Quran Universe
3:16

ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

Allatheena yaqooloona rabbana innana amanna faighfir lana thunoobana waqina AAathaba alnnari

Those who say, "Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire,"

Word by word
  1. ٱلَّذِينَThose who
  2. يَقُولُونَsay
  3. رَبَّنَآOur Lord
  4. إِنَّنَآIndeed,we
  5. ءَامَنَّا(have) believed
  6. فَٱغۡفِرۡso forgive
  7. لَنَاfor us
  8. ذُنُوبَنَاour sins
  9. وَقِنَاand save us
  10. عَذَابَ(from) punishment
  11. ٱلنَّارِ(of) the Fire
Ali 'Imran · 3:16Madinah

We believed, so forgive us.

The mindful lean on faith, not on their record

Their prayer
the mindfulpromised the gardens
say
we have believedin You, Your Book, Your Messenger
so forgive usand save us from the Fire
What they bring
a clean recordlook what I did
faith and needforgive our shortcomings

Ibn Kathir describes these as the pious servants promised the reward just mentioned. They ask, because of our faith in You, forgive our errors and shortcomings, by Your bounty and mercy. They do not present themselves as perfect.

You missed Fajr again and feel like a fraud for even asking. The people Allah praises here are asking for forgiveness too. Faith with mistakes is still the ticket to ask.

I have messed up too much to ask for forgiveness.

Belief is the reason I can ask, not the reason I should be ashamed to.

Try this

Say this dua once today: Rabbana innana amanna faghfir lana dhunubana.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Those who say: "Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire. (16)(They are) the patient, the true believers, and obedient with sincere devotion in worship to Allah. Those who spend [in good] and those who pray and beg Allah's pardon in the last hours of the night (17)

The Supplication and Description of Al-Muttaqin

Allah describes the Muttaqin, His pious servants, whom He promised tremendous rewards,

الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا

(Those who say: "Our Lord! We have indeed believed") in You, Your Book and Your Messenger.

فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا

(so forgive us our sins) because of our faith in You and in what You legislated for us. Therefore, forgive us our errors and shortcomings, with Your bounty and mercy,

وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

(and save us from the punishment of the Fire.)

Allah then said,

الصَّابِرِينَ 

((They are) those who are patient) while performing acts of obedience and abandoning the prohibitions.

وَالصَّادِقِينَ 

(those who are true) concerning their proclamation of faith, by performing the difficult deeds.

وَالْقَانِتِينَ 

(and obedient) meaning, they submit and obey Allah,

وَالْمُنفِقِينَ 

(those who spend) from their wealth on all the acts of obedience they were commanded, being kind to kith and kin, helping the needy, and comforting the destitute.

وَالْمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ بِالْأَسْحَارِ

(and those who pray and beg Allah's pardon in the last hours of the night) and this testifies to the virtue of seeking Allah's forgiveness in the latter part of the night. It was reported that when Ya'qub said to his children,

سَوْفَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي

(I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you)[12:98] he waited until the latter part of the night to say his supplication.

Furthermore, the Two Sahihs, the Musnad and Sunan collections recorded through several Companions that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

يَنْزِلُ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالى فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الْآخِرُ، فَيَقُولُ: هَلْ مِنْ سَائِلٍ فَأُعْطِيَهُ؟ هَلْ مِنْ دَاعٍ فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ؟ هَلْ مِنْ مُسْتَغْفِرٍ فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ؟

(Every night, when the last third of it remains, our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, descends to the lowest heaven saying, "Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?")

The Two Sahihs recorded that 'A'ishah said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed Witr during the first part, the middle and latter parts of the night. Then, later (in his life), he would perform it (only) during the latter part." 'Abdullah bin 'Umar used to pray during the night and would ask, "O Nafi'! Is it the latter part of the night yet?" and if Nafi' said, "Yes," Ibn 'Umar would start supplicating to Allah and seeking His forgiveness until dawn. This Hadith was collected by Ibn Abi Hatim.