The second ten days are called the Ten Days of Forgiveness. These ten days are very special for Muslims to seek forgiveness and ask for forgiveness from Allah in the prayer, no Muslim is free from sin. These 10 days are a good opportunity for us to purify our souls and ask for forgiveness from Allah as much as possible. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has commanded us to seek forgiveness as much as possible because it rubs out sins and strengthens our relationship with Allah.

 Qur’anic Reference on Forgiveness:

 And whoever does wrong or wrongs himself and asks forgiveness from Allah, he will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (SurahAn–Nisa4:110)

Benefits of Reciting the 2nd Ashra Dua:

1. Allah’s Forgiveness and Mercy:

• The important benefit of this dua is receiving Allah’s forgiveness for previous sins.
• Allah’s kindness is infinite, and this dua is an appeal for His compassion.
• Spiritual Cleansing:

• In search of forgiveness helps purify the heart and reintroduce one’s faith.
• It takes away the burden of sins and grants internal peace

. 3. Protection from Punishment

• The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks forgiveness and finds a way out of distress and relief from it, he will be provided with sustenance from where he never expects it.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, Hadith 1518).

4.Stronge the Bond with Allah:

• In search of forgiveness strengthens our connection with Allah, cumulative devoutness and honesty in worship.
• It boosts humility, prompting us of our dependency on Allah’s forgiveness.

5. Increased Acceptance of Prayers:

• A heart free from sin has a higher chance of dua receiving.
•  The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “He who repents from sins is as if he had never committed them. (Ibn Majah, Hadith 4250)

6. Attainment of Allah’s Love

Allah Almighty always loves those who constantly repent.

Indeed, Allah loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves. (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:222)

How to Maximize the 2nd Ashra of Ramadan?

1.Make it a habit to recite the dua of the second ten days daily, especially after prayers and at the time of sehri and iftar.

2.Make it a habit to pray Tahajjud and Salat al-Tawbah to gain a deeper connection with Allah.

3.    Repeatedly say:

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ

(“I seek forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance.”)

4.We should give as much charity as possible because charity helps in expiating sins.

5.One should try to avoid every wrongdoing and repent of all past sins.

Additional dua:

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ.1

There is no god but You, Glory be to You. Indeed, I have become one of the wrongdoers.

 Benefit: This is the dua Prophet Yunus (عليه السلام) recited in the belly of the whale. It is a powerful sorrow and release dua.

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الرَّاحِمِينَ.2    

O my Lord, forgive and have mercy, for You are the Most Merciful.

 Benefit: This dua requests for both mercy and forgiveness from Allah.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ العَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي.3

O Allah, you are the Forgiving and the Most Generous. You love those who forgive, so forgive me.

Conclusion

In the second ten days of Ramadan, we can get all our minor and major sins forgiven by seeking forgiveness as much as possible, because this is the ten days of forgiveness, in which Allah Almighty forgives all sins to His believing servants. In these ten days, we can gain the mercy and closeness of Allah Almighty, in addition to the abundance of the prayers given above.

May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to seek forgiveness as much as possible during these ten days and forgive our sins. Ameen