Sayyid al-Istighfar: The Best Way of Seeking Forgiveness
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، خَلَقْتَنِيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ، أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوْءُ بِذَنْبِيْ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Allāhumma Anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā Ant, khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduk, wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mā’staṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abū’u laka bi niʿmatika ʿalayya wa abū’u laka bidhambī fa-ghfir lī fa-innahū lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant.
(Sayyid al-Istighfār) O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god worthy of worship except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave. I am under Your covenant and pledge (to fulfil it) to the best of my ability. I seek Your protection from the evil that I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I admit my sins. Forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The most superior manner of seeking forgiveness is [the above]. Whoever says it during the day with firm belief in it and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise. And if anyone says it during the night with firm belief in it and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (Bukhārī 6306, 6323)
Praising Allah, Forgiveness and Good Character
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ، ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِيْ وَاعْتَرَفْتُ بِذَنْبِيْ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ ذُنُوْبِيْ جَمِيْعًا ، إِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، وَاهْدِنِيْ لِأَحْسَنِ الْأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِيْ لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، وَاصْرِفْ عَنِّيْ سَيِّئَهَا لَا يَصْرِفُ عَنِّيْ سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ ، وَالْخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ فِيْ يَدَيْكَ ، وَالشَّرُّ لَيْسَ إِلَيْكَ ، أَنَا بِكَ وَإِلَيْكَ ، تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيْتَ ، أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوْبُ إِلَيْكَ
Allāhumma Antal-Maliku lā ilāha illā Ant, Anta Rabbī wa ana ʿabduk, ẓalamtu nafsī waʿtaraftu bi-dhambī, fa-ghfir lī dhunūbī jamīʿā, innahū lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant, wa-hdinī li-aḥsani-l-akhlāqi lā yahdī li-aḥsanihā illā Ant, wa-ṣrif ʿannī sayyi’ahā lā yaṣrifu ʿannī sayyi’ahā illā Ant, labbayka wa saʿdayk, wal-khayru kulluhū fī yadayk, wa-sh-sharru laysa ilayk, ana bika wa ilayk, tabārakta wa taʿālayt, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk.
O Allah, You are the King, there is no god worthy of worship except You. You are my Lord and I am Your slave. I have wronged myself and I confess my sins. Forgive all of my sins; indeed no one forgives sins except You. Guide me to the best of character, for no one guides to the best of it except You; and turn the evil of it away from me, for no one turns it away except You. Here I am at Your service, seeking Your pleasure; all good is in Your hands and no evil is attributed to You. I am from You and I am returning to You. You are Most Blessed and You are Most Exalted. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You. (Muslim)
(Muslim 771)
Comprehensive Forgiveness
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ خَطِيْئَتِيْ وَجَهْلِيْ وَإِسْرَافِيْ فِيْ أَمْرِيْ ، وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ جِدِّيْ وَهَزْلِيْ وَخَطَئِيْ وَعَمْدِيْ وَكُلُّ ذٰلِكَ عِنْدِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ ، وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّـيْ ، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ
Allāhumma-ghfirlī khaṭī’atī wa jahlī wa isrāfī fī amrī, wa mā Anta aʿlamu bihī minnī, Allāhumma-ghfir lī jiddī wa hazlī wa khaṭa’ī wa ʿamdī wa kullu dhālika ʿindī, Allāhumma-ghfirlī mā qaddamtu wa mā akh-khart, wa mā asrartu wa mā aʿlant, wa mā Anta aʿlamu bihī minnī, Anta-l-Muqaddimu wa Anta-l-Muakh-khir, wa Anta ʿalā kulli shay’in Qadīr.
O Allah, forgive my mistakes, ignorance, transgression in my matters, and what You are more Knowledgeable of than me. O Allah, forgive me for what I did in earnestness and in jest; unintentionally or intentionally; as I have committed all of these (types of sins). O Allah, forgive me for what I have already done, what I am yet to do, what I did publicly, what I did privately, and what You are more Knowledgeable of than me. You are the One who brings forward and You are the One who defers. You are All-Powerful over everything.
Abu Musa al-‘Ash’ari (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) reported from his father that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would supplicate with [the above]. (Muslim 2719)
Forgiveness
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيْمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّيْ
Allāhumma innaka ʿAffuwwun tuḥibb-ul-ʿafwa faʿfu ʿannī.
O Allah, You are the Ever-Pardoning, the Generous; You love to pardon so pardon me.
‘Aisha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) narrated: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, if I know when the Night of Al-Qadr is, then what should I say in it?” He said: ‘Say: [the above].’” (Tirmidhī 3513)
Forgiveness, Anger and Trials
اَللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ مُحَمَّدٍ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ذَنْبِيْ ، وَأَذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قَلْبِيْ ، وَأَعِذْنِيْ مِنْ مُضِلَّاتِ الْفِتَنِ
Allāhumma Rabba Muḥammad, ighfir lī dhambī, wa adh-hib ghayẓa qalbī, wa aʿidhnī min muḍillāti-l-fitan.
O Allah, Lord of Muḥammad forgive my sins, remove the anger of my heart and protect me from misleading trials.
Muhammad b. Abu Bakr narrates that when ‘Aisha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) would become angry, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would stroke her nose and then say (to her): “O Uwaish! Say: [the above].” (Ibn al-Sunnī 456)
Forgiveness For All Types of Sins
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ذَنْبِيْ كُلَّهُ ، دِقَّهُ وَجِلَّهُ ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ ، وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّهُ
Allāhumma-ghfir lī dhambī kullah, diqqahū wa jillah, wa awwalahū wa ākhirah, wa ʿalāniyatahū wa sirrah.
O Allah, forgive for me all of my sins: the minor and major, the first and the last, the public and the private. (Muslim)
Abu Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would say [the above] in sujud.” (Muslim 483)
Acknowledgement of Your Sins, Forgiveness & Mercy
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنّيْ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِيْ ظُلْمًا كَثِيْرًا ، وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ مَغْفِرَةً مِّنْ عِنْدِكَ ، وَارْحَمْنِيْ ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ
Allāhumma innī ẓalamtu nafsī ẓulman kathīrā, wa lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant, fa-ghfir lī maghfirata-m-min ʿindik, war-ḥamnī, innaka Anta-l-Ghafūru-r-Raḥīm.
O Allah, I have wronged myself greatly and no one forgives sins except You; so grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy upon me. You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates: “I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to teach me a du’ā so that I may invoke Allah with it in my salāh. He told me to say: [the above].” (Bukhārī 834)
Forgiveness, Mercy & Guidance
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ ، وَارْحَمْنِيْ ، وَعَافِنيْ ، وَاهْدِنِيْ وَارْزُقْنِيْ
Allāhumma-ghfir lī, war-ḥamnī, wa ʿāfinī, wah-dinī war-zuqnī.
O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me wellbeing, guide me and grant me sustenance.
Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiy Allāhū ‘anhumā): “The Prophet ﷺ used to say [the above] between the two prostrations.” (Abū Dāwūd 850)
A Deep Cleansing of Sins
اللَّهُمَّ بَاعِدْ بَيْنِيْ وَبَيْنَ خَطَايَاىَ كَمَا بَاعَدْتَ بَيْنَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ، اللَّهُمَّ نَقِّنِي مِنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا يُنَقَّى الثَّوْبُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْسِلْ خَطَايَاىَ بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ
Allāhumma bāʿid baynī wa bayna khaṭāyāya kamā bāʿadta bayna-l-mashriqi wa-l-maghrib, Allāhumma naq-qinī min khaṭāyāya kamā yunaq-qa-th-thawbul-abyaḍu mina-d-danas, Allāhumma-ghsilnī min khaṭāyāya bil-māi’ wa-th-thalji wal-barad.
O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the East from the West. O Allah, purify me from my sins as white cloth is purified from dirt. O Allah, wash away my sins with snow, water and hail.
Abu Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pause between the opening takbir and the recitation. said: ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, the pause between the opening takbir and the recitation, what do you say?’ He replied: ‘I say [the above].’ (Bukhari 744, Muslim 598)
Forgiveness for the Believers
اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ
Allāhumma-ghfir lil-mu’minīna wa-l-mu’mināt.
O Allah, forgive the believing men and the believing women.
Umme Salamah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever says [the above] everyday, he will receive a reward for every believer.” (Tabarānī in Mu’jam al-Kabir 23/370)
Ubadah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and women, Allah will write a good deed for every believing man and woman.” (Tabarānī in Musnad al-Shamiyyin 2155)