Quran Universe
9:80

ٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ أَوۡ لَا تَسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ إِن تَسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ سَبۡعِينَ مَرَّةٗ فَلَن يَغۡفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمۡۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ كَفَرُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهۡدِي ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَ

Istaghfir lahum aw la tastaghfir lahum in tastaghfir lahum sabAAeena marratan falan yaghfira Allahu lahum thalika biannahum kafaroo biAllahi warasoolihi waAllahu la yahdee alqawma alfasiqeena

Ask forgiveness for them, [O Muhammad], or do not ask forgiveness for them. If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times - never will Allah forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.

Word by word
  1. ٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡAsk forgiveness
  2. لَهُمۡfor them
  3. أَوۡor
  4. لَا(do) not
  5. تَسۡتَغۡفِرۡask forgiveness
  6. لَهُمۡfor them
  7. إِنIf
  8. تَسۡتَغۡفِرۡyou ask forgiveness
  9. لَهُمۡfor them
  10. سَبۡعِينَseventy
  11. مَرَّةٗtimes
  12. فَلَنnever
  13. يَغۡفِرَwill Allah forgive
  14. ٱللَّهُwill Allah forgive
  15. لَهُمۡۚ[for] them
  16. ذَٰلِكَThat
  17. بِأَنَّهُمۡ(is) because they
  18. كَفَرُواْdisbelieved
  19. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  20. وَرَسُولِهِۦۗand His Messenger
  21. وَٱللَّهُand Allah
  22. لَا(does) not
  23. يَهۡدِيguide
  24. ٱلۡقَوۡمَthe people
  25. ٱلۡفَٰسِقِينَthe defiantly disobedient
At-Tawbah · 9:80Madinah

Even seventy prayers for them would not be enough.

The Prophet's mercy, and a closed door

What the verse closes
the Prophet ﷺready to ask again and again
70a number for no limit
still
no forgivenessthey rejected Allah
Where the door shuts
others can save mesomeone will pray for me
my own turningmust come from me

Ibn Kathir explains that seventy is how Arabs speak of no limit, to close the subject. When Abdullah bin Ubayy died, the Prophet ﷺ still went to his funeral at his son's request, saying I will ask seventy times and seventy more. His mercy was that wide.

You may lean on your mother's prayers, the friend who always makes dua for you, the good family you came from. Those are gifts. But no one else can turn your heart for you. The door opens from your side.

My family's prayers will carry me even if I drift.

Others can pray for me, but turning to Allah is mine to do.

Try this

Ask Allah's forgiveness yourself today, in your own words, for one specific thing.

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

Whether you (O Muhammad ﷺ) ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for them – (and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness – Allah will not forgive them because they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah guides not those people who are rebellious (80)

The Prohibition of asking for Forgiveness for Hypocrites

Allah says to His Prophet ﷺ that hypocrites are not worthy of seeking forgiveness for them and that if he asks Allah to forgive them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them. The number seventy here was mentioned to close the door on this subject, for Arabs use this number when they exaggerate, not that they actually mean seventy or more than seventy. Ash-Sha'bi said that when 'Abdullah bin Ubayy was dying, his son went to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, "My father has died, I wish you could attend him and pray the funeral prayer for him." The Prophet ﷺ said,

مَا اسْمُكَ

("What is you name?) He said, "Al-Hubab bin 'Abdullah." The Prophet ﷺ said,

بَلْ أَنْتَ عَبْدُاللهِ بْنُ عَبْدِاللهِ إِنَّ الْحُبَابَ اسْمَ شَيْطَانٍ

(Rather, you are 'Abdullah bin 'Abdullah, for Al-Hubab is a devil's name.)

The Prophet ﷺ went along with him, attended his father's funeral, gave him his shirt as a shroud and prayed the funeral prayer for him. He was asked, "Would you pray on him, when he is a hypocrite?" He said,

إِنَّ اللهَ قَالَ:

إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً

وَلَأسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ وَسَبْعِينَ وَسَبْعِينَ

(Allah said, "...(and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness..."

Verily, I will ask Allah to forgive them seventy times and seventy more and seventy more.)" Similar narrations were collected from 'Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, Mujahid, Qatadah bin Di'amah and Ibn Jarir.