The Importance of Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness
Due to its true nature as a profound remorse and seeking refuge, repentance and seeking forgiveness (istiğfar) are the most effective means of approaching Allah.
APPROACHING AND DRAWING NEAR TO ALLAH
Istighfar, which holds an important place in turning towards Allah and the heart attaining a lofty level, is also the sole means of purifying oneself from spiritual impurities. An acceptable repentance removes obstacles and veils between the servant and his Lord, making one worthy of Allah’s love. Indeed, Allah Almighty says:
“Indeed, Allah loves those who repent often and purify themselves.” (Al-Baqarah, 222)
Our Prophet -peace be upon him- has given the following example to explain how pleased our Lord is with people’s repentance:
“Allah Almighty’s pleasure at a person’s repentance is greater than the joy of a man who had lost his camel, along with its food and water, in a barren desert. He searched for it but could not find it, and he completely gave up hope of finding it, then he lay down under a tree, and suddenly he saw his camel coming towards him, so he grabbed its halter and, due to the extreme joy, he said:
“O Allah! I am Your servant, and You are my Lord.” (Muslim, Tawbah 7; Tirmidhi, Qiyamah 49, Adab 99)
THE BENEFITS OF ISTIGHFAR
In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah -peace be upon him- states the benefits of istighfar as follows:
“Whoever makes istighfar a constant practice from his tongue, Allah Almighty will show him an outlet from every difficulty, a release from every sorrow, and provide for him from an unexpected source.” (Abu Dawud, Witir, 26/1518; Ibn-i Maja, Adab, 57)
However, the most important concern of servants is purification of the soul and cleansing of the heart. What has been explained so far about repentance and seeking forgiveness is merely the gateway to this state. After entering through this gate, it is certainly necessary to perform righteous deeds. After performing obligatory, mandatory, and recommended acts with proper manners, one must especially possess beautiful qualities such as being careful about the rights of others, respecting parents’ rights, spending for Allah’s sake, showing mercy, compassion, and forgiveness to all creation.