The Meaning of Istighfār and Dhanb in Qur’anic Verses Concerning the Prophet (s.a)and Divine Victory

Khalifatul Masih II^(ra) in Anwarul Uloom in volume 12 page 467 discusses the allegations made against the Holy Prophet^(sa) pertaining to Dhanb and Istighfar. 

It is alleged that the Holy Prophet  (sa) ,God forbid, was a sinner, on the basis of the words *dhanb* (“sin”) and istighfār (“seeking forgiveness”). But people generally have not understood the meaning of these terms.

Istighfār can also mean that the obstacles lying in someone’s path should be covered or removed. Likewise, dhanb can mean sin, but it can also mean superfluous or extraneous matters. Thus, ghafr means “to cover,” and dhanb means “excesses.” When the word istighfār occurs in relation to The Prophet^(sa) it means the removal of difficulties from his path. And where the word dhanb occurs, it means the removal of extraneous elements.

For example, look at Sūrah An-Nisā’ 4:106  First there is mention of war; then Allah the Exalted says:

“Do not be an advocate for the treacherous; and seek forgiveness of Allah.”

That is: O Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, when We grant you authority, there will be some people who will act treacherously in religious matters and adopt crooked ways. Do not turn your attention toward fighting them. Rather, pray to God Almighty that this weakness of theirs may be removed.

In Sūrah al-Mu’min 40:52 too, Allah first mentions help, saying,

“Surely We shall help Our Messengers,” and then commands: “And seek forgiveness for thy dhanb, and glorify thy Lord with His praise in the evening and the morning.”(40:56)

In Sūrah Muhammad 47:19-20, there is likewise first a mention of the coming of the Hour, that is, victory, and then He says,

“And seek forgiveness for thy dhanb.”

In Sūrah al-Nasr 110:2-3 ,  too, victory is mentioned first, and then comes:

“Then glorify thy Lord with His praise, and seek His forgiveness.”

Similarly, in Sūrah al-Fath 48:2-3 , victory is mentioned first and then ghafr is mentioned. It is said:

 “Surely, We have granted thee a clear victory, that Allah may forgive thee thy dhanb, that which is past and that which is to come.”

In all these references, dhanb or istighfār  is mentioned in conjunction with victory, either after the promise of victory or after victory itself has been mentioned. In four places, istighfār is mentioned along with the promise of victory. In one place, a “clear victory” is mentioned, followed by  li-yaghfira meaning: “Your prayer has been heard, and instead of ordinary victories We have granted you a clear victory, so that your dhanb may be forgiven.” (48:2-3)

One should now consider: is receiving victory and divine help a sin? Why do these words occur with victory everywhere? This shows that istighfār and dhanb here are of another kind. If sin were intended, some sin should have been mentioned; yet not even once is this done. Instead, it is said:

“We grant thee victory and help; therefore, seek forgiveness.”  (48:2-3)

clearly shows that the expression has another meaning.

That meaning is this: with victory, those who enter the system of bay‘at become numerous, even reaching hundreds of thousands, and their training cannot be fully carried out. As a result, the time of a nation’s decline begins from the very day its victories begin, because the proper training of the people becomes impossible. When Muslims had become millions and were dispersed throughout the land, their training was impossible.

Therefore, it was said that it is beyond human capacity to train so many people fully; only God can train them. So pray: “O God, You alone create the means for their righteous training.” Then the glad tidings were given that We have heard your prayers:

“Surely, We have granted thee a clear victory, that Allah may forgive thee thy dhanb, that which is past and that which is to come.” (48:2-3)

The great victory We grant you will be given in such a manner that it will be a clear and manifest victory, one that distinguishes truth from falsehood. It will not be a victory over bodies alone; rather, it will also be a victory over hearts…