What Does it Mean to ‘Ask Forgiveness’?    

Asking forgiveness is a kind of faith in which man expresses his submissi-veness to Allah. Whereas the believer may find a great deal of satisfaction in his relationship with others he likewise obtains the same satisfaction in his sub-missiveness to Allah. In contrast, you seldom find a non-believer seeking Allah’s forgiveness. A person of this nature might be ready to show submissiveness to his fellow man, and is ready to commit, in his attempts to gain his pleasure, all sorts of unlawful acts that are condemned by Allah. Yet this same person might be too arrogant and too proud to ask Allah’s forgiveness or show sub-missiveness to Him. Only persons with firm faith who find pleasure in their feeling of submissiveness are always ready to acknowledge Allah’s greatness and might and constantly ask His forgiveness. In this respect Allah says,

“But Allah would not punish them while you were with them, nor will He punish them while they seek forgiveness.” (al-Anfal 8:33)

This verse clarifies what it means to ask forgiveness, and tells us that it does not happen unless faith is deeply rooted in the heart of the person who seeks it. The verse shows that Allah would not punish those defiant non-believers while Muhammad [PBUH] still lived among them, because He had sent him as a mercy for all mankind, and because His mercy precedes His punishment. The verse explains what would happen when Muhammad [PBUH] died. It says,

‘. . . Nor will He punish them while they seek forgiveness. ”(al-Anfal 8:33)

Here we are informed that forgiveness could be granted to the non-believers after Muhammad’s [PBUH] death, and that they would be spared punishment if they sought forgiveness and pledged submissiveness to Allah, for in doing so they would show that faith had entered their hearts, and once faith has been established, then Allah’s mercy would be assured. With these words Allah shows how greatly He values the asking of forgiveness and how it prevents punishment and obliterates sins.

Allah stresses the virtues of seeking forgiveness when He says,

“. . . And if, when they had wronged themselves, they had but come unto you and asked forgiveness of Allah, and asked forgiveness of the messenger, they would have found Allah Forgiving, Merciful.” (al-Nisa 4:64)

The first and most important stage of redemption is to seek forgiveness; humility and submission to Allah are its most significant signs. We should not, therefore, expect a non-believer to be eager to seek Allah’s forgiveness.

Because Allah cherishes those who ask His forgiveness, Muhammad [PBUH] always urged his followers to make it an integral part of their daily life, and said that he asked forgiveness no less than one hundred times each day.

Asking forgiveness is an integral part of faith that is deeply entrenched in the heart of the believer and cannot be exercised sincerely except by a person who fears Allah. Furthermore, the asking of forgiveness that is not sincere is worthless and misses one of the main rewards of faith. Thus, when Allah commanded Muhammad [PBUH], who was the best example to be followed by all mankind, to ask forgiveness, He was in fact ordering all believers to follow his example.

By repeatedly asking forgiveness the believer, apart from being in close touch with Allah, is also constantly aware of his own weakness and his need for Allah’s mercy. It works as a safeguard against his becoming oblivious of the Day of Reckoning or becoming engrossed in his own worldly desires, and deters him from sin and doing injustice to his fellow men or to himself.

But to understand fully the meaning of the verse “and ask forgiveness for your sin” (47:19), we have to consider it in the light of two facts. The first is that Muhammad [PBUH] was sent as a mercy to mankind, and the second is that Allah is Almighty and All-Capable, and His justice, while it may not be instant, is nevertheless certain.

Muhammad [PBUH], in taking upon himself more than he could endure, and in his endeavour to gain the hearts of the adamant non-believers, suffered a great deal of distress and disappointment. Allah noticed this and showed His concern by telling him that He had not revealed the Quran to him to cause him distress (20:2). On another occasion the hypocrites came to him and made excuses in order to avoid joining him in the expedition of Tabuk. Apparently Muhammad [PBUH] exempted them from taking part in this campaign, a decision which was considered to be too liberal from the point of view of Jihad. Allah made this point clear when He said to him:

“Allah forgive thee (O Muhammad)! Wherefore did you grant them leave ere those who told the truth were manifest to you and you did know the liars?” (al-Tawbah 9:43)

Surely there is no question of fault or rebuked in this verse. Both remarks involve Muhammad’s [PBUH] excessive kindness. But Muhammad [PBUH] nevertheless continued to ask forgiveness for those dead non-believers who had in the past tormented him and fought his message. Here again Allah tells him “And never pray for one of them who dies, nor send by his grave . . .”(al-Tawbah 9:84). Praying for the dead is no sin, but an act of excessive pleading for mercy for those who have rejected guidance. Muhammad [PBUH] not only pleaded for Allah’s mercy, but also asked Him for forgiveness, to which Allah replied.

“. . . though you ask forgiveness for them seventy times Allah will not forgive them . . .” (al-Tawbah 9:80)

It is obvious that Muhammad’s [PBUH] concern for those who had fought him and tried to discredit him is in no way less than his concern for those who accepted his message and supported him. But Allah told him that those heretics did not deserve his unwarranted concern, and that their doom had been decided, reminding him of his precise role:

“You are not at all a warder over them.” (al-Ghashiyah 88:22)

“And never pray for any of them when he dies . . .” (al-Tawbah 9:84)

Some sceptics say that Muhammad ‘s [PBUH] excessive zeal and over-anxiety about the fate of those misguided heretics and opponents contradicts with the verse in which Allah says,

“Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.” (al-Najm 53:3)

The Orientalists’ interpretation of the above verse is that in taking upon himself more than that with which he was charged by Allah, Muhammad [PBUH] followed his own intuition and the dictates of his own mind.

This is far from true. The correct interpretation is that as long as Allah revealed the truth to Muhammad [PBUH] and showed him the right way, then Muhammad [PBUH] had no choice but to adhere to it, irrespective of what he would have liked to do. Thus after the revelation of the verse “And never pray for one of them” (9:84) he refrained from doing so, following the revelation of the verse, “He frowned and turned away because the blind man came (80:1-2), he did not give priority to gaining the heart of any of the eminent leaders of Quraysh over any one of the humble folk, no matter how much he believed that gaining the former would support the cause of Islam.

An example of his complying with this rule was illustrated when his uncle’s doom was foretold:

“The power of Abu Lahab will perish . . .” (al-Masad 111:1)

a man for whose guidance Muhammad [PBUH] had always been praying.

Despite the doom the Revelation predicated for his uncle, Muhammad [PBUH] could not conceal its content, and had to make it public to his people even though he might have wished otherwise. In fact Muhammad [PBUH] never attempted to bypass the ordinances of the religion and Allah’s commands, no matter how much they conflicted with his own feelings.

Let us now turn our attention to the verse referred to at the beginning of this chapter which begins with the words, “And had We not made you wholly firm . . .” (al-Isra 17:74-75)

Orientalists interpret the above verse to mean that Muhammad was about to accept a compromise with the non-believers, according to which they would alternately worship Allah for one year and their own idols for one year, and so on.

This interpretation is very misleading, and there is nothing in the verse that justifies it. In fact, linguistically, the phrase translated ‘had We not’ denotes firmness, as well as immunity from digression from the ordinances of the religion and Allah’s commands. Similarly, the phrase translated ‘thou mightest’ indicates that the action, though approached, was not done. In fact, the action is absolutely negated by the phrase “had We not”. In other words, Allah is saying to Muhammad [PBUH] that even if he were not supported by His divine guidance and His making him wholly firm, his natural piety would have guarded him against any such evil compromise.

The verse goes on to say, “Then had We made thee taste a double (punishment) of living and a double (punishment) of dying”. (17:75) For whom is this “double punishment of living and double punishment of dying” intended? Was it Muhammad [PBUH]? Obviously not, for he was safeguarded by divine support, as well as by his virtuous nature, from committing any such sin. It follows, therefore, that the verse did not apply to him but rather to those who might attempt such a compromise, involving Allah’s religion, with the non-believers.

There is wisdom in the above verse which should not be overlooked, for in it Allah stresses the fact that the closer we are to Him and the higher we are ranked in His esteem, the more severely we will be judged by Him for our faults. This is repeated emphatically in Surah al Maidah (5).

“When the disciples said, O Jesus, son of Mary! Is your Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to Allah, if you are true believers. (They said): We wish to eat thereof, that we may satisfy our hearts and know that you have spoken truth to us, and that thereof we may be witnesses. Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for You are the Best of Sustainers.” (al-Maidah 5:112-114)

The disciples believed in Allah and accompanied Jesus and helped to propagate submission to Allah. One day they asked him for a sign from Allah in the form of a table spread with food, which God fulfilled but cautioned them:

“. . . And whose disbelieveth of you afterward, him surely will I punish with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any of (My) creatures.” (al-Maidah 5:115)

In this verse, Allah leaves no doubt in our minds that the closer we are to Him and the higher our position in His service, the more severe will His judgement be on us. The same thing is stressed in the Surah al-Ahzab (33) wherein Allah says to the Prophet’s [PBUH] wives:

“O ye wives of Prophet! You are not like any other women . . .” (al-Ahzab 33:32)

What is meant here is that, being close to Muhammad [PBUH], and hence to Allah, his wives would be judged differently form other women.

As for the meaning of the controversial verse “Had We not made you wholly firm . . .” (17:74), it is obvious. It involves the severe punishment of those persons ranked highly in Allah’s esteem, or those who have been shown His portents, should they break Allah’s law or be weakened in their faith. But they did not include Muhammad [PBUH], whom Allah had made wholly firm and immune against error in matters of religion. The verse was not referring to him personally, but rather establishes a basic rule regarding the punishment of all believers who are highly esteemed by Allah.

Reference of the book:

The Miracles of the Quran

Author: Shk. Muhammed Mitwalli Al-Sharawi