Supplication to the Lord God to Forgive Oneself and Others

Published in September 26, 2018

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Firstly: asking for God's forgiveness within the call for Islam/monotheism:

1- Within the call for Islam/monotheism by messengers/prophets of the Lord God, asking for God's forgiveness means repentance and the return to the Dominant Lord God; let us exemplify this in the points below.

1/1: Within the context of Noah complaining to God about his disbelieving people, we read this about asking the Lord God for forgiveness: "Then I called them openly. Then I appealed to them publicly, and I spoke to them privately. I said, 'Ask your Lord for forgiveness; He is Forgiving." (71:8-10).

1/2: Within the Quranic story of the prophet Hud, we read this about asking the Lord God for forgiveness: "And to Aad, their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allah, you have no other god besides Him. You do nothing but invent lies." "O my people, I ask you no wage for it; my wage lies with Him who originated me. Do you not understand?" "O my people, ask forgiveness from your Lord, and repent to Him. He will release the sky pouring down upon you, and will add strength to your strength. And do not turn away and be like criminals."" (11:50-52).

1/3: The Lord God says the following about the prophet Saleh.

1/3/1: "And to Thamood, their brother Saleh. He said, "O my people, worship God, you have no god other than Him. He initiated you from the earth, and settled you in it. So seek His forgiveness, and repent to Him. My Lord is Near and Responsive."" (11:61).

1/3/2: "And We sent to Thamood their brother Saleh: "Worship God." But they became two disputing factions. He said, "O my people, why are you quick to do evil rather than good? If only you would seek God's forgiveness, so that you may be shown mercy."" (27:45-46).

1/4: The prophet Shuaib said the following to his people of Madian: ""And ask your Lord for forgiveness, and repent to Him. My Lord is Merciful and Loving."" (11:90).

1/5: An Egyptian man preached the following to the Potiphar's wife within the Quranic story of Joseph: "And when he saw that his shirt was torn from the back, he said, "This is a woman's scheme. Your scheming is serious indeed." "Joseph, turn away from this. And you, woman, ask forgiveness for your sin; you are indeed in the wrong."" (12:28-29).

2- Within the Last Message of God to humanity; i.e., the Quran, we read that Muhammad called and urged people to repent and ask for God's forgiveness.

2/1: "... A book whose Verses were perfected, then elaborated, from One who is Wise and Informed. That you shall worship none but God. "I am a warner to you from Him, and a bearer of good news." "And ask your Lord for forgiveness, and repent to Him..." (11:1-3).

2/2: "Say, "I am only a human like you; it is inspired in me that your God is One God. So be upright towards Him, and seek forgiveness from Him."..." (41:6).

3- Of course, what was conveyed by all previous messengers/prophets of the Lord God was also conveyed by Muhammad, the seal of all prophets; this includes the description of the pious people in all locations and eras; their qualities include imploring, supplicating, and asking for God's forgiveness; God says the following about the pious ones who will enter into Paradise in the Hereafter. 

3/1: "And those who, when they commit an indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins-and who forgives sins except God? And they do not persist in their wrongdoing while they know. Those - their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. How excellent is the reward of the workers." (3:135-136).

3/2: "The patient, and the truthful, and the reverent, and the charitable, and the seekers of forgiveness at dawn." (3:17).

3/3: "But the pious are amidst gardens and springs. Receiving what their Lord has given them. They were virtuous before that. They used to sleep a little at night. And at dawn, they would supplicate for forgiveness." (51:15-18).

4- The Quran is the Last Message from God to humanity till the Last Day; thus, God commands believers to beseech and implore Him for forgiveness.

4/1: Preaching believers: "...and ask God for forgiveness. God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." (2:199).

4/2: Preaching Christians: "They disbelieve those who say, "God is the third of three." But there is no deity except the One God. If they do not refrain from what they say, a painful torment will befall those among them who disbelieve. Will they not repent to God and ask His forgiveness? God is Forgiving and Merciful." (5:73-74).

4/3: Preaching the disbelievers of the Qorayish tribe.

4/3/1: "And they said, "Our God, if this is the truth from You, then rain down on us stones from the sky, or visit us with a painful torment." But God would not punish them while you are amongst them. And God would not punish them as long as they seek forgiveness." (8:32-33).

4/3/2: Thus, they denied and rejected the Quran and hastened their torment in mockery of it; God says the following about them: "We have elaborated in this Quran for the people every kind of parable, but the human being is a most argumentative being. What prevented people from accepting faith, when guidance has come to them, and from seeking their Lord's forgiveness? Unless they are waiting for the precedent of the ancients to befall them, or to have the torment come upon them face to face." (18:54-55).

4/3/3: God preaches all humanity here: "Whoever commits evil, or wrongs his soul, then implores God for forgiveness, will find God Forgiving and Merciful." (4:110).

Secondly: Muhammad implored and sought God's forgiveness for himself:

1- Within the Quranic story of David, God praises David as he beseeched God for forgiveness: "He said, "He has done you wrong by asking your ewe in addition to his ewes. Many partners take advantage of one another, except those who believe and do good deeds, but these are so few." David realized that We were testing him, so he sought forgiveness from his Lord, and fell down to his knees, and repented. So We forgave him that. And for him is nearness to Us, and a good place of return." (38:24-25).

2- As for Muhammad when he supplicated to God for forgiveness, we know the following from the Quran.

2/1: Within a direct mode of address, God has commanded Muhammad to ask for forgiveness for his sins while glorifying God's Name; this is an act of worship, of course. This means that Muhammad sinned, and as a result, God has commanded him to ask for forgiveness.

2/1/1: "So be patient. The promise of God is true. And ask forgiveness for your sin, and proclaim the praise of your Lord evening and morning." (40:55).

2/1/2: "Then celebrate the praise of your Lord, and seek His forgiveness. He is the Accepter of Repentance." (110:3).

2/1/3: God has blamed Muhammad for defending a guilty person; He has commanded him to ask for forgiveness: "And ask God for forgiveness. God is Forgiver and Merciful. And do not argue on behalf of those who deceive themselves. God does not love the deceitful sinner. They hide from the people, but they cannot hide from God. He is with them, as they plot by night with words He does not approve. God comprehends what they do." (4:106-108).

2/1/4:  God praises Muhammad and believers with him who prayed in congregations and read the Quran at night: "Your Lord knows that you stay up nearly two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, along with a group of those with you. God designed the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to sustain it, so He has pardoned you. So read of the Quran what is possible for you. He knows that some of you may be ill; and others travelling through the land, seeking God's bounty; and others fighting in God's cause. So read of it what is possible for you, and observe the prayers, and give regular charity, and lend God a generous loan. Whatever good you advance for yourselves, you will find it with God, better and generously rewarded. And seek God's forgiveness, for God is Forgiving and Merciful." (73:20). The Quran-hating Al-Bokhary mentions in his hadiths that Muhammad spent his nights having sex sessions with all his wives and that his 'companions' watched and admired him and claimed he had the power of 30 men at sexual activities! We deny and disbelieve in such devilish myths and falsehoods which are revered and sanctified by the Muhammadans in their Sunnite religion of Satan despite the fact that such Al-Bokhary hadiths aim at undermining and insulting Muhammad and the Quran.

Thirdly: asking for God's forgiveness for the sake of others:

1- Within their glorifying God's Name, the angels ask God's forgiveness for the sake of human beings in general and believers/monotheists in particular.

1/1: "The heavens above them almost burst apart, while the angels glorify the praises of their Lord, and ask forgiveness for those on earth. God is indeed the Forgiver, the Merciful." (42:5).

1/2: "Those who carry the Throne, and those around it, glorify their Lord with praise, and believe in Him, and ask for forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord, You have encompassed everything in mercy and knowledge; so forgive those who repent and follow Your path, and protect them from the Hell-torment." (40:7).

2-  Prophets and messengers asked for God's forgiveness for the sake of others around them; this is exemplified in the two points below.

2/1: Abraham told his disbelieving father the following: "..."Peace be upon you. I will ask my Lord to forgive you; He has been Kind to me." (19:47).

2/2: The sons of Jacob asked him to beseech God on their behalf so that He would forgive them for their sins: "They said, "Father, pray for the forgiveness of our sins; we were indeed sinful. He said, "I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He is the Forgiver, the Most Merciful."" (12:97-98).

Fourthly: Muhammad's asking for God's forgiveness for the sake of others:

1- Within our book, in English, titled "The Quran: Sufficient as a Source of Islamic Legislation", found on this link: (http://www.ahl-alquran.com/arabic/book_main.php?main_id=92), we have explain the difference between the Quranic terms "prophet" and ''messenger'' in relation to Muhammad. The term ''prophet'' means Muhammad as a person within his personal behavior, relations, and dealings with others around him; God has reproached him as a prophet for making some mistakes: "God has redeemed the Prophet, and the Emigrants, and the Supporters - those who followed him in the hour of difficulty - after the hearts of some of them almost swerved. Then He pardoned them. He is Kind towards them, Compassionate." (9:117); "O prophet! Why do you prohibit what God has permitted for you, seeking to please your wives? God is Forgiving and Merciful." (66:1). The term ''messenger'' refers to Muhammad only when he recited/read/uttered the Quranic verses to preach his contemporaries; this is why obeying God is linked to obeying the messenger, which is the Quran itself as the Last Message from the Lord God delivered by Muhammad. This is exemplified in these verses: "And obey God and the Messenger, that you may obtain mercy." (3:132); "And when they are called to God and His Messenger, in order to judge between them, some of them refuse." (24:48). The ''Messenger'' here in both verses is the Quran itself when uttered by Muhammad. In light of this, we examine Muhammad's asking forgiveness from God for the sake of others as a messenger and as a prophet.

2- The following points are about Muhammad's asking for God's forgiveness for the sake of others as a messenger.

2/1: This is linked to obeying Muhammad when he uttered to them Quranic commands of the Lord God. Let us exemplify this in the points below.

2/1/1: "We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by God's leave. Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you, and prayed for God's forgiveness, and the Messenger had prayed for their forgiveness, they would have found God Relenting and Merciful." (4:64).

2/1/2: Within Shura (i.e., consultation or direct democracy) the religious/Islamic duty imposed on Muhammad to apply it.

2/1/2/1: "The believers are those who believe in God and His Messenger, and when they are with him for a matter of common interest, they do not leave until they have asked him for permission. Those who ask your permission are those who believe in God and His Messenger. So when they ask your permission to attend to some affair of theirs, give permission to any of them you wish, and ask God's forgiveness for them. God is Forgiving and Merciful." (24:62).

2/1/2/2: "It is by of grace from God that you were gentle with them. Had you been harsh, hardhearted, they would have dispersed from around you. So pardon them, and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them in the conduct of affairs..." (3:159).

3- The following points are about Muhammad's asking for God's forgiveness for the sake of others as a prophet.

3/1: This is exemplified in the following verses within different contexts.

3/1/1: The female immigrants were to obey Muhammad as a prophet as the leader of the Yathreb city-state, provided that he upheld justice; this is in contrast to the absolute obedience is only for the Quranic commands when uttered by Muhammad as the messenger of God; when female immigrants swore fealty to Muhammad the prophet, he asked God to forgive their sins: "O prophet! If believing women come to you, pledging allegiance to you, on condition that they will not associate anything with God, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor commit perjury as to parenthood, nor disobey you in anything righteous, accept their allegiance and ask God's forgiveness for them. God is Forgiving and Merciful." (60:12).

3/1/2: God has reproached Muhammad as a prophet and the believers with him in this verse: "It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are near relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are people of Hell-fire." (9:113). This is explained in the Quran as per the following points.

3/1/2/1: This means that Muhammad the prophet and the early believers with him used to beseech and implore the Lord God so that He would forgive their disbelieving relatives; e.g., Abou Lahab, the paternal uncle of Muhammad, whom God has condemned to Hell: "Condemned are the hands of Abou Lahab, and he is condemned. His wealth did not avail him, nor did what he acquired. He will burn in a Flaming Fire." (111:1-3). The inveterate liar Ibn Ishaq writes in his fake biography of Muhammad (a biography sanctified by Sunnites because they are polytheists) a silly narrative that Muhammad the prophet asked God to forgive his paternal uncle Abou Talib; this this not true.

3/1/2/2: Thus, Muhammad the prophet and the early believers with him did not see it wrong to ask for God's forgiveness for their disbelieving, polytheistic relatives; they followed the example of Abraham who did the same for his disbelieving father: "...Except for the words of Abraham to his father, "I will ask forgiveness for you, though I have no power from God to do anything for you..." (60:4); "Abraham asked forgiveness for his father only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God, he disowned him. Abraham was kind and clement." (9:114).

3/2: God has commanded Muhammad to ask forgiveness for his sins, without mentioning the term "prophet", and for believers for their sins as well: "Know that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for your sin, and for the believing men and believing women. God knows your movements, and your resting-place." (47:19); "Others have confessed their sins, having mixed good deeds with bad deeds. Perhaps God will redeem them. God is Forgiving and Merciful. Receive contributions from their wealth, to purify them and sanctify them with it; and pray for them. Your prayer is comfort for them. God is Hearing and Knowing." (9:102-103).

3/3: The case is very different with the following people.

3/3/1: The hypocrites who refused to repent and to confess their sins: "It is the same for them, whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them; God will not forgive them. God does not guide the sinful people." (63:6); "Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them - even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger. God does not guide the immoral people." (9:80).

3/3/2: The Desert-Arabs who did not participate in self-defense fighting for no acceptable excuses and asked Muhammad to implore God to forgive them: "The Desert-Arabs who remained behind will say to you, "Our belongings and our families have preoccupied us, so ask forgiveness for us." They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts. Say, "Who can avail you anything against God, if He desires loss for you, or desires gain for you?" In fact, God is Informed of what you do." (48:11).