Is it permissible to supplicate in prayer with "O Allah, renew [or resume] the pardon and pardon us," and does the word "renew [استأنف]" here mean "begin the pardon"?
It is not permissible to supplicate with the words: "Allah, resume forgiveness" (Allah ista'naf al-'afw), due to the disrespect towards Allah and speaking about Him without knowledge that it entails. This is because Allah the Almighty is Al-'Afuw (the Forgiver, the Pardoner) and Al-Ghafoor (the Oft-Forgiving), and His forgiveness is continuous with His servant, never قطع (interrupted); otherwise, He would have destroyed them. Therefore, saying: "My Lord, begin forgiveness" (Ya Rabb ibda' al-'afw) implies that He has not forgiven before or that His forgiveness has ceased, which is false. Allah the Almighty has forbidden speaking about Him without knowledge, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade exaggeration in supplication. He taught 'Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) to supplicate with the words: "O Allah, indeed You are Pardoning, You love pardon, so pardon me." And whoever has supplicated with this supplication must repent to Allah from it.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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