—for He is ever Accepting of repentance. Thus the author—may Allah have mercy on him—chose to seal this magnificent and beneficial work, from which Muslims all over the world, both ordinary believers and students of knowledge, continually profit, with the subject of istighfar (seeking forgiveness). In my estimation, Riyad al-Salihin is one of the most blessed books I have ever seen in terms of the benefit it brings people, and that in itself testifies to the author’s sincerity—may Allah shower him with mercy.

Istighfar is simply the act of asking for forgiveness. Every human being is prone to error, for the Prophet ﷺ said, “All the children of Adam err, and the best of those who err are those who repent.” The faults that issue from the children of Adam are either failures to fulfill an obligation or the commission of something forbidden, and no one is entirely free of such failings. The remedy for sins, however, is istighfar—praise be to Allah.

In a well-known report, Satan says, “I ruined the children of Adam with sins, yet they ruined me with la ilaha illa Allah and with seeking forgiveness.” Istighfar, then, is a means to forgiveness, which is why Allah the Exalted commands it in many verses of the Quran, a fair number of which the author has cited. Among them is His address to the Prophet ﷺ: “So know that there is no deity but Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin” (47:19). Here Allah commands His Prophet ﷺ to realize that none deserves worship but Allah and then to seek His pardon, saying, “Ask forgiveness for your sin.” This command comes despite the fact that Allah had already forgiven the Prophet ﷺ for his past and future sins, yet he was still told to seek forgiveness for his sin. Allah the Exalted also says, “And ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women.” Likewise