(Part 2 of 5) The Foremost Way of Seeking Forgiveness: Sayyid al-Istighfar Explained – Shaykh Muhammad Ba-Dhib

Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Ba-Dhib continues the series on sayyid al-istighfar (the foremost way of seeking forgiveness) where he covers Imam al-Habshi’s treatise on this supplication. In this session Shaykh Ba-Dhib starts breaking down and explaining the different parts of the formula of seeking forgiveness, and bringing forth all the different points of knowledge that could be found in it. The supplication begins with affirming God’s divinity, His oneness, His lordship, and our complete need and slavehood to Him. Through the supplication there is also an affirmation of God’s absolute bounty over his creation, and that one needs God’s assistance to be able to have gratitude for God’s blessings. Shaykh Ba-Dhib closes the session by addressing the part of the supplication where one confesses of their wrongdoing and falling short of the right that God deserves, and thus begins to seek God’s forgiveness.

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This is part of the series presented in Ramadan 2018: “The Foremost Way of Seeking Forgiveness: Sayyid al-Istighfar Explained”.

In this five-part series, Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Ba-Dhib covers a short treatise on explaining the foremost way of seeking forgiveness as has come to us from Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). The work, “Tiryaq al-Qulub w al-Absar fi Bayan al-Ulum allati Tadamanha Sayyid al-Istighfar” (The Healing of Hearts and Eyesight in Exposition of the Knowledges Contained in The Foremost Way of Seeking Forgiveness) is by Imam Ahmed bin Zain al-Habshi (d. 1145 AH).

Text, transliteration and translation of sayyid al-istighfar can be found below.

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا 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 لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ

Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa Anta Khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana ‘ala ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, A’udhu bika min Sharri ma sana’tu, abu’u Laka bini’matika ‘alaiya, wa Abu’u Laka bidhanbi faghfirli fainnahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta

O Allah, you are my Lord. There is no god but you. You have created me, and I am your servant—and I am upon Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the worst of what I have done. I fully admit to You Your blessings upon me, and I fully admit to You all my sins. So forgive me, for there is none to forgive sins but You.

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