The Prophet’s Repentance Results In The Pardon Of Sins It...

The Prophet’s Repentance Results In The Pardon Of Sins It can be gathered by the verses regarding the prophets who repented for a sinner that people would come to the prophets because of the close relationship that they had to Allah, asking them to ask for forgiveness. They would, in other words, ask the prophets to ask Allah to forgive them.

Jacob's ( Ya‛qub ) sons regretted their evil deed when they saw Joseph ( Yusuf ), whom they had thrown into a well, become the vizier of a part of Egypt's land. They went to their father and said: “ Oh father! Ask forgiveness for our sins for us, for we were truly at fault .” ^3 Jacob told them that he would soon do this for them, that is, he would plead for their forgiveness once he saw the signs of regret on their faces.

He said: “ Soon I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, for he is indeed the oft-forgiving, the most merciful .” ^4 Sometimes the prophets would promise to ask Allah to forgive sinners.

An example of this is when Abraham ( Ibrahim ) made such a promise to Azar: “ I shall pray for forgiveness for you, though I have no power (to get) anything on thy behalf from Allah .” ^5 The meaning of this sentence, which sheds light into the reality of the prophets performing repentance for others, is that the prophets are not in charge of forgiving or punishing sinners. Allah did not give the task of judgment to them.

The prophets are nothing more than a means; if Allah's permission was not prevalent, such asking for the forgiveness of others would be ineffective. The Qur’an's Order To The Muslims The Qur’an clearly orders sinners to go to the Prophet and ask him to seek their forgiveness from Allah. The Qur’an states, with no uncertainty, that if the Messenger of Allah prays for a sinner and asks Allah to forgive his sins, his sins will be forgiven.

The verse reads as follows: “ We did not send a messenger, except to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah. If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed the oft-returning, the most merciful .” ^6 For this reason the Muslims of the past would ask their infallible leaders to repent in their stead. Thus, the infallibles interceded for them in this world.

This ability and this kind of intercession are not exclusive to prophets. A believer can ask Allah to forgive other believers, resulting in the forgiveness of their sins.