“and those who seek forgiveness before dawn” (3:17). They would stand in prayer throughout the night and finish it by asking forgiveness.

Whenever the Prophet ﷺ ended his prayer he would seek forgiveness three times.

The last surah revealed to him was Sūrat al-Naṣr: “When the help of Allah comes and the conquest, and you see people entering Allah’s religion in multitudes, then glorify your Lord with His praise and seek His forgiveness; surely He is ever Accepting of repentance” (al-Naṣr 1–3). After it was sent down he often said in his bowing and prostration: “Subḥānak Allāhumma Rabbanā wa bi-ḥamdik, Allāhumma ighfir lī” (Glory be to You, O Allah, our Lord, and praise is Yours; O Allah, forgive me). Its revelation signalled the nearness of his appointed end, as Ibn ʿAbbās said in the council of the Commander of the Believers ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb in the presence of the Companions, and ʿUmar approved him, saying, “I know of it nothing but what you have said.”

In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim ʿĀʾishah reported: “Before he died the Messenger of Allah ﷺ frequently said, ‘Subḥānak wa bi-ḥamdik, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk’ (Glory be to You; with Your praise. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You).” Thus seeking forgiveness and repentance became the seal of his life just as they are the seal of every deed.

As for the two foundations concerning destiny, they are:

– A foundation that precedes what is decreed: seeking help from Allah, taking refuge in Him, and calling upon Him in hope and fear—relying on one’s Lord and turning to Him to attain what is desired and to repel what is disliked.

– A foundation that follows once the decree has occurred: patience with the decree when one’s goal is missed or something detestable befalls him. He conditions his soul to accept it, knowing that what struck him could never have missed him, and what missed him could never have struck him, and that the present state cannot be other than what Allah has ordained, thereby warding off grief.

As Allah the Exalted says: “No calamity befalls except by Allah’s leave; and whoever believes in Allah—”