116 - The Best Supplication for Forgiveness

عن شَدَّادِ بْن أَوْسٍ: عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: «سَيِّدُ الِاسْتِغْفَارِ أَنْ تَقُولَ: اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي؛ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ " قَالَ: «وَمَنْ قَالَهَا مِنَ النَّهَارِ مُوقِنًا بِهَا، فَمَاتَ مِنْ يَوْمِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُمْسِيَ، فَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الجَنَّةِ، وَمَنْ قَالَهَا مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُوَ مُوقِنٌ بِهَا، فَمَاتَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُصْبِحَ، فَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الجَنَّةِ».

Shaddād ibn Aws narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 

1. The best formula for seeking forgiveness is to say: Oh God, You are my Lord. There is no deity other than You. You have created me and I am Your servant.  

2. I honour my covenant with You and my promise to You as much as I can.  

3. I seek refuge with You from the evil of what I have committed.  

4. I acknowledge Your Grace and I confess to my sinful actions,  

5. so forgive me. Only You forgive sinful actions.  

6. He said: ‘If a person says this during the day then dies before he gets to the evening, he is one of the people of Heaven; and if he says it at night and dies before he gets to the morning, he is one of the people of Heaven’.

Shaddād ibn Aws

Abu YaꜤlā Shaddād ibn Aws ibn Thābit ibn al-Mundhir of the Anṣār was one of the distinguished scholars among the Prophet’s companions. ꜤUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit said: ‘Shaddād ibn Aws was one endowed with scholarly knowledge and good tolerance’. Abu al-Dardāʼ said: ‘God, Mighty and Exalted, may give someone knowledge but does not grant him forbearance; or He may give him forbearance but grant him little knowledge. However, Abu YaꜤlā Shaddād ibn Aws was one to whom God granted good knowledge and fine forbearance’. He lived in the city of Homs in Syria, where ꜤUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb appointed him governor. When ꜤUthmān ibn ꜤAffān was killed, he relinquished his post. He was very devoted and God-fearing. He died in Palestine in Year 58 AH 678 CE. He was 75 years of age. 

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