Taubah and Astaghfar
Everyday, in every namaz, we ask Allah to guide us to the straight way. And whenever we deviate from that Sirat Mustaqeem, we are expected to return to it asap. This is called Taubah. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has told us that man is prone to sin; every man deviates from the straight way all along his life. كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ وَخَيْرُ الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ [Ibn Majah] And every time man deviates and sins, a black dot is stamped on his heart. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once said: “Verily, when the slave (of Allah) commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart. When he refrains from it, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart is polished clean. But if he returns, it increases until it covers his entire heart. And that is the ‘Raan’ which Allah mentioned: ‘Nay, but on their hearts is the Raan which they used to earn.’” [Abu Hurairah ؓ, Jami` at-Tirmidhi] Thus, if man repents for that sin, that black dot is washed away, and the heart is returned to its pristine state - Qalb e Sal...