Path to Piety
The angels supplicate
(Part 3)
Maulana Muhammad Afzal Attari Madani
The gift of salah is, in reality, the believers’ ascension from the earthly realm to the Divine Presence. Enjoined countless times in the Quran and Hadith, its virtue and importance have been described in the loftiest terms. It is from the mercy of Allah Almighty that His infallible angels supplicate for the forgiveness of those who offer Salah when they perform certain actions.
70,000 angels make supplications of forgiveness
The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said that whoever exits his home for salah and recites
اَللّٰھُمَّ اِنِّی اَسْاَلُکَ بِحَقِّ السَّائِلِیْنَ عَلَیْکَ وَبِحَقِّ مَمْشَایَ فَاِنِّیْ لَمْ اَخْرُجْ اَشَرًا وَلَا بَطَرًا وَلَا رِیَائًا وَلَا سُمْعَةً خَرَجْتُ اِتِّقَائَ سَخَطِکَ وَابْتِغَائَ مَرْضَاتِکَ اَسْأَلُکَ اَنْ تُنْقِذَنِیْ مِنَ النَّارِ وَاَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِیْ ذُنُوبِیْ اِنَّهُ لَا یَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Translation: O Allah! I ask You by right of those who have a right to ask You and by right of my walking, for I have not exited due to pride, arrogance, or to show the people or make them hear, rather, I have exited to be protected from Your displeasure and to gain Your pleasure. I ask You to protect me from the fire of Hell and forgive my sins, for You are the only one Who forgives sins
Allah Almighty will appoint 70,000 angels to seek forgiveness for him, and Allah Almighty turns towards him with His merciful gaze until he completes his Salah, (Musnad Ahmad, vol. 17, p. 247, Hadith 11,156).
Every angel will seek forgiveness
‘O Musa! Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and his nation will offer four cycles of prayer in the evening (Asr salah). Every exalted angel in the heavens and the earth will seek forgiveness for that nation. I will not punish the one for whom my angels seek forgiveness,’ (Hilya-tul-Awliya, vol. 6, p. 34).
70 angels seek forgiveness
The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: ‘Whosoever offered Fajr salah in congregation, and remained seated in that place, reciting the first three verses of Surah Al-An’aam, Allah Almighty will appoint 70 angels who will glorify Allah Almighty and seek forgiveness on behalf of the person until the Day of Judgment,’ (Ruh Al-Ma’ani, vol. 7, p. 98).
Three supplications
The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated that ‘The person who remains seated in his place after offering salah, the angels continue to seek forgiveness for him until he no longer has wudu or gets up.’ The angels seek forgiveness for him by supplicating, اَللّٰھُمَّ اغْفِرْلَهٗ ‘O Allah, forgive him, اَللّٰھُمَّ ارْحَمْه ‘O Allah, have mercy upon him, and اَللّٰھُمَّ تُبْ عَلَیْه O Allah, accept his repentance,’ (Musnad Abi Dawood Tayalisi, p. 317, Hadith 2,415).
A powerful litany
Sayyiduna Abdullah b. Mas’ood رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ said that ‘When a person says سُبْحٰنَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلهِ وَلَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ اَكْبَرُ وَتَبَارَكَ اللهُ, an angel will place these words beneath its wings and ascend towards the heavens. Whenever it passes by a group of angels, the angels seek forgiveness for the one who uttered these words, until the angel presents these words in the court of Allah Almighty,’ (Mustadrak li Al-Haakim, vol. 3, p. 204, Hadith 3,642).
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