أستغفر الله لي ولكم، استغفروه
Astaghfiru Allāh lī wa lakum
Topic
“I seek Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you; seek His forgiveness too.” Said by the imam at the end of the first Friday and ʿId sermon.
What it means
The imam says the phrase at the close of the first khuṭba on Friday and on the day of ʿId. It means “I ask Allah’s forgiveness for myself and for you.” The congregation answers by asking for forgiveness themselves, which is the meaning of istaghfirūh, “seek His forgiveness”. The imam places himself among those who need forgiveness, with no claim to be above his hearers. The phrase closes the first part of the sermon, after which the imam sits briefly and then rises for the second part. It reflects the Quranic encouragement to seek forgiveness, since God is oft-forgiving.
Often misunderstood as
That the imam speaks as one who is free of fault, when he joins himself with the congregation in asking for pardon.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 56, listed as ASTAGHFIRU ALLAH LĪ WA LAKUM.. The definition is restated here.