The purposes of the Madeenah Jumu'ah Khutbah Extract by Sheikh Khalid Al Muhanna (delivered on 15th Sha’ban 1446 H / 14th February 2025) is to emphasize the importance of seeking Allah’s forgiveness (Istighfar) and its immense benefits for a believer...
O Muslims, When Allah created Adam, the father of mankind, and from him He created his wife, and He instilled within them the fitrah which is naturally inclined to recognize Him as their Lord the One who created them, who is the only deity deserving of complete love, complete reverence, and full submission.
However, despite this innate disposition, Allah also decreed that both Adam and his descendants would be tested.
He made them responsible for obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, showing them the difference between right and wrong.
Giving it the ability to make intentions and to work hard, to love and to reject, to be influenced and the ability to change. And because He is Al-Khallaq, Al-Aleem (the Creator, the All-Knowing).
He knew that while people are naturally inclined toward goodness, they are also prone to following their desires and being misguided when they deviate from the straight path.
The nafs sways between obedience and sin, between seeking righteousness and falling into wrongdoing.
His forgiveness is seen when He covers sins, protecting those who commit sin from being disgraced in this world and the next.
[This forgiveness] includes completely erasing sins, overlooking their consequences, and removing their punishment so as long as the sin does not reach the level of disbelief or major shirk (associating partners with Him), for that is the one sin He has declared in the Qur’an that He will not forgive unless a person repents.
However, among the greatest means of attaining Allah’s forgiveness is seeking it turning to Him in sincere repentance.
O servants of Allah, making istighfar and seeking forgiveness is the path to earning Allah’s forgiveness and one of the most effective ways to erase sins. The Prophet ﷺ also informed us that he himself repents to Allah and seeks His forgiveness more than seventy times a day.
If this was the state of the one whose past and future sins were forgiven, then what about us?
This blessed supplication encompasses the essential elements of istighfar it begins with tawassul (seeking nearness) to Allah through His Oneness in rububiyyah (lordship) and uluhiyyah (oneness). It also includes submission to Him in servitude, acknowledging His blessings, confessing one’s sins, and expressing one’s absolute need for His forgiveness, and recognizing that none can grant it but Him.
This is from the exclusive attributes of rububiyyah, belonging to none but Allah alone. So, when a servant sins, they oppress themselves by going against this natural disposition, exposing themselves to punishment in both this life and the Hereafter.
Likewise, a servant is never free from committing sin, for which they fear its punishment. They are in constant need of istighfar to erase the effects of these sins and as a means of concealing them.
Thus, istighfar, O servants of Allah, is an expression of the regret within the heart over sin and one’s shortcomings in fulfilling the right of Allah.
And if one reflects upon the attributes of maghfirah (forgiveness) and rahmah (mercy), they will find that they come together in over seventy ayaat found in the Qur’an.
In these verses, the attribute of mercy always follows forgiveness. One possible wisdom behind this, and Allah knows best, is that Allah’s mercy is closest to a servant when they seek His forgiveness. Istighfar is a means of attaining divine mercy. [Meaning mercy comes upon seeking forgiveness.]
Thus, those who seek forgiveness are cloaked in the boundless mercy of Allah, which becomes apparent in different ways such as (1) concealing one’s sins, (2) having their mistakes overlooked, (3) protecting them from the punishment they deserve, (4) replacing their bad deeds with good deeds, (5) guiding them towards loving and adhering to obedience of Allah, and (6) placing in their hearts a hatred for disobeying Allah and making them strongly averse to it.
O servants of Allah, istighfar and seeking forgiveness is one of the greatest acts of worship one can do and among the most momentous forms of worship.
Through it, a servant attains the highest rewards and is spared from severe punishment.
Every servant is in need, and every servant is a sinner. Were it not for the forgiveness of Allah, a person would not be protected from the consequences of their sins, for the root cause of all evil is the sins of human beings, and the only way to be saved from that evil is through the forgiveness of Allah.
"O Allah, You are the Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness, so forgive us. Grant us sincere repentance, purify our hearts, and bless us with a good ending. Forgive us, our parents, and all Muslims. Ameen."