

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا

Allāhumma innī ẓalamtu nafsī ẓulman kathīran

Translation: Oh Allah, I have certainly wronged myself with much transgression. And no one forgives sins except You. So, forgive me with forgiveness from Yourself and have mercy on me. Surely You are the Forgiving, the Most Merciful.

Reference: Bukhari 834, Muslim 2705

A supplication taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Abu Bakr for use in prayer.

8

Seeking Forgiveness from the Magnificent

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ الَّذِي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ

Astaghfirullāha al-'aẓīma alladhī lā ilāha illā huwa al-ḥayyu al-qayyūmu wa atūbu ilayhi

Translation: I ask forgiveness from Allah, the greatest, other than whom there is no god worthy of worship, the Ever-Living, the Controller of everything. And I repent to Him.

Reference: Tirmidhi 3397

A comprehensive way to ask forgiveness that includes repentance.

9

The Prophet's Frequent Seeking of Forgiveness

وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً

Wallāhi innī lastaghfirullāha wa atūbu ilayhi fil-yawmi akthara min sab'īna marratan

Translation: By Allah, I ask Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him during the day more than seventy times.

Reference: Bukhari 6307

The Prophet (peace be upon him) would seek forgiveness frequently throughout the day.

10

Seeking Forgiveness a Hundred Times

إِنَّهُ لَيُغَانُ عَلَى قَلْبِي وَإِنِّي لأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ

Innahu layaghānu 'alā qalbī wa innī lastaghfirullāha fil-yawmi mi'ata marratin

Translation: Certainly my heart becomes preoccupied, but I still seek Allah's forgiveness a hundred times in a day.

Reference: Muslim 2702, Abu Dawud 1515

Even when the heart becomes preoccupied, one should continue seeking forgiveness regularly.

Taken from "Three Ways to Forgiveness" by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī

The Third Way: Tawḥīd

الطريقة الثالثة: التوحيد

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Tawḥīd is the Greatest Means

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ

Innallāha lā yaghfiru an yushraka bihi wa yaghfiru mā dūna dhālika liman yashā'

Translation: Surely, Allah does not forgive that others should be worshipped along with Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that to whom He wills.

Reference: Quran 4:48

Tawḥīd is the greatest way to obtain forgiveness. Whoever loses tawḥīd loses forgiveness, and whoever comes to Allah with tawḥīd has come with the greatest means of earning His forgiveness.

2

Forgiveness with Tawḥīd

وَمَنْ لَقِيَنِي بِقُرَابِ الأَرْضِ خَطِيئَةً لاَ يُشْرِكُ بِي شَيْئًا لَقِيتُهُ بِمِثْلِهَا مَغْفِرَةً

Wa man laqiyanī bi-qurābi al-arḍi khaṭī'atan lā yushriku bī shay'an laqītuhu bimithlihā maghfiratan

Translation: Oh son of Adam! If you were to come to Me with sins as much as the earth and then you meet Me not worshipping anything else along with Me, I would come to you with as much forgiveness.

Reference: Tirmidhi 3540 - Authentic

Whoever comes with tawḥīd and, along with it, the earth full of sins, Allah will meet him with as much forgiveness.

3

The Power of Tawḥīd

التَّوْحِيدُ هُوَ أَعْظَمُ الدَّوَاءِ

At-tawḥīdu huwa a'ẓamu ad-dawā'

Translation: Tawḥīd is the greatest medicine.

Reference: Ibn Rajab

If even a small amount was dropped on a mountain of sins and bad deeds, it would replace them all with good deeds.

4

Complete Tawḥīd

مَنْ أَحْصَى أَسْمَاءَ اللَّهِ الْحُسْنَى دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ

Man aḥṣā asmā'a Allāhi al-ḥusnā dakhalal-jannah

Translation: Whoever actualizes tawḥīd with his heart completely empty of everything but Allah out of love, honor, respect, fear, hope, and reliance, then that would remove all his sins and misdeeds even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.

Reference: Ibn Rajab

If a servant's tawḥīd is complete and he is sincere to Allah in it and fulfills all its conditions, then that would secure for him complete forgiveness for all previous sins.

Taken from "Three Ways to Forgiveness" by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī

Additional Resources

For more comprehensive content on Istighfar and Tawbah, visit:

AbdurRahman.org - Istighfar & Tawbah

Source: "Three Ways to Forgiveness" by Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all of his companions.