Tawbah and Istighfar are special qualities of a believer. Allah has created humans to worship Him and obey His commands and prohibitions. However, humans, being deceived by Satan, sometimes violate Allah's commands and prohibitions. So, out of His mercy, Allah Ta'ala has established the system of Tawbah and Istighfar, which grants believers purity and holiness from their sins.

Tawbah and istighfar are essential things in the life of believers. Allah Ta'ala described the qualities of the righteous believers in the Qur'an. He said,

وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَٰحِشَةً أَوۡ ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ ذَكَرُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسۡتَغۡفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمۡ وَمَن يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ

And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allāh and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allāh? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.

 Tawbah and Istighfar are the sunnah of the prophets

Just as the Prophets and Messengers have repented and asked for forgiveness from their Lord, they have commanded their Ummah to repent and ask for forgiveness. They taught their Ummah to make Tawbah and Istighfar. However, there are differences between the repentance of the Prophets and the repentance of the Ummah. The prophets and messengers are innocent; Allah protects them from sins. But their Ummah is not innocent. Therefore, the Prophets' repentance and seeking forgiveness is only to promote their status while their Ummah's repentance and Istighfar are sometimes for the forgiveness of their sins, and sometimes for the promotion of their dignity.

Tawbah and Istighfar of the prophets

The Prophets also repented and asked for forgiveness from Allah. The stories and language of their Tawbah and Istighfar are described in the Qur'an. Here, we are presenting some verses from the Qur'an regarding the tawbah and istighfar of the Prophets.

Tawbah and Istighfar in the words of Hadhrat Adam a.s.

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ

They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."

Tawbah and Istighfar in the words of  Hadhrat Nuh a.s.

رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارَۢا

 My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women. And do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction."

Tawbah and Istighfar in the words of  Hadhrat Musa a.s.

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِي فَٱغۡفِرۡ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُۥٓۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

 He said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me," and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Prophets teach their Ummah how to make Tawbah and Istighfar

Teaching of Hadhrat Salih to his Ummah Tawbah and Istighfar :

۞ وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمۡ صَٰلِحٗاۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُۥۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱسۡتَعۡمَرَكُمۡ فِيهَا فَٱسۡتَغۡفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٞ مُّجِيبٞ

 And to Thamūd [We sent] their brother Ṣāliḥ. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive."

Tawbah and Istighfar help the believer to obtain forgiveness and mercy of Allah

Allah says:

وَ اسْتَغْفِرُوا اللهَ اِنَّ اللهَ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِیْمٌ.

And ask Allah for forgiveness. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. — Surah al-Baqarah (02) : 199

He further said—

وَ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوْبُوْۤا اِلَیْهِ اِنَّ رَبِّیْ رَحِیْمٌ وَّدُوْدٌ.

Ask your Lord for forgiveness. Then return to Him. Surely my Lord is Most Merciful and Most Loving. - Surah Hud (11): 90

Allah does not punish those who repent and seek forgiveness

Allah says:

وَ مَا كَانَ اللهُ لِیُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَ اَنْتَ فِیْهِمْ  وَ مَا كَانَ اللهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَ هُمْ یَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ

Allah will not punish them while you are among them. And Allah will not punish them while they asking for forgiveness. — Surah Anfal (08): 33

Tawbah and Istighfar help the believer to gain worldly blessings, strength and all prosperity

It is mentioned in the Quran –

فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوْا رَبَّكُمْ  اِنَّهٗ كَانَ غَفَّارًا، یُّرْسِلِ السَّمَآءَ عَلَیْكُمْ مِّدْرَارًا، وَّ یُمْدِدْكُمْ بِاَمْوَالٍ وَّ بَنِیْنَ وَ یَجْعَلْ لَّكُمْ جَنّٰتٍ وَّ یَجْعَلْ لَّكُم اَنْهٰرًا.

I said, seek forgiveness from your Lord. Surely He is the most Forgiving. Then He will send rain upon you in torrents. And He will increase you in wealth and children. He will create for you various gardens and rivers. — Surah Nuh (71): 10-12

It is mentioned in another verse, O my community! Ask your Lord for forgiveness. Then repent to Him. He will send rain upon you in torrents and increase your strength. Do not turn away like sinners. — Surah Hud (11): 52

In short, through Tawbah and Istighfar, a believer's life becomes beautiful and successful in this world and in the Hereafter. Above all, through repentance, a believer becomes the closest servant of Allah Ta'ala. May Allah Ta'ala forgive all kinds of our wrongdoings, and sins and grant us tawfiq to repent from all kinds of sins. Amin.