Friday, October 28, 2011

Forgive Me



He Prophet ﷺ would lengthen his sitting until it was about almost as long as his sajdah (Bukhari and Muslim). He would say:
رب اغفر لي اغفر لي

“O my Lord! Forgive me, forgive me.” (Ibn Majah)

Forgiveness

When we say the above, most of us know the general meaning of ‘maghfira’ or forgiveness. But since we are learning the intricate meanings of our words and actions during the prayer, we also need to know what the deeper significance of these words is. Ibn Al-Qayyim said that maghfira is erasing the sin, removal of its traces and prevention of its evil. It is taken from the word mighfar, which means the metal helmet that a warrior wears to protect himself. And just as a mighfar protects the one wearing it from the consequences of the attacks, maghfira (forgiveness) protects a person from the consequences of the sin. And just as the mighfar covers the warrior’s head, maghfira veils the person’s faults. Thus when Allah bestows upon you maghfira, He protects you from the consequences of your sin and veils that sin from others. That is what we
seek when we say “Rabbi ighfir-ly.”

While the most common du`a’ when we are sitting is the one mentioned above, there is another one that we can say which is more comprehensive:
رب اغفر لي وارحمني {واجبرني} {وارفعني} واهدني {وعافني} وارزقني

“O my Lord! Forgive me; have mercy on me; strengthen me; raise my rank; guide me; pardon me; sustain me.” (Tirmidhi)

May Allah enable us to taste the significance of every single action of prayer. Ameen.

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