leaving it: “Your forgiveness,” based on the authentic hadith narrated from Aishah—may Allah be pleased with her—that when the Prophet ﷺ came out of the lavatory, he would say: “Your forgiveness.” (1) Here, “upon” means after; that is, he says this after leaving. If he is out in the open, then he says it when he leaves the place where he was sitting.

His statement, “Your forgiveness”: ghufrān (forgiveness) is a verbal noun from ghafara, “to forgive,” just as shukr and shukrān (thanks) are verbal nouns from shakara, “to thank.” Thus, “Your forgiveness” is a verbal noun in the accusative, governed by an omitted verb whose implied meaning is: “I ask You for Your forgiveness.”

Forgiveness means concealing a sin and pardoning it, for it is derived from mighfar (helmet). A helmet provides both concealment and protection; it is not merely a covering. Thus, the meaning of “Forgive me” is: Conceal my sins and pardon me, so that I may be safe from their punishment and from being disgraced by them.

The appropriateness here of saying, “Your forgiveness,” is explained as follows:

It has been said that, when a person has relieved himself of the discomfort of the body, he remembers the harm caused by sin; so he supplicates to Allah to relieve him of the harm of sin, just as He has bestowed upon him