سورة التوبة

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Humaydi, in Al-Jam' bayn al-Sahihayn, in the Musnad of Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab, has reported: When Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul died, his son came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and asked him to pray over his father. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) stood up to pray over him. At that moment Umar stood up and took hold of the garment of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Do you pray over him when your Lord has forbidden you from praying over him?!" So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "Allah the Exalted gave me the choice and said: اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِنْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِینَ مَرَّةً ... [Ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times...], and I will seek forgiveness for him more than seventy times." Umar said: "He is a hypocrite!" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) prayed over his body. And this is a rejection [directed] at the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): This verse was revealed when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) returned to Medina, and Abdullah ibn Ubayy had fallen ill. His son Abdullah ibn Abdullah was among the believers. While his father was in the throes of death, he came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! If you do not come to my father, it will be a disgrace for us." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) came to him while the hypocrites were with him. His son Abdullah ibn Abdullah said: "O Messenger of Allah! Seek forgiveness for him." So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sought forgiveness for him. Umar said: "O Messenger of Allah! Has Allah not forbidden you from praying over them and seeking forgiveness for them?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) ignored his words, and he (Umar) repeated it. So he said to him: "Woe to you! Indeed I have been given the choice and I have chosen this. Indeed Allah says: اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لاَ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ ان تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِینَ مَرَّةً فَلَن یَغْفِرَ اللهُ لَهُمْ [Ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will never forgive them]." When Abdullah died, his son came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and said: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, [O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)]! If you see fit, please attend his funeral procession." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) attended and stood at his grave. Umar said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! Has Allah not forbidden you from praying over their dead and from standing at their graves?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said to him: "Woe to you! Do you know what I said? I said: 'O Allah, fill his grave and his belly with fire, and torment him with fire.' [The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) disclosed something he did not like to disclose]."

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): If I had known that seeking forgiveness more than seventy times would cause them to be forgiven, I would certainly have done so.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): إِنْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِینَ مَرَّةً [Even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times], by Allah! I will ask forgiveness more than seventy times [so that it may be accepted].

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): If you want a child from Allah, perform a complete wudu and pray two rakats well, then go into sujud and say seventy-one times: أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ [I seek forgiveness from Allah]. Then be intimate with your wife, and say: "O Allah! Grant me a child so that I may name him after Your Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)." Allah will grant him a child ... and I ordered istighfar (seeking forgiveness) because Allah has said: Seek forgiveness of your Lord, indeed He is Most Forgiving; He will send down upon you the sky in showers, and support you with wealth and sons. (Nuh/10-12), and Allah said to His Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): إِنْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِینَ مَرَّةً فَلَنْ یَغْفِرَ اللهُ لَهُمْ [Even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will never forgive them], so I said: seek forgiveness more than seventy times.

Imam Rida (peace be upon him): Indeed Allah the Mighty and Majestic said to Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): إِنْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِینَ مَرَّةً فَلَنْ یَغْفِرَ اللهُ لَهُمْ [Even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will never forgive them]. So he asked forgiveness for them one hundred times, that Allah might forgive their sins. Then Allah revealed this verse: سَوَاء عَلَیْهِمْ أَسْتَغْفَرْتَ لَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ لَن یَغْفِرَ اللهُ لَهُمْ [It is the same for them whether you ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; Allah will never forgive them].

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Hannan ibn Sadir narrates from his father, from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him), who said: "A man from the hypocrites passed away. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) sent word to his son and said: 'Whenever you wish to bring out [the body] for the funeral procession, let me know.' When the time of his funeral came, they sent for the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). He came towards them until he took the hand of his son in the funeral procession and set off. Then Umar blocked his way and said: 'O Messenger of Allah! Has your Lord not forbidden you from this act — to pray over the corpse of any of them or to stand at his grave?' The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) gave him no reply. Before reaching the grave, Umar again said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): 'Has Allah not forbidden you from praying over their dead or attending at their graves, since they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger and died in a state of disbelief?' Thereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to Umar: 'You did not see us praying over his corpse or [standing] at his grave.' Then he said: 'His son is a man from the believers, and it was fitting that we fulfilled his right.' Umar said: 'I take refuge in Allah from the wrath of Allah and your wrath, O Messenger of Allah.'"

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) prayed over a deceased person, he would say the takbir and then recite the shahadatayn. Then he would say the takbir again and send blessings upon the Prophet and his family and supplicate. Then he would say the takbir and ask forgiveness for the believing men and women. Then he would say the takbir once more and supplicate for the deceased. Then he would say the takbir and conclude the prayer. When Allah forbade him from praying over the hypocrites, he would say the takbir and recite the shahadatayn, then say the takbir and send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and supplicate, then say the takbir and supplicate for the believing men and women, then say the takbir [a fourth time] and depart, and he would not supplicate for the deceased.