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wa-ʾidh qīla lahumu skunū hādhihi l-qaryata wa-kulū minhā ḥaythu shiʾtum wa-qūlū ḥiṭṭatun wa-dkhulū l-bāba sujjadan naghfir lakum khaṭīʾātikum sa-nazīdu l-muḥsinīna
And when they were told, ‘Settle in this town and eat thereof whence you wish; and say, ‘‘Relieve [us of the burden of our sins],’’ and enter prostrating at the gate, that We may forgive your iniquities, and soon We shall enhance the virtuous.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-‘Araf – Verse 161
161 . “And (remember) when it was said to them: ‘Dwell in this town (Jerusalem) and eat of it wherever you desire, and ask forgiveness, and enter prostrating at the gate. We shall forgive you your faults. Soon We will give more (the portion of) the doers of good’.”
The Qur’ānic term /hittah/ philologically means: ‘the descent of something from upward.’ There are some other derivations from this term, too. It is used in the sense of request for divine mercy and remission (of sins). The commandment was that the Children of Israel should ask forgiveness from Allah by means of this word, /hittah/, on their arrival into the holy land of Jerusalem. (But with the thought of mockery, they changed the word.) The verse says:
A meaning similar to the content of this verse, with a little difference, has been stated in Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, through verses 58 and 59, too. In Islamic literature, there are some traditions narrated from the Immaculate Imams of Ahlul-Bayt (as) who have clearly said:
“We are the gate of your ‘hittah’ (forgiveness).”
That is, if you enter inside the orb of our government and mastership, mercy will be bestowed upon you. By the way, there is a good tidings in this verse which indicates Allah may provide all the material and spiritual needs of humankind in this world nad the next world. So, in order that they can be eligible to enjoy some bounties such as: housing, food, forgiveness, and mercy, He commands them to supplicate, to ask forgiveness, and to prostrate.
Also, with a sincere repentance, Allah forgives a great deal of faults. In this verse He says:
To obtain the divine remission, both supplication and practice are necessary. The verse says:
“…and ask forgiveness, and enter prostrating at the gate…”
However, there should be a difference between a good doer and a wrong doer. In the rank where evildoers can be forgiven, the good doers must be given a higher and a better grace. The verse says: