The Ruling on the Istighfar Campaign at the End of the Hijri Year
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.
The questioner:
This is a questioner for the program, S.A.S., from Dammam. He says: Honorable Shaykh, at the end of the Hijri year, messages are sent on mobile phones requesting istighfar (seeking forgiveness) at the end of the year. Is there a basis for this, and is this called the Campaign of the Seekers of Forgiveness?
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, seeking forgiveness is required of the Muslim at all times, especially when he commits a sin, for he hastens to seek forgiveness.Jami` at-Tirmidhi 406Hasan (Darussalam) Jami` at-Tirmidhi 406Hasan (Darussalam) This is at all times, not only at the end of the year. Likewise, it is prescribed to seek forgiveness in the last part of the night, during the pre-dawn hours. Allah the Exalted said, "and those who seek forgiveness in the pre-dawn hours." This is every night. Allah the Exalted said [Adh-Dhariyat 51:17] [Adh-Dhariyat 51:18] This is every night, not only at the end of the year. Likewise, it is prescribed to seek forgiveness immediately after the taslim of the obligatory prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he would say the taslim from the obligatory prayer, would say, "I seek forgiveness of Allah, I seek forgiveness of Allah, I seek forgiveness of Allah." Likewise, seeking forgiveness after performing acts of worship, because something of deficiency may befall them. This is at all times, not at the end of the year. So limiting the end of the year for seeking forgiveness, or requesting seeking forgiveness at the end of the year, this has no basis. It is a bid'ah (religious innovation). His saying (peace and blessings be upon him) Sahih Muslim 1718b meaning it is rejected, "Whoever introduces into our matter something that is not part of it, it is rejected." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said Sunan Abi Dawud 4607Sahih (Al-Albani) So this that is circulated on mobile phones at the end of the year, the Campaign of Seeking Forgiveness, this is a bid'ah. And those who call to it are callers to bid'ah. So one must beware of them. Yes.
May Allah greet you and bless you.
The questioner:
This is a questioner for the program, S.A.S., from Dammam. He says: Honorable Shaykh, at the end of the Hijri year, messages are sent on mobile phones requesting istighfar (seeking forgiveness) at the end of the year. Is there a basis for this, and is this called the Campaign of the Seekers of Forgiveness?
The Shaykh:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, seeking forgiveness is required of the Muslim at all times, especially when he commits a sin, for he hastens to seek forgiveness.
Those who when they have committed Fahishah or wronged themselves with eveil, remember Allah
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَنْ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُuntil the end of the Ayah
ولم يصروا على ما فعلوا وهم يعلمونThey used to sleep but little of the night,
كَانُوا قَلِيلًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ مَا يَهْجَعُونَAnd in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness,
وَبِالْأَسْحَارِ هُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَHe who did any act for which there is no sanction from our behalf, that is to be rejected.
من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو ردfor every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.
إن كل محدثة بدعة، وكل بدعة ضلالة.
Source
نور على الدرب - الفوزان - 03/190 — archive.org (0:54)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.