Seeking forgiveness and repentance

‘The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: ‘By Allah, I seek forgiveness and repent to Allah, more than seventy times a day.’

, He (saws) also said: ‘O People, Repent! Verily I repent to Allah, a hundred times a day.’

, He (saws) also said: ‘Whoever says:


أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إلَّا هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيّوُمُ وأَتُوبُ إِلَيهِ.

Astaghfirul-lahal-lathee la ilaha illa huwal-hayyul-qayyoomu wa-atoobu ilayh.

‘I seek Allah’s forgiveness, besides whom, none has the right to be worshipped except He, The Ever Living, The Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, and I turn to Him in repentance.’

…Allah would forgive him even if he was one who fled during the advance of an army.’

, He (saws) said: ‘The nearest the Lord comes to His servant is in the middle of the night, so if you are able to be of those who remember Allah at that time, then be so.’

, He (saws) also said: ‘The nearest a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so supplicate much therein.’

, He (saws) also said: ‘verily my heart becomes preoccupied, and verily I seek Allah’s forgiveness a hundred times a day.’

preoccupied: i.e. in a state of ‘forgetfulness’. The Prophet (saws) always used to increase in his remembrance of his Lord, in attaining a nearness to Allah and having consciousness of Allah to the extent that if this intensity lessened in anyway, he would regard it as a sin and would then race to seek forgiveness from Allah.