Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh.

You know, sometimes life just feels heavy.

Your heart feels tired… and maybe you can’t even explain why.

It’s as if you’re carrying something inside you, stress, regret, or sadness, and all you want is peace.

And subḥānAllāh, in those very moments, Allāh has gifted us something so simple, yet so powerful: Istighfār, seeking His forgiveness.

Istighfār isn’t only for when we’ve done something wrong.

It’s not just for sins.

It’s for every time we feel distant from Allāh, every time life feels out of control, every time our hearts need cleansing.

It’s a way of whispering, “Yā Allāh… I need You.”

When you start saying Astaghfirullāh sincerely, something begins to shift inside.

The heart softens.

The noise in your mind quiets.

The heaviness begins to lift.

You might not even realise it, but peace starts to return, the kind of peace only Allāh can give.

And then, without you even noticing how, blessings begin to appear.

Rizq starts to flow quietly, unexpectedly.

Opportunities show up in ways you could never have planned.

Doors that once felt locked begin to open.

Because Istighfār doesn’t just erase sins, it brings barakah.

It brings healing.

It brings calm.

It brings you closer to Allāh.

And wallāhi, that closeness, that feeling of being near to your Creator, is worth more than anything this world can offer.

Sometimes, we think we need grand gestures to reconnect with Allāh.

But Allāh loves simplicity.

He loves it when His servant turns to Him sincerely, even with the smallest words, Astaghfirullāh, whispered from a heart that truly means it.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us a special duʿā, Sayyid al-Istighfār, the master of all ways to seek forgiveness:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.

“O Allāh, You are my Lord; there is none worthy of worship but You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I strive to uphold Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.”

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever recites this duʿā during the day with firm belief in it, and dies before the evening, will be from the people of Paradise.

And whoever recites it at night with firm belief in it, and dies before the morning, will be from the people of Paradise.”

(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 6306)

SubḥānAllāh. Just think about that, a few words said with sincerity, can be your path to Jannah.

So the next time your heart feels unsettled, pause. Take a deep breath. And say: Astaghfirullāh.

Not as a habit, but as a conversation with Allāh.

Say it when you’re driving, when you’re cooking, when you’re about to sleep.

Say it when things go right, and when they go wrong.

Say it when you feel grateful, and when you feel broken.

Because every Astaghfirullāh pulls you closer to Him.

Every Astaghfirullāh wipes away a sin.

Every Astaghfirullāh plants a tree for you in Jannah.

And every Astaghfirullāh brings peace to your heart.

So fill your days with Istighfār.

Let it be your morning rhythm, your afternoon pause, your night-time comfort.

Because in the end, all of us are just trying to find peace.

And true peace begins when the heart turns back to the One who created it.

May Allāh make our tongues always busy with Istighfār, our hearts alive with remembrance, and our souls content with His mercy.

Āmīn.

Your brother

Sajid Umar

Location: 'somewhere en route to the hereafter'

23/04/1447 (AH) - 15/10/2025