Role of Istighfar in Attracting Divine Mercy

IQNA – The effects of Istighfar (seeking divine forgiveness) are not only limited to forgiveness of sins, but it also removes the obstacles to the blessings and mercy of God reaching man.

One of the effects of Istighfar is attracting the mercy of God. Prophet Salih (AS) used to warn people of the divine punishment, but they said bring the punishment you promise us. Salih said, “My people, why do you commit sins so quickly before doing good? Would that you ask forgiveness from God so that perhaps He will have mercy upon you.” (Verse 46 of Surah An-Naml); that is, why do you ask for the hastening of the punishment instead of asking forgiveness and receiving the mercy of God?

One way to discover the effect of actions in the verses of the Quran is to pay attention to the beginning and end of the verses. In many verses that mention seeking forgiveness at the beginning, in addition to forgiveness, divine mercy is also mentioned at the end:

“Then surge on from where the people surge and ask Allah for forgiveness. He is Forgiving and the Most Merciful.” (Verse 199 of Surah Al-Baqarah)

“And ask the forgiveness of Allah, surely Allah is the Forgiver, the Most Merciful.” (Verse 106 of Surah An-Nisa)

Now the question is what is the relationship between seeking forgiveness and divine mercy? The reason is that sin is a veil between man and divine mercy. As soon as the veil and obstacle are removed, divine mercy is received.

For a better understanding, if we consider the path of divine mercy and sustenance to a servant as a corridor, sin and disobedience cause this path to be blocked. Therefore, seeking forgiveness is not only about forgiving sins, but also removing obstacles if there are obstacles in the way of blessings and mercy reaching a person. As the Commander of the Faithful (AS) said in the supplication of Kumail, “O Allah, forgive me the sins that change the blessings; O Allah! Forgive me the sins that change the blessings.”

Some verses of the Quran indicate that after seeking forgiveness, a person realizes the mercy and compassion of God:

“One who commits a sin or does wrong to himself and then seeks forgiveness from God, will find God All-forgiving and All-merciful.” (Verse 110 of Surah An-Nisa)

In another verse, the combination of one’s seeking forgiveness with the Holy Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) seeking forgiveness is introduced as a factor in attracting Allah’s mercy:

“We did not send any Messengers for any reason other than to be obeyed because of the will of God. If they ever do injustice to themselves and come to you (Muhammad) asking for God’s forgiveness and if the Messenger also was to ask God to forgive them, they would certainly find God All-forgiving and All-merciful.” (Verse 64 of Surah An-Nisa)