Pray for All Believers: Islamic Forgiveness Guide

Seeking Forgiveness for Believing Men and Women in Islam

Seeking forgiveness for all believing men and women is the practice of the most excellent beings (angels, prophets, and the righteous).

---

Every Muslim certainly prays and seeks forgiveness for himself, his parents, and his wife and children. However, praying for other believers has been a characteristic of the prophets and the righteous. The Salaf (early Muslims) have even stated that praying for all believers is a cause for the swift acceptance of supplications.

📍(1) Our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was commanded to do so:

{وَاسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۡۢبِكَ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ‌} – (1)

Translation: “And ask forgiveness for your sin, and for the believing men and believing women.”

Shaykh Abd al-Rahman bin Nasir al-Sa’di (d. 1376 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, says about this verse:

“﴿ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنبِكَ ﴾ (And ask forgiveness for your sin) from Allah, meaning through repentance, supplication for forgiveness, performing good deeds that erase sins, and abandoning sins and crimes. ﴿ وَ ﴾ ‘And’ similarly, seek forgiveness ﴿ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ﴾ ‘for the believing men and believing women,’ because by virtue of their faith, every Muslim man and woman has a right over you. Included in their rights is that you should pray for them and seek forgiveness for their sins. When you are commanded to seek forgiveness for them, which entails the removal of their sins and its punishment, it is then a requisite of this to be their well-wisher, to love for them the good that you love for yourself, to dislike for them the evil that you dislike for yourself, to enjoin upon them that which is good for them and to forbid them from that which harms them, to forgive their shortcomings and faults, and to desire to live with them in a way that unites their hearts and removes from them the malice and hatred that causes enmity and opposition, which leads to an increase in their sins and transgressions.” (2)

📍(2) Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, prayed:

{رَبَّنَا اغۡفِرۡ لِىۡ وَلـِوَالِدَىَّ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ يَوۡمَ يَقُوۡمُ الۡحِسَابُ} – (3)

Translation: "Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established."

It is narrated from ‘Amir al-Sha’bi that he said:

“The joy I feel from the supplication of Nuh (Noah) and Ibrahim (Abraham) for all the believing men and women is greater than what I would feel from acquiring red camels.” (4)

📍(3) Nuh (Noah), peace be upon him, also prayed:

{رَبِّ اغۡفِرۡلِىۡ وَلِـوَالِدَىَّ وَلِمَنۡ دَخَلَ بَيۡتِىَ مُؤۡمِنًا وَّلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَالۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِؕ} – (5)

Translation: "My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women."

Imam al-Suyuti (d. 911 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, states:

“In this lies a great etiquette of supplication, which is to include one’s parents and the believers in one’s prayer, and to begin the supplication with oneself.” (6)

Ibn Juzayy (d. 741 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, says:

“From this verse, it is understood that a person should first pray for himself, then for others.” (7)

📍(4) The angels also pray:

{اَلَّذِيۡنَ يَحۡمِلُوۡنَ الۡعَرۡشَ وَمَنۡ حَوۡلَهٗ يُسَبِّحُوۡنَ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّهِمۡ وَيُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِهٖ وَيَسۡتَغۡفِرُوۡنَ لِلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا‌} – (8)

Translation: "Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those around it exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed."

Yahya ibn Mu’adh al-Razi (d. 258 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, said to his companions regarding this verse:

“If one angel were to ask Allah for the forgiveness of all believers, Allah would forgive them. So how will they not be forgiven when all the angels, the bearers of the Throne, seek forgiveness for the believers?”

Khalaf ibn Hisham al-Bazzar al-Qari (d. 229 AH), may Allah have mercy on him, says:

“I was reciting to Salim ibn ‘Isa, and when I read {وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا} (and ask forgiveness for those who have believed), he began to weep and said, ‘O Khalaf, how honored is the believer in the sight of Allah that while he is sleeping on his bed, the angels are seeking forgiveness for him.'” (9)

📍(5) The current and future believers praying for the righteous predecessors:

{وَالَّذِيۡنَ جَآءُوۡ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ يَقُوۡلُوۡنَ رَبَّنَا اغۡفِرۡ لَـنَا وَلِاِخۡوَانِنَا الَّذِيۡنَ سَبَقُوۡنَا بِالۡاِيۡمَانِ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا رَبَّنَاۤ اِنَّكَ رَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ} – (10)

Translation: “And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.'”

Shaykh Abd al-Rahman bin Nasir al-Sa’di, may Allah have mercy on him, says:

“This supplication includes all past believers, the Companions, those who came before them, and all believers who will come after them. This is the virtue of faith, that the believers benefit one another, and due to their shared faith, they pray for each other. Faith necessitates brotherhood among believers, and one of its branches is that they pray for one another and love one another.” (11)

⭐ Similarly, it is narrated from the Salaf as-Salihin (righteous predecessors):

(1) It is narrated from ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr that Sayyiduna ‘Umar Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him) would make this supplication in the Qunut after Ruku’:

“اللهم اغفر للمؤمنين والمؤمنات والمسلمين والمسلمات وألف بين قلوبهم وأصلح ذات بينهم … “

“O Allah! Forgive us and all believing men and women, and Muslim men and women, and create affection between their hearts and reconcile their affairs…” (12)

(2) Ibn Jurayj, may Allah have mercy on him, says that he asked ‘Ata:

“Should I seek forgiveness for all believing men and women?”

He replied: “Yes, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was commanded to do so, and it is obligatory upon all Muslims. Allah said to His Prophet (peace be upon him): {وَاسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۡۢبِكَ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ‌}.”

I asked: “Do you ever omit this in the obligatory prayer?” He said: “No.” I asked: “With whom do you begin, yourself or the believers?” He said: “With myself, as Allah the Exalted has said:

{وَاسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لِذَنۡۢبِكَ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنٰتِ‌}.”

Translation: “And ask forgiveness for your sin, and for the believing men and believing women.” (13)

(3) ‘Amir al-Sha’bi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:

“There is no supplication more beloved to Allah ‘Azza wa Jall than for me to say:

‘اللهم اغفر للمؤمنين والمؤمنات الأحياء منهم والأموات’.”

‘O Allah! Forgive the believing men and women, the living among them and the dead.’

I hope that in return for this prayer, Allah the Exalted will forgive every believing man and woman, whether they are beneath the earth or upon its surface.” (14)

Therefore, all people, while praying for themselves, their parents, and their families, should also surely pray for all the believers.

---

(1) Muhammad: 19

(2) Tafsir al-Sa’di p. 787

(3) Ibrahim: 41

(4) Ascribed by al-Suyuti to Ibn Abi Hatim, Mawsu’at al-Tafsir al-Ma’thur.

(5) Nuh: 28

(6) Al-Iklil fi Istinbat al-Tanzil by al-Suyuti.

(7) Tafsir Ibn Juzayy: 2/416

(8) Ghafir: 7

(9) Tafsir al-Qurtubi: 15/293

(10) Al-Hashr: 10

(11) Tafsir al-Sa’di p. 851

(12) Narrated by al-Bayhaqi in “al-Sunan al-Kubra” (2/210) and he said: Sahih Mawsul, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj ila Adillat al-Minhaj (1/410).

(13) Al-Musannaf by ‘Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211 AH), 2/217

(14) Kashf al-Khafa’ by al-‘Ajluni 1/211

Umm Muhammad Khushnuma Muslehuddin
Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah Al-Mukarramah