The true meaning of Istighfar

‘Istighfar’ (asking for forgiveness) is also something to be pondered over. The Christians, due to their lack of knowledge and ignorance, have criticised this pure principle whereas it is a stage among the various natural stages of man.

You should know that the Holy Quran has mentioned two names of God (among so many others) – Al-Haye and Al-Qayyum. Al-Haye means He who is Himself alive and gives life to others. Al-Qayyum means He who maintains Himself and maintains others also and is really the source of the maintenance of others.

Everything that exists owes its spiritual and physical existence and maintenance to these very two attributes of God. The word Haye therefore demands that He should be worshipped as it is quite clear from the words (We worship Thee alone) which occur in the Suratul Fatiha. The word Al-Qayyum demands that we should ask for His support and this is what has been mentioned in the words (Thee alone do we ask for help).

The word Haye demands that we should worship Him because He has created us and having created He has not left us unaided as a mason who puts up a building and having done so it matters little whether he lives or passes away. But so far as man is concerned he always and in all the circumstances stands in need of God and that is the reason we should always ask Him to grant us strength. This is what really Istighfar is. Of course it has been extended to take in its sphere those also who commit sins and in that case it means that they may be saved from the evil effects of the sins – but in fact it means that man should be guarded against the human weaknesses. He who being a human being does not realise the need of Istighfar (asking for forgiveness with the connotation of this word as explained above) is a disrespectful atheist.

The Promised Messiah (as)Malfoozat, vol. 3, pg. 217

It should be remembered that the Umma (the Muslims) have been granted two things. One, to achieve strength and two, to display that strength. Istighfar is meant to get strength; in other words it is seeking after help. Sufis say that just as taking exercise with the help of some heavy things (called Mugdars and Mogris) gives strength to the body so is the case with Istighfar i.e. it gives strength to the soul and also grants steadfastness to the heart. Whoever wishes to get strength should do Istighfar (ask for forgiveness) Ghafar actually means to cover or to suppress. Istighfar helps to cover and suppress the feelings and the thoughts which try to take the man away from God. Thus Istighfar means to overpower the poisonous matter that attacks man to undo him, and by removing the checks and hurdles in the way of obeying the commands of Allah, to act upon those commands in a practical manner.

This also should be remembered that there are two kinds of matters. One, the poison which is handled by the Satan and, two, the elixir. When a man shows pride and thinks that he is somebody to be reckoned with and does not seek help from the elixir, the poison overpowers him. But when he humbles himself and realises that he is nobody and very low and thus feels the need of the help of God then Allah really produces a fountain through which his soul begins to flow. This is what Istighfar means i.e. to overpower the poisonous matter with the power received from God.

The Promised Messiah (as)Malfoozat, vol. 2, pg. 67-68