وَ لَوۡ اَنَّہُمۡ اِذۡ ظَّلَمُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَہُمۡ جَآءُوۡکَ فَاسۡتَغۡفَرُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اسۡتَغۡفَرَ لَہُمُ الرَّسُوۡلُ لَوَجَدُوا اللّٰہَ تَوَّابًا  رَّحِیۡمًا (۶۴)

‘And if when they (i.e. people) do injustice to their own souls (by committing sins), they should then present themselves in your august court, O beloved, and then seek forgiveness from Allah, and the Messenger intercedes for them; they would therefore definitely find Allah the Greatest Acceptor of repentance, the Most Merciful.’”^[1]

The bedouin continued, “O Messenger of Allah! I have oppressed myself ˹by committing sins˺. I have now come to you, seeking for you to pray for my forgiveness.” A voice then said from the grave,  قَدْ غُفِرَ لَکَ – “Your sins have been forgiven.”^[2]

Forgiveness has been granted

A similar incident was narrated by the scholar Ibn Jawzi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه in ꜤUyūn al-Hikāyāt. This begins with Muhammad bin Ḥarb Hilāli رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه explaining:

I was at the grave of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, when I happened to see an Aʿrābī (Arabian villager) come and say “O Messenger of Allah! In the truthful book Allah revealed to you, He declared:

وَ لَوۡ اَنَّہُمۡ اِذۡ ظَّلَمُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَہُمۡ جَآءُوۡکَ فَاسۡتَغۡفَرُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اسۡتَغۡفَرَ لَہُمُ الرَّسُوۡلُ لَوَجَدُوا اللّٰہَ تَوَّابًا  رَّحِیۡمًا (۶۴) 

‘And if when they (i.e. people) do injustice to their own souls (by committing sins), they should then present themselves in your august court, O beloved, and then seek forgiveness from