Pleading for Forgiveness

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘When a servant (of Allah) commits a sin he is given respite from morning to evening. If within such time he pleaded before Allah for forgiveness no sin will be written against him.’”

“If one commits a sin he is given seven hours respite during the day. If he says, ‘I ask forgiveness from Allah, besides Whom no one deserves to be worshipped. Who is living and controls all things, - three times - no sin will be written against him.’”

“When a believing servant (of Allah) commits a sin Allah gives him seven hours respite. If he pleads for forgiveness from Allah within such time nothing will be written against him. If the hours pass and he did not plead for forgiveness one sin will be written against him. A believer remembers his sin even after twenty years so that he may plead to his Lord for forgiveness and He forgives him. An unbeliever forgets his sin within the same hour.”’

“The Messenger of Allah would plead before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, seventy times every day.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘Would he say, ‘I ask Allah to forgive me and I turn to Him in repentance?’ The Imam said, ‘He, however, would say, ‘I return to Allah.’ I then said, ‘The Messenger of Allah would yatub (repent) and would not repeat, we repent and repeat.’ The Imam said, ‘Allah is the source of help.’”

“If one commits a sin he is given seven hours time during the day. If he says, ‘I plead before Allah, besides whom no one deserves to be worshipped, the living, the controlling power (over creation) and turn to Him in repentance - three times - nothing will be written against him.’”

“A believer commits a sin and remembers it after twenty years, then he pleads before Allah for forgiveness, He still forgives him. He is made to remember so He may forgive him. An unbeliever commits a sin and forgets it within the same hour.’”

“If a believer commits forty major sins within one day and night and then regretfully says, ‘I plead before Allah, besides Whom no one deserves to be worshipped, the living, the controlling power (over creation) the inventor of the heavens and earth, possessor of glory, and honor. I ask Him to grant favors upon Muhammad and his family and to forgive me and accept my repentance. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will forgive all of them, however, there is no good in one who commits more than forty major sins in a day.’”

“For everything there is a medicine and the medicine for sins is pleading (before Allah) for forgiveness.”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘If any believer commits a sin Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, gives him seven hours of a day’s respite; if he repents, nothing will be written against him but if he did not repent Allah will write only one sin against him.’ Thereafter ‘Abbad al-Basri came to him (abu ‘Abd Allah) and said, ‘We have heard that you have said, ‘If a servant (of Allah) commits a sin, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, gives him seven hours of a day’s respite.’ The Imam said, ‘I have not said as such. What I have said is ‘If any believer . . .’ and the rest of my words.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘If one says, “I plead for forgiveness before Allah” one hundred times every day, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will forgive his seven hundred sins, but there is nothing good in a servant (of Allah) who commits seven hundred sins a day.’”