Seeking God’s forgiveness

How to ask for forgiveness in Christianity.

Name and admit the thing you’ve done. Before asking forgiveness, you must specifically state the thing you did wrong and admit that you did it. If you’re feeling guilty, you may be tempted to make excuses or deny that you did anything wrong. Forgiveness is impossible if you don’t admit you did something wrong.
Tell God that you know what you did was wrong. Once you have named what you did, it’s important to recognize that it was wrong. It’s possible to say what you’ve done but to not believe that you were wrong to do it. Admitting you did it is pointless if you do not admit that you know it was wrong.
Say that you are sorry for what you did. It is still not enough to say what you did and admit that it was wrong. Now you must apologize for it. Feel sincerely sorry for the wrong, and let that regret come through in what you say to God. It’s important that you are actually remorseful when you say you are sorry

Praying about forgiveness in Christianity

Pray about what you’re feeling. You must always be honest when you are asking for forgiveness. If you believe that God knows your heart anyway, there is no sense in lying to him. Tell him the guilt you feel for your sin, and that being separated from him has made you sad.
Use scripture in your prayer. God’s word is powerful, and he encourages you to use it when you speak to him. Since the words in the Bible come from God, they show a model for how to talk to God. Search your Bible, or online, to find scriptures about asking for forgiveness. Use those to make your prayer meaningful.
Ask God to forgive you for what you’ve done. Just as you would with other people, after saying you are sorry you must ask to be forgiven. There is no special prayer you have to pray to earn forgiveness from God. All you have to do is ask him to forgive you, through Jesus Christ, and believe that he will forgive you.
Tell God that you believe He has forgiven you. Belief and forgiveness go hand in hand. It’s no good to ask for forgiveness but not believe God will forgive you. God says that when you ask him to forgive you with sincere hearts that is He is faithful to forgive. Tell yourself you believe Him and tell God you believe Him.

How to seek forgiveness from God(Allah) in Islam

Identify your mistake or sin. It is very important to realize when you have strayed from Allah’s guidance. Identify what you did, why you did it, and how it has affected you and other people. Clear your mind, think openly, and accept your mistakes. Take responsibility for your actions.
Ask for forgiveness because you really want to. Do not ask for forgiveness because other people are pressuring you to do so. Many people might guide you and tell you what’s right and what’s not, and if they know that you have committed a sin, they will suggest you ask for forgiveness. But asking for forgiveness won’t have any effect unless you sincerely repent and seek forgiveness.
Promise not to repeat the mistake and be sincere. You can’t ask for forgiveness with the intention of doing it again. Make sure that you are dedicated to avoiding the behavior in the future before you ask for forgiveness. Otherwise, asking for forgiveness is an insincere act and you may not be forgiven.
4. Recognize if someone else was also affected by your sins or mistakes. Take some time to reflect on whether your actions hurt other people, and if so, who those people were and what harm you may have caused them. Once you identify who may have been harmed by your actions, you will need to ask them for their forgiveness, too.
Be grateful that you can ask for forgiveness. Never take Allah’s forgiveness for granted. Entering the period of repentance without being committed to your God won’t do any good. Have belief in Allah and pray that he will make things right. Remember, the Quran says: Indeed, Allah loves those who repent and purify themselves. “ [Surah Al Baqarah, 2:222].

How to pray about forgiveness in Islam

Perform Salah: Do your prayers with utmost sincerity and reverence toward Allah. Perform the five compulsory salaat. If you can, try to do them at a mosque. The calm and devoted environment might help you. Do not hesitate from performing additional Sunnah (recommended) and Nafl (voluntary) rakats. They will count heavily in your favor, especially if you do them consistently.

Salaat is the key to developing a close connection with Allah and must be prioritized within the daily schedule of every Muslim.
Ask Allah for forgiveness after the salaat (prayers). Once you have completed your salaat, this is a good time to ask forgiveness. Offer your prayers at the right time and with the right attitude and devotion.

Allah says in the Quran, “And perform Salaat, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e. the five compulsory Salaat].” (Hud 11:114).
Continue to ask Allah for forgiveness day and night. Depending on the severity of your sin, you might not be forgiven in a day. Seeking forgiveness is a slow process of improving yourself from within. Seeking forgiveness could be a long, tiring path, but this will be to your benefit in the long run.

The Prophet (S.A.W.S) said: “Allah, the Exalted, will continue to stretch out His Hand in the night so that the sinners of the day may repent, and continue to stretch His Hand in the daytime so that the sinners of the night may repent, until the sun rises from the west (the start of Day of Judgment)”.
Use Allah’s different names that attribute his kindness and forgiveness. The most suitable of the names include Al-’Afuww (He who pardons), Al-Ghafoor (He who forgives), and Al-Ghaffaar (The Oft-Forgiving). Using one or all of these names might help to increase the power of your prayers.
Recite the duas to seek forgiveness. The duas are prayers of supplication. You can recite duas as a special way to ask Allah for forgiveness. Some options include:

•”They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.

•Recite Astaghfirullah constantly. Say it 3 times after every salat and minimum of 100 times a day. It means, “I seek forgiveness from Allah”.

Some Jews connect forgiveness with Tashlich, a ceremony usually held on the first day of Rosh Hashanah in which participants go to a flowing body of water, say prayers, and cast their sins, represented by bread crumbs, into the water.

Jewish tradition puts forgiveness and asking for forgiveness very high on the scale of importance.

How to repent from sin in Judaism

How to repent

Regretting/acknowledging the sin;
Forsaking the sin (see below);
Worrying about the future consequences of the sin;
Acting and speaking with humility;
Acting in a way opposite to that of the sin (for example, for the sin of lying, one should speak the truth);
Understanding the magnitude of the sin;

Forgiveness is important in Judaism and is a duty, or a mitzvah, that Jews should try their best to obey. Teachings on forgiveness can be found in the Torah.

“Do not hate your brother in your heart” Leviticus 19:17

Judaism teaches that because humans have been given free will, they are responsible for their own actions.