In this article, we will learn the benefits of forgiveness, Quranic verses and hadiths about it, and how to ask Allah to forgive you.
What are the benefits of forgiveness?
What does Allah say about forgiveness?
Here are some verses showing what Allah says about forgiveness.
“We have not created the heavens and the earth and everything in between except for a purpose. And the Hour is certain to come, so forgive graciously.” (Quran 15:85)
Allah tells us in this verse that we will not live forever we have a limited time on earth and we should take advantage of this time and forgive others. How can we ask Allah for forgiveness if we don’t even forgive others for the slightest of things?
“And the retribution for an evil act is an evil one like it, but whoever pardons and makes reconciliation – his reward is [due] from Allah. Indeed, He does not like wrongdoers.” (Quran 42:40)
In this verse Allah shows us the reward of forgiveness, sometimes forgiving others is really hard but when you are able to forgive them Allah will reward you more than you can even imagine.
“And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of resolve.” (Quran 42:43)
“It is by Allah’s mercy that you are gentle to them; and had you been harsh and hardhearted, surely, they would have scattered from around you. So, excuse them, and plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who trust in Him.” (Quran 3:159)
As Allah says in this verse forgiving others is like putting your trust in Allah. So, whenever you think it is too hard to forgive someone, remember Allah sees everything and he will reward you.
“Do not let the people of virtue and affluence among you swear to suspend donations to their relatives, the needy, and the emigrants in the cause of Allah. Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love to be forgiven by Allah? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 24:22)
We always ask Allah for forgiveness and we should try our best to forgive others too.
Quran verses about forgiveness in Arabic
Here are some Arabic Quranic verses and their English translation.
And We have not created the heavens and earth and that between them except in truth. And indeed, the Hour is coming; so, forgive with gracious forgiveness.
﴿85﴾وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ۗ وَإِنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَآتِيَةٌ ۖ فَاصْفَحِ الصَّفْحَ الْجَمِيلَ
“And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive,
﴿37﴾وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ
And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination.
﴿43﴾وَلَمَن صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ لَمِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ
Say, [O Muhammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allah so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.
﴿14﴾قُل لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَغْفِرُوا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ اللَّهِ لِيَجْزِيَ قَوْمًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
Many of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves [even] after the truth has become clear to them. So pardon and overlook until Allah delivers His command. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent.
﴿109﴾وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُم مِّن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارًا حَسَدًا مِّنْ عِندِ أَنفُسِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحَقُّ ۖ فَاعْفُوا وَاصْفَحُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people – and Allah loves the doers of good;
﴿134﴾الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him].
﴿159﴾فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
If [instead] you show [some] good or conceal it or pardon an offense – indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning and Competent.
﴿149﴾إِن تُبْدُوا خَيْرًا أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ أَوْ تَعْفُوا عَن سُوءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا قَدِيرًا
And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
﴿22﴾وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
So, for their breaking of the covenant, We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded. And you will still observe deceit among them, except a few of them. But pardon them and overlook [their misdeeds]. Indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.
﴿13﴾فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ ۙ وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ ۚ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ خَائِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Why is it important to ask Allah for forgiveness?
Asking for forgiveness is really important, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “O people! Ask for the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him as I ask for the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him one hundred times a day.”
When we ask Allah for forgiveness, we should have the intention of not going back to committing that sin ever again.
There are many benefits that show the importance of asking Allah for forgiveness, and here are some of them:
Forgiveness makes us feel inner peace.
Allah will forgive our sins.
Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Seek forgiveness of your Lord and repent to Him, (and) He will let you enjoy a good provision.” (11: 3)
1- We Forgive one another just as we want Allah to forgive us
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينَ وَٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا۟ وَلْيَصْفَحُوٓا۟ ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allah, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Qur’an: Chapter 24, Verse 22)
This verse shows us that if we want Allah to forgive us then we should forgive one another even if it’s not easy to forgive what they did to us.
2- We Forgive others to be rewarded
وَجَزَٰٓؤُا۟ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا ۖ فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُۥ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
But [remember that an attempt at] requiting evil may, too, become an evil: hence, whoever pardons [his foe] and makes peace, his reward rests with God – for, verily, He does not love evildoers (Qur’an 42:40)
From this verse, Allah tells us that when we forgive the ones who harm us or treat us badly, he will reward us in return.
3- We Forgive to get rid of the anger and overthinking:
When someone does something bad to us we can’t stop ourselves from thinking about it and what we should have done or why did they do that to us, even though we did them no harm. This leads to stress, so if we forgive them and leave their punishment to Allah, we will feel relieved, and all the overthinking and noise that keeps us awake at night will stop.
4- We Forgive so that Allah will have mercy on us
The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said
“Have mercy on those on the earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy on you”
If we want Allah to show us mercy, we should start by doing the same thing, and show mercy to others, even the ones who offended us. Don’t think of the things they did to you, think of Allah, how merciful he is and how he will reward you, and then you won’t think of the bad things people did to you.
5- We Forgive to Let Go of Grudges:
Carrying grudges will only hurt us and make us miserable, don’t let your past hold you down, and keep you in the same darkroom for the rest of your life. Let it go and live your life. Allah sees how hard you try and that’s more than we ever dream of.
Forgiveness is one of the good acts that we could do, and that Allah loves.
“Then, for having broken their solemn pledge, We rejected them and caused their hearts to harden – [so that now] they distort the meaning of the [revealed] words, taking them out of their context; and they have forgotten much of what they had been told to bear in mind, and from all but a few of them, thou wilt always experience treachery. But pardon them, and forbear: verily, God loves the doers of good.” (Qur’an 5:13)
6- Forgiveness strengthens our belief in Allah:
“The believers are those who spend in charity during ease and hardship and who restrain their anger and pardon the people, for Allah loves the doers of good.” Qur’an (3:134)
What truly shows our belief in Allah is forgiveness, forgiving those who offend us or harm us, letting go of the anger that we feel, and that’s what we all should do our best to achieve.
7- Forgiveness and Patience are two faces to the same coin:
“Whoever is patient and forgives, verily, that is among the matters of steadfast determination.” (Qur’an, 42:43)
Forgiving reflects our patience, ad being patient is a good thing that we all should opt to accomplish.
8- We Forgive as we learned from the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).
We all know how the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) suffered and what his people did to him. He went through a lot but even though he didn’t carry grudges toward them, actually he forgave them for everything they did. And we should learn from the prophet and look up to him.
9- Allah will reward us and punish the ones who hurt us
We should forgive the ones who hurt us and leave it all to Allah. Allah says in the Holy Quran:
“Say to those who believe that they should forgive those who expect not the days of Allah, as it is for Him to recompense people for what they have earned.” (Qur’an, 45:14)
How is forgiveness valued Islam?
In Islam forgiveness is really important, and we have discussed many of its benefits, additionally, forgiving one another brings us closer to Allah. So forgiveness is highly valued in Islam, and there are many Quranic verses and hadiths about it.
Forgiveness in Islam hadith
Anas said, I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) saying:
”قال الله تعالى: يا ابن آدم إنك ما دعوتني ورجوتني غفرت لك ما كان منك ولا أبالي، يا ابن آدم لو بلغت ذنوبك عنان السماء، ثم استغفرتني ، غفرت لك ولا أبالي، يا ابن آدم إنك لو أتيتني بقراب الأرض خطايا، ثم لقيتني لا تشرك بي شيئاً، لأتيتك بقرابها مغفرة”.
“Allah has said: ‘O son of Adam! I shall go on forgiving you so long as you pray to Me and aspire for My forgiveness whatever may be your sins. O son of Adam! I do not care even if your sins should pile up to the sky and should you beg pardon of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam! If you come to Me with an earth full of sins and meet Me, not associating anything with Me in worship, I will certainly grant you as much pardon as will fill the earth.”
Oqbah Ibn Amir narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said: “you shall pardon on who oppressed you.“
Abu Hurairah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, “I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”
Asking for forgiveness in Islam:
To ask Allah for forgiveness you should do the following:
- Regretting what you did wrong and any sin you did.
- Stop doing the sin and stay away from anything that will lead you to do it again. There is no meaning in abandoning the sin one day and then going back to it again and keep doing it over and over again like you haven’t learned your lesson. Otherwise, there is no meaning to your Tawbah. But that doesn’t mean to give up on Tawbah because you can’t stop doing the sin. Keep asking for Allah’s forgiveness and ask for strength to resist going back to the mistakes you have done.
- Promise to not commit sin ever again. Asking Allah for forgiveness means that we truly mean to stop committing sin. So you have to stop doing it and be sincere about your promise. And try your best not to go back to it again. However, al Tawbah doesn’t mean that you will not feel weak sometimes or that you won’t go back to the sin again. It means that you will try your best not to return to it again. So, don’t get disappointed if you return to the sin again, just make sure to stop yourself and don’t lose hope.
- when committing a sin against humans like stealing or anything you could think of adds more conditions. For example, if you stole something then you should give it back to its owner and apologize to him. If you have taken someone else’s rights or their property, then you should return it to them. The aim of repentance is not to cause more harm, it is to rectify the situation. Putting right into what we have done is one of the greatest acts of goodness that we could do. However, it should not be at the expense of causing more harm.
How to ask for forgiveness?
- After every salah ask Allah to forgive you.
- Say the 99 names of Allah and ask for forgiveness.
- Don’t repeat your sins and stay away from committing any, and try your best to do only good deeds.
- When you get angry try to calm yourself down, don’t surrender to the feeling of anger. The prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said:
- Whoever suffers an injury and forgives (the person responsible), God will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins.”
- Recite Duas from the Quran and hadiths to ask Allah for forgiveness.
Here are some of the things you could say:
استغفر الله meaning, “I ask forgiveness from Allah.”
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك و أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت أستغفرك وأتوب أليك meaning “Glory be to You, Allah, and with You Praise (thanks) and I bear witness that there is no deity but You, I ask Your forgiveness and I return to You (in obedience).”
The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, “The best supplication for seeking forgiveness (Sayyidul istighfar) is to say:
اللهم أنت ربي، لا إله إلا أنت ، خلقتني وأنا عبدك، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت أبوء لك بنعمتك علي، وأبوء بذنبي، فاغفر لي فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت.
Types of forgiveness in Islam
There are two types of forgiveness in Islam, and they are:
Forgiving someone because you don’t have the power to avenge yourself, so, you just leave their punishment to Allah.
The second one is having the power to avenge yourself but you choose to forgive them.
In a hadith about forgiveness, the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessing be upon him) said that Allah has commanded him with nine things. One of them he mentioned was “that I forgive those who do wrong to me.”
Examples of forgiveness in Islam:
We all know how the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) suffered and what his people did to him. He went through a lot but even though he didn’t carry grudges toward them, actually he forgave them for everything they did. And we should learn from the prophet and look up to him.
Abdullah Ibn Amr narrated that, the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him), said:
“Be merciful to others and you will receive mercy. Forgive others and Allah will forgive you.” [Musnad of Imam Ahmad]
Here’s another example from the prophet’s life:
“The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was the most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he went to Ta’if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him, abused him, and hit him with stones. He left the city humiliated and wounded. When he took shelter under a tree, the angel of Allah visited him and told him that Allah sent him to destroy the people of Ta’if because of their sin of maltreating their Prophet. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) prayed to Allah to save the people of Ta’if because what they did was out of their ignorance.”
Aisha reported that the Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him), said:
“O Allah, You are forgiving and generous. You love to forgive.”
Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) saying:
“I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” [Bukhari]
The Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) also said:
“O, people! Ask for the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him as I ask for the forgiveness of Allah and repent to Him one hundred times a day.”
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