The correct essence of the fact that the Prophets, may Allah bestow peace on them, are protected from wrong actions should be understood clearly so that the verses of the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions regarding their seeking forgiveness may be comprehended in their true sense.
We have discussed some of the examples of specific actions of the Prophets, which were objected to by Allah. For example, we may refer to the comment of Allah regarding Adam, may Allah bestow peace on him, saying, “And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred.” (The Qur’an 20:121)
All the actions of the Prophets, which the Qur’an has referred to as errors, are aberrations with respect to their high status with Allah. The verb for wrong action used in the above verse is derived from the word dhanab, which means the tail of something. Even the tail-end of every action of the Prophets, may Allah bestow peace on them, is required to be perfect, and if anything otherwise happened, Allah pointed that out to purify them. In this process their final traditions were left for other humans to emulate in the pure forms. The slightest of inconsistencies in the case of this group of men was not permitted to exist by Allah. Their legacy is pristine.
None of the errors of the Prophets, may Allah bestow peace on them, was rebellious in nature. Those can be attributed to oversight, ignorance, or mistaken interpretation. On the other hand, the wrong actions of other human beings may be mischievous and wilful. However, in the case of the Prophets, may Allah bestow peace on them, such actions were not in conformity with their status with Allah. This can be understood through the Arabic proverb “Hasanat al-abrarsayyiat al-muqarrabeen” (Good actions of the righteous people are the bad actions of those who are nearer to Allah). It means that actions considered virtuous for average, righteous people (al-abrar) may be viewed as shortcomings for the persons near and dear to Allah (al-muqarrabeen).
It may be noted that after the strictures to the prophets and their seeking forgiveness, Allah mentioned that He pardoned them, raised them high in status, and brought them near to Him.
With respect to Prophet Adam, may Allah bestow peace on him, Allah said, “Then his Lord chose him and turned to him in forgiveness and guided [him].” (The Qur’an 20:122)
Prophet Musa, may Allah bestow peace on him, asked Allah to reveal Him. Allah revealed His glory to the mountain that was crushed to dust, and the Prophet fell and fainted. On recovery, he asked forgiveness for this unwarranted request and Allah forgave him, saying, “To You I turn in repentance.” (The Qur’an 20:143)
Regarding Prophet Daud, may Allah bestow peace on him, Allah said, “So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return.” (The Qur’an 38:25)
Allah described the elevation of Prophet Sulayman, may Allah bestow peace on him, after his repentance, saying, “He prayed, ‘My Lord! Forgive me, and grant me an authority that will never be matched by anyone after me. You are indeed the Giver (of all bounties).’ So, We subjected to him the wind, blowing gently at his command to wherever he pleased. And (We subjected to him) every builder and diver of the jinn, and others bound together in chains. (Allah said,) ‘This is Our gift, so give or withhold (as you wish), never to be called to account.’ And he will indeed have (a status of) closeness to Us and an honourable destination!” (The Qur’an 38:36-40)
It may be concluded that errors of the Prophets, may Allah bestow peace on them, were only ostensibly wrong actions; otherwise, they were marks of honour that brought them closer to Allah.
The Prophets sought forgiveness not only for specific errors but they did so in general too, as is the case with Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace. This phenomenon of seeking forgiveness without referring to any error, as such, should also be understood in its true perspective. The following reasons may be ascribed to this abundance of seeking repentance and asking forgiveness from Allah.
- This was a mark of their humility and the expression of their servility to Allah.
- This was a manner of expressing thanks to Allah for all His bounties. Someone asked the Prophet ﷺ as to why he prayed to and sought repentance from Allah so much when Allah assured him of his forgiveness. He replied that he did this out of thanks to Allah.
- This was out of love for Allah. Allah loves the acts of His subjects in seeking repentance, which is a sign of turning back to Him. He said, “Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever accepting of repentance.” (The Qur’an 110:3)
Allah also said, “Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.” (The Qur’an 2:222)
- The Prophets had the highest level of awareness about the seriousness and severity of human accountability before Allah. Their state of consciousness was above all. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, said, “If you know what I know, you will laugh little and weep much.”
- This is a prophetic way (sunnat) to be followed by the followers of the Prophets. Thus, it served as a teaching mode for all other human beings to remain alert about their deeds and seek forgiveness whenever any wrong action is done. In fact, human beings cannot keep count of all the errors made and wrong actions committed. So, the Prophetic tradition is to seek as much forgiveness as is possible.