Most Christians, on account of their ignorance of the reality of Maghfirat—forgiveness—imagine that a person who seeks Maghfirat, is disobedient and sinful. A deep reflection over the meaning of Maghfirat makes it clear that it is the one who does not seek Maghfirat of God Almighty who is disobedient and vile. As every true purity is bestowed by Him and He alone safeguards one against the storm of passion, it should be a preoccupation of His righteous servants to constantly seek Maghfirat from that True Guardian and Protector.
If we were to seek an illustration of Maghfirat in the physical world the best illustration would be that Maghfirat is a strong and unbreakable dam which is erected to hold back a flood. As all strength and all power belongs to God Almighty, and a man is weak in his soul as he is in his body, and seeks water from the Eternal Being all the time for the nurture of the tree of his being, and cannot keep alive without His grace, Istighfar, in its meaning that we have set out, becomes necessary and essential. As a tree puts forth its branches in all directions, as if it spreads its hands towards the surrounding spring of water, pleading for help that its greenness should not decline and that the time of its flowering and putting forth fruit should not be lost, the same is the case with the righteous. To supplicate the Fountain of real life for the water of security to safeguard spiritual life, or to promote it, is described in the Holy Qur’an as Istighfar.
Reflect on the Holy Qur’an and read it with care and you will alight upon the reality of Istighfar. The dictionary meaning of Maghfirat is a covering which is designed to safeguard against a misfortune. For instance, water is an element that covers up the defects of trees and is thus Maghfirat. Consider what would be the condition of a garden which receives no water for a year or two. Is it not true that its beauty will be destroyed and there will be no sign left of its greenness? It will produce no fruit and no flowers. Its inside will be burnt up. Its green and soft leaves will dry up and fall down; and dryness overcoming it, all its limbs will fall away from it like the limbs of a leper. Why will all these calamities overtake it? Because the water upon which its life depended was not available. This is referred to in the verse:
Reflect on the Holy Qur’an and read it with care and you will alight upon the reality of Istighfar. The dictionary meaning of Maghfirat is a covering which is designed to safeguard against a misfortune. For instance, water is an element that covers up the defects of trees and is thus Maghfirat. Consider what would be the condition of a garden which receives no water for a year or two. Is it not true that its beauty will be destroyed and there will be no sign left of its greenness? It will produce no fruit and no flowers. Its inside will be burnt up. Its green and soft leaves will dry up and fall down; and dryness overcoming it, all its limbs will fall away from it like the limbs of a leper. Why will all these calamities overtake it? Because the water upon which its life depended was not available. This is referred to in the verse:
A good word is like a good tree. Ibrahim, 14:25
As a good and noble tree cannot flourish without water, in the same way, the good word of a righteous person cannot flourish till a pure spring refreshes its roots by flowing in the stream of Istighfar. Thus the spiritual life of a person depends upon Istighfar through the stream of which the true spring reaches the root of humanness and safeguards it from drying up and dying.
The religion which does not set forth this philosophy is certainly not from God, and a person who claims to be a Prophet or a Messenger or righteous or pure-natured and turns away from this spring is certainly not from God. Such a one derives not from God Almighty, but from Satan, the root meaning of which is death. He who does not desire to draw that true spring to himself and does not fill this spring to its brim from the stream of Istighfar, in order to make his spiritual garden flourish, is a Satan, that is to say, he will die for it is not possible that the tree should flourish without water. Every arrogant one, who does not desire to make his spiritual tree flourish from this spring of life is a Satan and will be ruined like Satan. There has been no righteous Prophet in the world who turned away from the reality of Istighfar and did not desire to flourish through this real spring. It is true that our lord and master Muhammad, the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] supplicated more than anyone else for this flourishing and therefore God caused him to flourish and be fragrant more than all other Prophets.
As a good and noble tree cannot flourish without water, in the same way, the good word of a righteous person cannot flourish till a pure spring refreshes its roots by flowing in the stream of Istighfar. Thus the spiritual life of a person depends upon Istighfar through the stream of which the true spring reaches the root of humanness and safeguards it from drying up and dying.
The religion which does not set forth this philosophy is certainly not from God, and a person who claims to be a Prophet or a Messenger or righteous or pure-natured and turns away from this spring is certainly not from God. Such a one derives not from God Almighty, but from Satan, the root meaning of which is death. He who does not desire to draw that true spring to himself and does not fill this spring to its brim from the stream of Istighfar, in order to make his spiritual garden flourish, is a Satan, that is to say, he will die for it is not possible that the tree should flourish without water. Every arrogant one, who does not desire to make his spiritual tree flourish from this spring of life is a Satan and will be ruined like Satan. There has been no righteous Prophet in the world who turned away from the reality of Istighfar and did not desire to flourish through this real spring. It is true that our lord and master Muhammad, the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] supplicated more than anyone else for this flourishing and therefore God caused him to flourish and be fragrant more than all other Prophets.
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