Understanding Salat — Page 152
Understanding S al A t 152 After Jilsah, the Imam leads the congregation into a second Prostration by saying All ā hu Akbar and, again Sub hā na Rabbiyal A‘l ā is done three times or, if more, in odd number. ( S al ā t-The Muslim Prayer Book , pp. 46) ْ رَب ِّ اغْفِرْلِي My Lord, forgive me The Promised Messiah as said, The root of Istighf ā r is ghafara, which means to cover up. Thus, the meaning of Istighf ā r is that God should cover up the natural weakness of the supplicant with His power. This meaning is then enlarged to include the covering up of a sin that has been committed, but the true meaning is that God should safeguard the supplicant against his natural weakness and should bestow upon him power from His power, and knowl- edge from His knowledge, and light from His light. ( Essence of Islam, vol. 2, pp. 241-242) One aspect of istighf ā r is to save us from loss, but its primary