What is 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐀𝐥𝐥a𝐡’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬? |𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐀𝐥𝐥a𝐡’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 |

*Salaamun 'alaykum wa rahmat-ul-lahi wa barakātuh* 

What is 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐚̄𝐡’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬? |𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐚̄𝐡’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 |

_In the name of Allaah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) ._

*This is the meaning of the statement of the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) in the authentic narration from the hadith of Buraydah (radiyAllāhu ‘anhā): The leader of forgiveness (istighfār)¹ is that a servant says:*

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.

*“O Allāh, You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but you. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise [to You] as much as I can.²*

I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins.³ So I implore You to forgive me, for nobody can forgive except You.”⁴

So the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ) gathered in the statement: *“I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins.”* between the recognition of Divine grace upon him, with awareness of the defects of his soul and his actions.

¹ Shaikh Ibn al-‘Uthaymīn—may Allāh have mercy on his soul—said: *‘Leader’ means the most noble and most virtuous, whoever says it when he wakes up then dies on that day will enter Paradise. Whoever says it in the evening with certainty then dies will enter Paradise.*

² Shaikh Ibn al-‘Uthaymīn said: *‘You acknowledge that Allāh has created you. He is the one that has created you from nothing, and that you will keep your pledge and covenant as much as you can.’*

³ Shaikh Ibn al-‘Uthaymīn said: *‘I acknowledge your great and many blessing upon me that are numerous, and I admit to You my sins so forgive them for me.’*

⁴ Bukhāri, #6306 and #6323. *“Whoever says it during the day with firm faith in it and dies on the same day before the evening, he would be from the people of Paradise, and whoever recites it at night with firm faith in it and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.”*

📚 Book: Remembrance of The Most Merciful By Imām ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah | Translated and Published by Dār as-Sunnah Publishers | P. 34, 35

*May Allaah accept our ibaadat and forgive our shortcomings.*

_❞Keep Reminding, for Indeed the ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇʀ ʙᴇɴᴇꜰɪᴛs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇʀ ❝_

*Allaahu l-Musta'aan*