sinlessness of the prophets.

Istighfār

There are, however, certain words which have been misunderstood by some critics, who have straightway rushed to the erroneous conclusion that the Holy Qur’ān gives no support to the doctrine of the sinlessness of prophets. The most important of these words is istighfār which is generally taken as meaning asking for forgiveness of sins. It, however, carries a wide significance. Seeking of protection from sin23 is as much a meaning of istighfār as the seeking of protection from the punishment of sin. When it is established that, according to the teachings of the Holy Qur’ān, the prophets are sinless, istighfār can, in their case, only be taken as meaning the seeking of protection from the sins to which man is liable, for it is through Divine protection alone that they can remain sinless. Hence the Holy Prophet is spoken of in a ḥadīth as saying istighfār a hundred times a day; that is to say, he was every moment seeking the protection of God, and praying to Him, that he may not go against His will. Istighfār or the prayer for protection (ghafr) is in fact a prayer for Divine help in the advancement to higher and higher stages of spiritual perfection. Thus, even those who have been admitted into Paradise are described as praying to God for His ghafr: “Our Lord! make perfect for us our light and grant us protection (ghaffir); surely, Thou art possessor of power over all things” (66 :8). The ordinary rendering is “forgive us”, but forgiveness, in the narrow sense of pardoning of sins, is meaningless here, because none can be admitted into Paradise unless his sins are pardoned. Ghafr or forgiveness, therefore, stands here for Divine help in the spiritual advancement of man, which will continue even after death. On another occasion, maghfirah, which is the same as ghafr, is described as a blessing of Paradise: “For them therein are all fruits and protection (maghfirat) from their Lord” (47:15). Maghfirat is therefore one of the blessings which the righteous shall enjoy in Paradise, and therefore a Divine help in the onward progress of man therein.

Dhanb

Another misunderstood word is dhanb which is generally